First Nations Family Presents Mountie With Horse

First Nations Family Presents Mountie With Horse

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 14:06

 

 

A Saskatchewan RCMP officer has been honoured for his work with a grieving family from the Muscowpetung First Nation.

 

Tim Schwartz was honoured at a “gifting of the horse” ceremony yesterday in Regina, an event that featured First Nations singers, drummers, a prayer and a song by a visiting elder Sam Movescamp of the Sioux Pineridge reservation in South Dakota.

 

Schwartz earned the honour for his work in helping the parents of Mike Itittakoose, who was alledgedly murdered in the fall of 2007.

 

Itittakoose and Schwartz had been friends for eight years.

 

The gifting of the horse ceremony is deemed to be the highest honour that a First Nations community can bestow.

 

RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Carole Raymond says it was a historic event, because it’s the first time a Mountie has been the recipient of this type of honour.

 

The horse was given a Sioux name at a ceremony held earlier in the week that means “police protecting society”.

 

The four-year-old mare will be donated to the RCMP Heritage Centre Equestrian Program.