II-306116.0 | Montreal Garrison at Regina with Chief Piapot and five other chiefs, SK, about 1885
Montreal Garrison at Regina with Chief Piapot and five other chiefs, SK, about 1885
Oliver B. Buell
1933-1935, 20th century
Silver salts on glass - Gelatin dry plate process ?
12 x 17 cm
Purchase from Associated Screen News Ltd.
II-306116.0
© McCord Museum
Description
Keywords: event (534) , History (944) , Photograph (77678)
Keys to History
This image is a reminder that the settlement of the Prairies was not entirely peaceful. These troops are Canadian militia, sent from Montreal to help put down the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. They are shown on parade at Regina, with six chiefs who did not participate in the rebellion. The most important is Piapot (1816-1908), a Cree chief who signed Treaty No. 4 in 1875 and then spent the rest of his life struggling with the federal government over its unkept promises. In 1882 he had a famous confrontation with the Mounted Police over the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. His Cree name, "Kisikawawasan Awasis," means "Lightning Child."
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What
This is a photograph of a group of soldiers and Native men on the open prairie.
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Where
The men are at Regina, once familiarly called "Pile O'Bones."
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When
The picture was taken in 1885, two years after Regina was incorporated and made the capital of the Northwest Territories.
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Who
The men in uniform are members of the Canadian militia from Montreal. The men wearing blankets are First Nations chiefs.
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