Spruce River Folk Festival Features Showing of Reserve 107

The Spruce River Folk Festival is a cultural event organized annually by a partnership which includes the Young Chippewayan First Nation, Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan, and Grace Mennonite Church in Prince Albert.

The event is intended to create awareness of, and support for, Landless Bands in Saskatchewan, in particular the Young Chippewayan First Nation.

The event will take place on Saturday, August 6, 2016 at the Spruce River Farm at Spruce Home, SK.

The film “Reserve 107: Reconciliation on the Prairies” (see www.reserve107.ca) was shot last summer at Laird and at last year’s Folk Festival. It tells the story of overcoming the fears of the Young Chippewayan, Mennonite and Lutheran communities and the growing partnership between them. It has won a number of film festival awards. It will be shown throughout the day  with CD’s available for sale.

The Stoney Knoll Reserve, (Reserve #107) in what is now the RM of Laird, was provided to the Young Chippewayan First Nation as a signatory to Treaty 6 at Fort Carlton in 1876.  Last year the RM of Laird agreed to add the Cree translation of Stoney Knoll “Opwashemoe Chakatinaw” to the historical sign at Stoney Knoll.

A combination of factors (including repercussions from the 1885 Metis Resistance in the area) led to starvation, which resulted in the Band leaving the area to hunt. The pressure of European settlement then led to the Gov’t of Canada dissolving the band and taking away its land by Order in Council in 1897. No consent of the First Nation was ever sought or received and no compensation has ever been provided. (A more complete chronicle can be found at http://mcccanada.ca/media/resources/386.)

In 2006 the Young Chippewayan First Nation and representatives of the Mennonite and Lutheran settlers in the area signed an MOU recognizing the historical injustice of what had occurred in 1897 and committing themselves to working in partnership to resolve the issue. The Spruce River Folk Festival fundraiser is a one aspect of that cooperation.

The event features a fish fry and Mennonite sausage on bannock, a silent auction, and music.

The music  begins at 1:00 pm , featuring Joseph Naytowhow, Constant Reminder, The Strong Sisters, Sparky and the Plugs, The Joy Singers, and Gabriele Penna. and four other acts.

In addition the will be a Landless Bands discussion at 11:30 am led by Harry Lafond from the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.