Mary Culbertson and other speakers emphasized the importance of treaty knowledge and awareness at St. Mary鈥檚 Cultural Centre on Mar. 9, hoping to pass the message on to the next generation.
The Yorkton Tribal Council hosted a Treaty Symposium on Friday of last week. The event highlighted the need for an open discussion about Canada鈥檚 treaty history and possible future. The day-long event was open to the public, along with several school classes.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to understand our treaties,鈥� said Danny Whitehawk, who acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the symposium.
An elder started the event with a prayer before tribal chief Isabel O鈥橲oup made some opening remarks.
鈥淲e鈥檙e modern treaty people,鈥� she said. 鈥淭reaty then, treaty now.鈥�
O鈥橲oup underscored the value of preserving Indigenous culture and language while also praising the hard work of women in her life.
鈥淲e all know women are the backbone of our community,鈥� she said.
O鈥橲oup introduced Mary Culbertson, a speaker for the event. Culbertson was appointed as the Treaty Commissioner for Saskatchewan in January. She is the first woman to achieve the position. She will serve a term of three years.
鈥淧lease help me with this big role I have,鈥� she said to the crowd.
O鈥橲oup congratulated Culbertson on her appointment and she presented the commissioner with a blanket.
Culbertson, a member of the Keeseekoose First Nation, conducted a lengthy speech on her new job and the issues facing Indigenous people today. She mentioned talking with Colten Boushie鈥檚 family before the Gerald Stanley trial.
She became visibly upset as she talked about the family鈥檚 struggles.
鈥淚鈥檓 not usually emotional,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know I鈥檓 supposed to be neutral, but it鈥檚 hard to do.鈥�
Culbertson served as a lawyer after receiving a degree from the University of Saskatchewan. She has interacted with various Indigenous organizations and all levels of government. As commissioner, she promised the
audience she won鈥檛 sugarcoat the realities Indigenous groups face.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to tell the truth and if that hurts some Canadians, I鈥檒l hand them a tissue,鈥� she said. 鈥淐onfront things head-on with words, not violence.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 be loyal to Canada if I鈥檓 not telling the truth.鈥�
Culbertson told the gathered crowd to start education about treaties and reformation in the home.
鈥淲here do kids learn from?鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey learn from us.
鈥淚f we aren鈥檛 teaching our kids about treaties, no one is.鈥�
Culbertson stressed the need for unity in the Indigenous community while underscoring the value of reaching out for reconciliation.
鈥淲e need allies,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 give up hope.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 be divided.鈥�
Eric Tootosis, another speaker at the symposium, educated the audience about treaty history. He also emphasized the usefulness of working together.
鈥淲e鈥檙e partners,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e silent, you鈥檙e just as guilty as the politicians.鈥�
Tootosis walked the audience through the original Indian Act and how it informs their rights and interactions with the government today.
鈥淐anada does not have the right to interfer with our inherent rights,鈥� he said.
In an emotional speech, Tootosis drew attention to the massive loss of life experienced by Indigenous people during the European expansion into North America during the 1800s. Tootosis hammered home the point that millions of
Indigenous people have died over the past 150 years, greatly reducing their population.
鈥淪ome tribes no longer exist,鈥� he said. 鈥淸They were] wiped out.
鈥淲hat happened to our ancestors?鈥�
Tootosis encouraged the young members of the audience to remain vigilant of their rights and to be vocal of any infringements by the government.
鈥淸We are] the original people of North America,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ise.鈥�
After her speech, Culbertson fielded questions from the audience. Topics ranged from hunting rights to treaty history to dealing with the government.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to get the government at the table,鈥� she said.
Culbertson鈥檚 speech didn鈥檛 shy away from the size of her task, but she focused on the power of unity to overcome obstacles.
鈥淲e have a lot of work to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 start moving forward together.鈥�
