Hundreds of people were on hand for what turned out to be an historic day on the Poundmaker Cree Nation Thursday.
After almost 135 years of waiting, the Canadian government officially exonerated Chief Poundmaker for wrongful conviction of treason-felony in 1885.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who made the trip to Poundmaker to make the announcement, said the government is deeply sorry for the historical wrong.
“I would also like to offer all members of the Poundmaker Cree Nation, past and present, an apology for the historic injustices, hardship and oppression suffered by Chief Poundmaker and your community on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians,” he said.
Even though Chief Poundmaker actually saved lives of Canadian soldiers by calling off his men in the 19th century skirmish, the Crown still went ahead and charged him for what it said was participation in the North-West Resistance.
Not only was Poundmaker sentenced to three years in prison, the government confiscated the First Nation’s farm animals leaving it little to live on.
Poundmaker was released after about a year because of poor health and died shortly after of a respiratory illness.
“In 1885, Chief Poundmaker was treated as a criminal and a traitor,” Trudeau said. “In 2019, we recognize the truth in his words that he as a leader, statesman and peacemaker did everything he could to ensure that lives were not needlessly lost.”
A number of high level officials were also on hand for the announcement including Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde.
Bellegarde congratulated the government for doing the right thing but warned Poundmaker is not the only Indigenous forefather owed an apology by the Crown.
“There’s eight other leaders that we have work to do,” he said. “Over here in this town, Battleford, eight warriors were hung publicly. We have to look at them and not forget them. Their spirits can’t rest either. They were hung and we have to look at exonerating them.”
Also in 1885, in what is now widely regarded as a similar act of colonialism, eight Indigenous men were hanged at Fort Battleford for what was said to be their participation in the North-West Resistance.
(PHOTO: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau places a ceremonial wreath on Chief Poundmaker’s grave. Photo by Fraser Needham.)