Keeseekoowenin
Encyclopedia
Keeseekoowenin was a First Nations leader during the period when Canada
was expanding into the prairie provinces of Manitoba
, Saskatchewan
and Alberta
.
area of what is now the province of Alberta.
His father was Chief Okanase, meaning "Little Bone", also known as Michael Cardinal, of the Saulteaux
branch of the Ojibwe people. His father's band were fur traders who had drifted westwards from Quebec to the Rocky Mountains over several generations.
His mother was of mixed Orkney and native american ancestry.
Several of Chief Okanase's sons became prominent leaders on the prairies.
Some traditions say that Chief Okanase's sister was wife of the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) trader George Flett. Their son George Flett
later became a Presbyterian missionary attached to Keeseekoowenin's band. Certainly Keeseekoowenin and Flett's mother were related.
area in modern-day Manitoba.
Led by Chief Okanase, the band hunted, trapped and traded with the Fort Ellice
and Riding Mountain House
HBC posts.
Chief Okanase died about 1870 and was succeeded by his son Mekis ("Eagle"), Keeseekoowenin's half brother.
His band signed Treaty Two with the Canadian federal government in 1871, obtaining land around the Turtle and Valley rivers near Dauphin Lake
.
They moved their reserve to a location near Elphinstone, Manitoba
in 1875.
The new reserve was around the Riding Mountain House trading post.
The band hunted and fished on the federal land around Clear Lake
, and in 1896 the Clear Lake Reserve was formally established, with Baptiste Bone as chief. Keeseekoowenin remained chief of the original reserve, although the government considered he was chief of both. Government and church officials praised Keeseekoowenin's group as model Christian farmers, while disparaging the more "primitive" Clear Lake hunters and fishers.
In 1935 the Clear Lake group was evicted, in part to make way for tourists but also to encourage the group to assimilate by taking up farming.
Keeseekoowenin's band accepted the Presbyterian mission of his cousin George Flett
, and Keeseekoowenin was baptized as Moses Burns. However, he still retained some traditional beliefs and customs.
While wanting his people to benefit from education and Christianity, he also wanted to preserve the best of their traditional values and practices.
Keeseekoowenin had an imposing physical presence, and was highly skilled as a trapper, buffalo hunter and farmer.
He died on 10 April 1906 on Keeseekoowenin Reserve
, and was buried there. He was succeeded as chief by his half-brother George Bone.
He left three sons and seven daughters.
His daughter Harriet Burns married Glenlyon Campbell
, who became a legislator in Winnipeg and Ottawa.
His son Solomon Burns became a highly respected Presbyterian leader.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
was expanding into the prairie provinces of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.
Origins
Keeseekoowenin was born around 1818 in the Bow RiverBow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
area of what is now the province of Alberta.
His father was Chief Okanase, meaning "Little Bone", also known as Michael Cardinal, of the Saulteaux
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
branch of the Ojibwe people. His father's band were fur traders who had drifted westwards from Quebec to the Rocky Mountains over several generations.
His mother was of mixed Orkney and native american ancestry.
Several of Chief Okanase's sons became prominent leaders on the prairies.
Some traditions say that Chief Okanase's sister was wife of the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) trader George Flett. Their son George Flett
George Flett
George Flett was a Presbyterian missionary in what is now Manitoba, Canada. Flett was of Orkney and Cree descent. As a young man he farmed on the White Horse Plains, led a gold exploration party to Edmonton and then became the first post master for the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria, Alberta...
later became a Presbyterian missionary attached to Keeseekoowenin's band. Certainly Keeseekoowenin and Flett's mother were related.
Family travels
In 1822 Keeseekoowenin's band and family moved to the Riding MountainRiding Mountain National Park
Riding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding prairie farmland. The park is home to wolves, moose, elk, black bears, hundreds of...
area in modern-day Manitoba.
Led by Chief Okanase, the band hunted, trapped and traded with the Fort Ellice
Fort Ellice
Fort Ellice was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post built in 1831 in Rupert's Land near the junction of the Assiniboine and Qu'Appelle rivers. The fort was located in what is now west-central Manitoba, Canada, just east of that province's border with Saskatchewan.It was an important fort, as it was...
and Riding Mountain House
Riding Mountain House
Riding Mountain House was a Hudson Bay Company trading post set up to the south of what is now the Riding Mountain National Park, on the Little Saskatchewan River....
HBC posts.
Chief Okanase died about 1870 and was succeeded by his son Mekis ("Eagle"), Keeseekoowenin's half brother.
His band signed Treaty Two with the Canadian federal government in 1871, obtaining land around the Turtle and Valley rivers near Dauphin Lake
Dauphin Lake
Dauphin Lake was named for the heir to the French throne in 1739 by Francois de La Verendrye. It is in western Manitoba near the city of Dauphin, Manitoba. The lake covers an area of and has a drainage basin of about . The Mossey River drains the lake into Lake Winnipegosis. The basin is drained...
.
They moved their reserve to a location near Elphinstone, Manitoba
Elphinstone, Manitoba
Elphinstone is a community in the rural municipality of Strathclair in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located northwest of Brandon, Manitoba and is on Highway 45.It is on the west bank of the Little Saskatchewan River....
in 1875.
The new reserve was around the Riding Mountain House trading post.
Chief
When parts of the treaty were renegotiated in 1875, Keeseekoowenin and his brother Baptiste Bone were recognised by the government as chiefs of the band, since Mekis had recently died.The band hunted and fished on the federal land around Clear Lake
Wasagaming, Manitoba
Wasagaming is the main town-site in Riding Mountain National Park. It is located at the south gate of Riding Mountain National Park along Highway 10. The town-site lies on the south shores of Clear Lake, the largest lake in Riding Mountain National Park. It is a popular tourist...
, and in 1896 the Clear Lake Reserve was formally established, with Baptiste Bone as chief. Keeseekoowenin remained chief of the original reserve, although the government considered he was chief of both. Government and church officials praised Keeseekoowenin's group as model Christian farmers, while disparaging the more "primitive" Clear Lake hunters and fishers.
In 1935 the Clear Lake group was evicted, in part to make way for tourists but also to encourage the group to assimilate by taking up farming.
Keeseekoowenin's band accepted the Presbyterian mission of his cousin George Flett
George Flett
George Flett was a Presbyterian missionary in what is now Manitoba, Canada. Flett was of Orkney and Cree descent. As a young man he farmed on the White Horse Plains, led a gold exploration party to Edmonton and then became the first post master for the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria, Alberta...
, and Keeseekoowenin was baptized as Moses Burns. However, he still retained some traditional beliefs and customs.
While wanting his people to benefit from education and Christianity, he also wanted to preserve the best of their traditional values and practices.
Keeseekoowenin had an imposing physical presence, and was highly skilled as a trapper, buffalo hunter and farmer.
He died on 10 April 1906 on Keeseekoowenin Reserve
Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation
Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation has their main population located near Elphinstone, Manitoba on 61which is located south of Riding Mountain National Park. They are sometimes referred to as the Riding Mountain Band. They have IR 61A located within the National Park. There is also a third and...
, and was buried there. He was succeeded as chief by his half-brother George Bone.
He left three sons and seven daughters.
His daughter Harriet Burns married Glenlyon Campbell
Glenlyon Campbell
Glenlyon Archibald Campbell was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1903 to 1908, and in the Canadian House of Commons from 1908 to 1911. Campbell was a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.Campbell was born at Fort Pelly, in what was...
, who became a legislator in Winnipeg and Ottawa.
His son Solomon Burns became a highly respected Presbyterian leader.