Free Big Bear by Rudy Wiebe Page B

members then present and the hundreds more hunting on the plains, “cede, release, surrender and yield up to the Government of the Dominion of Canada for Her Majesty the Queen and hersuccessors forever, all their rights, titles and privileges to the lands … embracing an area of one hundred and twenty-one thousand square miles [312,000 sq. km], be the same more or less.…”
    Land two and a half times larger than England.
    Then, “deeply satisfied,” Morris and his party made the money payments and trekked on to present Treaty Six to the second group of Cree bands at Fort Pitt.
    Big Bear’s band had lived in the Great Sand Hills all summer, hunting as near the American border as Old Man On His Back; despite all the messages they had previously received, in 1876 they heard not a word from Morris. When they did hear, via a message from James Simpson, that the governor was at Pitt with the treaty, Big Bear and several councillors galloped north on their fastest horses with alternates running beside them. They arrived opposite Fort Pitt at dusk on September 12, the day after Indian Commissioner William Christie of Edmonton had finished making treaty payments to all the People assembled there. Sweetgrass, Pakan, and seven other chiefs, with their twenty councillors, had already added their X marks to Treaty Six on September 9, the day before Simpsons frantic messenger had finally found Big Bear’s camp and gave him the message: Where are you? Sweetgrass is at Fort Pitt talking treaty!
    How could it happen so fast? Big Bear asked Simpson, who was sitting beside him at his night fire. They were under poplars in an east coulee; Big Bear could not yet face crossing the river and meeting those new “treaty-promise chiefs” camped beside Pitt. Sweetgrass was out on the prairie near us just eight days ago.
    Simpson said, Morris himself sent for Sweetgrass. And the chief met Morris in his ceremonial suit, took him in his arms, and kissed him on both cheeks.
    What!
    The other chiefs did that too, and the councillors.
    Kiss the governor?
    Like Christians after their feast ceremony.… Priests call it drinking the blood and eating the flesh of Jesus, but Methodists say it’s just wine and bread—they always kiss afterward.
    Ahhhhh.
    Simpson said, The governor talked all next day, explaining payment and general starvation rations and such things. Then the Cree held council for one day, and the day after that they made short speeches and signed. On Sunday they had church, and on Monday Christie finished paying the treaty money—everybody, even babies, got twelve dollars for signing—and today Morris packed up; he’s leaving.
    Lone Man sat studying the fire, but Twin Wolverine glanced at his father for an instant and Big Bear had to look away, through the golden aspen to the bright stars.
    Simpson added, The Cree are giving their paper money to the traders. Lots of traders, there’s lots of stuff to buy.
    Lone Man said, not quite able to believe it, After one day of council … every chief agreed, about everything?
    Yes. Because of Chief Little Hunter and Erasmus, Simpson explained. They reported about Carlton, how Poundmaker and Badger objected to the treaty, and then what Mista-wasis and Ahtah-kakoop advised, why they would sign. And then Sweetgrass said to this council, “I consider those chiefs far wiser than I am. If they have accepted this treaty for their people, after many days of talk and careful thought, then I am ready to accept it for my people.”
    Big Bear murmured, Many days of talk. The good Sweetgrass, he’s almost all Abraham now.
    Simpson nodded, Pakan too. He praised Little Hunter and Erasmus by saying, “They would never tell us something that was not for our good. So, if those other chiefs who are greater in number than we are have found this treaty good, I and my headmen will sign.”
    He’s no longer a hard Cree pakan (nut), he’s a soft Christian Seenum.
    That’s how he signed the treaty, James