TREATY 8

queen of great britain and ireland, by her commissioners the

honourable david laird, of winnipeg, manitoba, indian com

missioner for the said province and the northwest territories;

james andrew joseph mckenna, of ottawa, ontario, esquire,

and the honourable james hamilton ross, of regina, in the

northwest territories, of the one part; and the cree, beaver,

northwest territories, of the one part; and the cree, beaver,

within THE LIMITS hereinafter defined and described, by

their chiefs and headmen, hereunto subscribed, OF the

other part: whereas, the indians inhabiting the territory

hereinafter defined have, pursuant to notice given by the

honourable superintendent general of indian affairs in the

yea r1898, been convened to meet a commission REPRE-

SENTING her majesty’s government of the dominion of

canada at certain places in the said territory in this present

year1899, to deliberate upon certain matters of interest of

her most gracious majesty, of the one part, and the said ind

ans of the other. and whereas, the said indians have bee

notified and informed by her majesty’s said commission that

it is her desire to open for settlement, immigration, trae,

travel, mining, lumbering and such other purposes as to he

majesty may seem meet, a tract of country bounded an

described as hereinafter mentioned, and to obtain the co

sent thereto of her INDIAN SUBJECTS inhabiting th     e     

said

tract, AND TO make a treaty, and ARRANGE with

THEM , so that there may be peace and good WILL

between THEM AND her majesty’s OTHER SUBJECTS ,

and that her indian people may know and be assured of

what allowances they are to count upon and receive from

her majesty’s bounty and benevolence. and whereas, the

indians of the said tract, duly convened in council at the

respective points named hereunder, and being requested by

her majesty’s commissioners TO name certain chiefs and

headmen who should be authorized on their behalf to con

duct such negotiations and sign any treaty to be founded

thereon, and to become responsible to her majesty for the

faithful performance by their respective bands of such oblig

-ations as shall be assumed by them, the said indians have

therefore acknowledged for that purpose the several chiefs

and headmen who have subscribed hereto. and whereas, the

said commissioners have proceeded to negotiate a treaty

with the cree, beaver, chipewyan and other indians, inhabit

ing the district hereinafter defined and described, and the

same has been agreed upon and concluded by the respective

bands at the dates mentioned hereunder, the said indians do

hereby cede, RELEASE, SURRENDER AND YIELD UP

to the government of the dominion of canada, for her

majesty the queen and her successors for ever, all their

rights, titles and privileges whatsoever, TO THE lands

included within the following LIMITS , that IS TO SAY:

commencing at THE SOURCE OF the main branch of

THE RED deer river in alberta, thence due west to the cen

tral range of the rocky mountains, thence northwesterly

along the said range to the point where it INTERSECTS

the60th parallel of north latitude, thence east along said par

allel to the point where it intersects hay river, thence north

easterly down said river to the south shore of great slave

lake, thence along the said shore northeasterly (and includ

ing such rights to the islands in said lakes as the indians

mentioned IN THE treaty may possess), and thence easterly

and northeasterly along the south shores of christie’s bay

and mcleod’s bay to old fort reliance near the MOUTH OF

lockhart’s river, thence southeasterly in A STRAIGHT

LINE to and including black lake, THENCE southwesterly

up THE stream from cree lake, thence including said lake

southwesterly along the height of land between the

athabasca and churchill rivers to where it intersects the

northern BOUNDARY OF treaty six, and along the said

boundary easterly, northerly and southwesterly, to THE

PLACE OF commencement. and also THE said indian

rights, titles and privileges whatsoever to all other lands

WHEREVER situated in the northwest territories, british

columbia, or in any other portion of the dominion of canada.

to have and TO HOLD the same to her majesty THE queen

and her successors for ever. and her majesty the queen

hereby agrees with the said indians that they shall have right

to pursue their usual vocations of hunting, trapping and fish

ing throughout the tract surrendered as heretofore ­

DESCRIBED, SUBJECT TO such regulations A s may

from time to TIME be made by the government OF the

country, acting under the authority of her majesty, and sav

ing and excepting such tracts as may be required or taken

up from time to time for settlement, mining, lumbering, trad

ing or other purposes. and her majesty the queen hereby

agrees and undertakes to lay aside reserves for such bands

as DESIRE reserves, the same not TO EXCEED in all

ONE S quare mile for each family of five for such NUM-

BER of families as may elect TO RESIDE on reserves, or

IN that proportion for larger or smaller families; and for

such families or individual indians as may prefer to live apart

from band reserves, her majesty undertakes to provide land

in SEVERALTY to the extent of 160 acres to each indian,

the land TO BE conveyed with A PROVISO as to non-

alienation without the consent of the governor general in

council of canada, the selection of such reserves, and lands

in severalty, TO BE MADE IN THE manner following,

namely, the superintendent general of indian affairs shall

depute and send a suitable person to determine and set

APART such reserves and lands, after consulting with the

indians concerned as to the locality which may be found

suitable AND OPEN FOR selection. provided, however,

that her majesty reserves the right to deal with any settlers

within THE BOUNDS OF any lands reserved for any band

as she may see fit; and also that THE aforesaid reserves of

land, or any interest therein, may be sold or OTHERWISE

disposed of by her majesty’s government for the use and

benefit of THE said INDIANS entitled thereto, with their

consent first had and obtained. it is further agreed between

her majesty and her said indian subjects that such portions

of the reserves and lands above indicated as may at any time

be required for public works, buildings, railways, or roads of

whatsoever nature may be APPROPRIATED  for that pur

pose by her majesty’s government of the dominion of canada,

due compensation being made to the indians for the value of

any improvements thereon, and an equivalent in land,

money or other consideration for the area of the reserve so

appropriated. and with a view to show the satisfaction of her

majesty with the behaviour and good conduct of her indians,

and in extinguishment of all THE ir PAST claims, she here

by, through her commissioners, agrees TO MAKE EACH

chief A PRESENT of thirty-two dollars in cash, to each

headman twenty-two dollars, and to every other indian OF

WHATEVER AGE , of the families represented at THE

TIME AND PLACE OF payment, twelve dollars.further,

her majesty agrees that each chief, after signing the treaty,

shall receive a silver medal and A suitable FLAG, AND next

year, and every third year thereafter, each chief and head

man shall receive a suitable suit OF clothing. further, her

majesty agrees to pay the salaries of such teachers to instruct

the CHILDREN of said  indians as to her majesty’s govern

ment of canada may seem advisable. further, her majesty

agrees to supply each chief of a band that selects a reserve,

or the use of that band, ten axes, five hand-saws, five

augers, one grindstone, and THE necessary files and whet

stones. further, her majesty agrees that each band that elects

venient after such reserve is set aside and settled upon, and

the band has SIGNIFIED its choice and is prepared to

break up the soil, receive two hoes, one spade, one scythe

and two hay FORKS for every family so settled, and for

every three families one plough and one harrow, and to the

chief, for the use of his band, two horses or a yoke of oxen,

and for each band potatoes, barley, oats and wheat (if such

seed be suited to THE LOCALITY of the reserve), to plant

the land actually broken up, and provisions for one month in

the spring for several years while planting such seeds; and to

every family one cow, and every chief one bull, A nd one

mowing-machine and one REAPER for the use of his band

when it is ready for them; for such families as prefer to raise

stock instead of cultivating the soil, every family of five per

sons, two cows, and every chief two bulls and two mowing-

machines when ready for their use, and a like proportion for

smaller or larger families. the aforesaid articles, machines

and cattle to be GIVEN once for ALL for THE ENCOUR-

AGEMENT of agriculture and stock raising; and for such

bands as prefer TO CONTINUE HUNTING and fishing,

as much ammunition and twine for making nets annually as

will amount in value to one dollar per head of the families so

engaged in hunting and fishing. and the undersigned cree,

beaver, chipewyan and other indian chiefs and headmen,

ON their own BEHALF and on behalf OF all THE indians

whom they represent, do hereby solemnly promise and

engage to strictly observe this treaty, and also to conduct

and behave themselves as good and loyal subjects of her

majesty the queen. they promise and engage that they will,

in all respects, obey and abide by the LAW; that THE y will

maintain peace between each other, and between themselves

and other tribes of INDIANS , and between themselves and

others of her majesty’s subjects, whether indians, half-breeds

or whites, this year inhabiting and hereafter to inhabit any

part of the said CEDE d territory; and that they will not

molest the person or property of any inhabitant of such

ceded tract, or of any other district or country, or interfere

with or trouble any person passing or travelling through the

said tract or any part thereof, and that they will assist the

officers of her majesty in bringing to justice and punishment

any indian offending against the stipulations of this treaty or

infringing the law in force in the country so ceded. in wit

ness whereof her majesty’s said commissioners and the cree

chief and headmen of lesser slave lake and the adjacent terri

tory, have hereunto set their hands at lesser slave lake on the

twenty-first day of JUNE , in the year herein first above

written. IN WITNESS whereof the chairman of her

majesty’s commissioners and the headman of the indians of

peace river landing and the adjacent territory, in behalf of

himself and the indians whom he represents, have hereunto

set their hands at the said peace river landing on the first

day of july in the year of our lord one thousand eight hun

dred and ninety-nine. IN WITNESS whereof the chairman

of her majesty’s commissioners and the chief and headmen of

the beaver and headman of the crees and other indians of

vermilion and the adjacent territory, in behalf of themselves

and the indians whom they represent, have hereunto set

their hands at vermilion on the eighth day of july, in the year

of our lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine. in

WITNESS whereof the chairman of her majesty’s treaty

commissioners and the chief and headman of the chipewyan

indians of fond du lac (lake athabasca) and the adjacent ter

ritory, in behalf of themselves and the indians whom they

represent, have hereunto set their hands at the said fond du

lac on the twenty-fifth and twenty-seventh days of july, in

the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-

nine. the beaver indians of dunvegan having met on this

sixth day of july, in this present year1899, her majesty’s

commissioners, the honourable james hamilton ross and

james andrew joseph mckenna, esquire, and having had

explained to then THE TERMS of the treaty UNTO

WHICH the chief and headmen of THE indians of lesser

slave lake and adjacent country set their HANDS on the

twenty-first day of june, in the year herein first above writ

ten, do join in the cession made by the said treaty, and agree

to ADHERE TO the terms thereof in consideration of the

undertakings made therein. in witness whereof her majesty’s

said commissioners and the headman of the said beaver indi

ans have hereunto set their hands at dunvegan on this sixth

day of july, in the year herein first above written. THE

chipewyan indians of athabasca river, birch river, peace riv

er, slave river and gull  RIVER , and the cree indians of gull

river and deep lake, having met at fort chipewyan on this

thirteenth day OF JULY , in this present year 1899, her

majesty’s commissioners, the honourable james hamilton ross

and james andrew joseph mckenna, esquire, and having had

explained to them the terms of the treaty unto which the

chief AND headmen of THE indians of lesser slave LAKE

and adjacent country set their hands on the twenty-first day

OF june, in the year herein first above written, do join in the

cession made by the said treaty, and agree to adhere to the

terms thereof in consideration of the undertakings made

therein. in witness whereof her majesty’s said commissioners

and the chiefs and headmen of the said chipewyan and cree

indians have hereunto set their hands at fort chipewyan on

this thirteenth day of july, in the year herein first above writ”

en. the chipewyan indians of slave river A nd the COUN-

TRY thereabouts having met at smith’s landing on this

seventeenth day of july, in this present year 1899, her

majesty’s commissioners, the honourable james hamilton ross

and james andrew joseph mckenna, esquire, and HAVING

HAD explained TO them the terms of the treaty unto which

the chief and headmen of the indians of lesser slave lake and

adjacent country, set their hands on the twenty-first day of

june, in the year herein first above written, do join in the

cession made by the said treaty, and agree to adhere to the

terms thereof in CONSIDER ation of the undertakings

made therein. in witness whereof her majesty’s said commis

sioners and the chief and headmen of the said chipewyan

indians have hereunto set their hands at smith’s landing, on

this seventeenth day of july, in the year herein first above

written. the chipewyan and cree indians of fort mcmurray

and the country thereabouts, having met at fort mcmurray,

on this fourth day of august, in this present year 1899, her

majesty’s commissioner, james andrew joseph mckenna,

esquire, and having had explained to them the terms of the

treaty unto which the chief and headmen of the indians of

lesser slave lake and adjacent country set their hands on the

twenty-first day of june, in the year herein first above writ

ten, do join in THE CESSION MADE BY THE SAID

treaty and agree to adhere to the terms thereof in considera

tion of the undertakings made therein. in witness whereof

her majesty’s said commissioner and the headmen of the said

chipewyan and cree indians have hereunto set their hands at

fort mcmurray, on this fourth day of august, in the year

herein first above written. THE INDIANS OF wapiscow

and the country THE reabouts having met at wapiscow lake

on this fourteenth day of august, in this PRESENT year

1899, her majesty’s commissioner, the HONOUR able james

hamilton ross, and having had explained to them the terms

of the treaty unto which the chief and headmen of the indi

ans of lesser slave lake and adjacent country set their hands

on the twenty-first day of june in the year herein first above

written, do join in the cession made by the said treaty and

agree to adhere to THE TERMS thereof in consideration

OF THE UN dertakings made therein. in witness whereof

her majesty’s said commissioner and the chief and headmen

of the indians have hereunto set their hands at wapiscow

lake, on this fourteenth day of august, in the year

WRITTEN.