1974

Northern Saskatchewan River

Hudson’s Bay Company trading post

The name Edmonton was first given to Fort Edmonton, a Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) fur trading post on the North Saskatchewan River, in 1795. It was named after Edmonton, England, the birthplace of Sir James Winter Lake, who was at the meeting of the governors of the HBC when the fort was established.

Known for its natural beauty, culture, history and attractions, Edmonton is a city for everyone. It is home to Canada’s largest living history museum, Canada’s largest historical park and North America’s largest mall.

Naming Edmonton elaborates further: “The name “Edmonton” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Christian name Eadhelm and ‘tun’ or ‘ton,’ which means a ‘field’ or ‘enclosure. So, “Edmonton” refers to a person named Eadhelm who owned a particular plot of land in England at the time a royal census was taken.

Edmonton, Alberta, incorporated as a city in 1904, population 932,546 (2016 c) 812,201 (2011 c). Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, and is located on the North Saskatchewan River, near the geographical centre of the province.

The traditional name of Edmonton is Amiskwaciy Waskahikan, meaning Beaver Hills House. This place was the traditional meeting ground for many Indigenous communities, including the Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Blackfoot and the Métis Peoples.

Treaty 6 territory

Information – Age

Edmonton was founded in Treaty No. 6 territory and Treaty No. 6 Recognition Day recognizes Edmonton’s connection with the First peoples of this land.

Another significant difference from Treaty 6 is that Treaty 7 states that the Crown will pay for teachers’ salaries instead of the maintenance of school buildings. Instead of promising schools on reserve, the only guarantee is that the government will pay the salary of teachers.

83,750 people

Chief Mistawasis and Chief Ahtahkakoop represented the Carlton Cree. Treaty 6 included terms that had not been incorporated into Treaties 1 to 5, including a medicine chest at the house of the Indian agent on the reserve, protection from famine and pestilence, more agricultural implements, and on-reserve education.

Treaties provide a framework for living together and sharing the land Indigenous peoples traditionally occupied. These agreements provide foundations for ongoing co-operation and partnership as we move forward together to advance reconciliation.

Treaty 6 Today It aims to protect treaty rights, support Indigenous self-government and assist in the socio-cultural, political, economic and spiritual advancement of their people. Treaty 6 peoples have also protected their treaty rights through land claims and lawsuits.

Treaty 7 lands (courtesy Victor Temprano/Native-Land.ca). The written treaty ceded roughly 130,000 km² of land from the Rocky Mountains to the west, the Cypress Hills to the east, the Red Deer River to the north, and the US border to the south. All nations kept the rights to use the land for hunting.

Grand Council Treaty #3 was planned to be the first post-Confederation treaty, but the Anishinaabe held firm that they would not cede lands, nor allow farming or settlement, in their territory. On October 3, 1873, the 55,000 square miles of territory agreed to be shared between the Anishinaabe and the British.

Why are Treaties still relevant today? Historic and modern-day Treaties continue to be key elements in future relationships between the First Nations and the Crown. These concern First Nations traditional territories that were not included in the Treaty-making process.