July 29, 2021
Treaty One Flag Raised in Memorial Park
The Treaty One flag will be flown at Memorial Park to mark the upcoming 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty No. 1 on Aug. 3, Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Alan Lagimodiere announced today.
“Our government respects the treaties and agreements that were made on these lands, and we remain committed to working in partnership with Indigenous peoples and communities in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration,” said Lagimodiere.
Treaty No. 1 is particularly significant as it was the first of the numbered treaties signed across Western Canada. Treaty No. 1 was negotiated and entered into on Aug. 3, 1871, at Lower Fort Garry, southeast of Selkirk. Signatories included representatives from the Crown, Anishinabe and Swampy Cree. An eight-day negotiation process was attended and witnessed by approximately 1,000 Indigenous men, women and children from across the province.
Treaty One Nation comprises seven First Nations:
• Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation;
• Long Plain First Nation;
• Peguis First Nation (formerly St. Peters Band);
• Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation;
• Sagkeeng First Nation (formerly Fort Alexander Band);
• Sandy Bay First Nation (1876 adhesion); and
• Swan Lake First Nation (1876 adhesion).
The Treaty One flag will be raised at Memorial Park across from the Legislative Building through Aug. 3. Lagimodiere and representatives from Treaty One Nations participated in a traditional flag-raising ceremony to honour and acknowledge the signing of Treaty No. 1. Manitobans are welcomed to come view the flag at Memorial park.
The Treaty One flag was adopted May 2020, was designed to represent the signing of the treaties ‘As long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow.’ The colors represent this imagery. There are seven signatories to Treaty No. 1 represented by the sun’s rays and the red outline represents Indigenous people. Additional information about the flag can be found at www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ca_trty1.html.
To learn more visit:
• Treaty One Nation: https://treatyonenation.ca/
• Treaty Relations Commission Manitoba : http://www.trcm.ca/
• Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site: www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/mb/fortgarry.
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