Remains of Chief One Arrow buried on reserve that bears his name
By Rod Andrews
An eagle feather staff and headman's war bonnet adorned the remains of Chief One Arrow during a service on the One Arrow First Nation for the leader who died in 1886 and was brought back from a St. Boniface cemetery to be with his people on his home reserve.
Funeral services and burial of Chief One Arrow took place last Tuesday, August 28, on the One Arrow First Nation for the band’s first chief, who was convicted for an alleged role in the North West Resistance/Rebellion. The service took place over 121 years after his death on April 28, 1886 at St. Boniface, after his remains were exhumed by an archeological team from the St. Boniface Cemetery on Friday, August 24, and moved to the reserve for reburial.
A sudden wind-squall lashed the gravesite late in the afternoon as the remains of the chief, who signed Treaty 6 in 1876, was being interred in a deep grave on a hill in the band’s cemetery. The burial ended years of work to bring the chief home and days of a formal service on the First Nation which saw his remains, including the original coffin contained in a new handmade casket, carried by horse and wagon from the band hall to the graveyard followed by mourners walking on foot. Covered with a simple quilt before the burial itself, Chief One Arrow was buried with a Treaty 6 medal and Union Jack, representing the standard under which he signed the adhesion to Treaty 6.
During the formal funeral service at the band hall the chief’s casket was ringed with food in a ceremony where his people and visitors ate a last meal with their first formal leader under treaty. A major pipe ceremony was held with five peace pipes involved followed by a feast and people paying respects to “the old man”, who was 76 when he died. Many speakers spoke of Chief One Arrow and his role in the history of his people, with elders saying farewell in Cree.
“The sacred ceremony of repatriating our chief is an historic event for us,” said Dwayne Paul, the current chief of the First Nation. Paul said the One Arrow people, like most First Nations peoples in Canada are suffering as a result of the federal government not honouring their treaties, and he “hopes and prays” that “bringing Chief One Arrow home will end the suffering”. Lawrence Joseph, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said Chief One Arrow “was another warrior returning to the land he loved” and offered a prayer to the chief and for him “to continue to guide us”. Looking back on the treatment of One Arrow and his people by the Dominion government of the past, and the federal government of today, Joseph said “justice in the non-First Nations’ eyes is not always justice for First Nations people”.
Robert Doucette, president of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, said that “there has always been the Métis and First Nations” and this will continue as “we have a lot of respect for First Nations people” and he expects that the Métis Nation will be around in the future to “reaffirm First Nations treaties”. Richard John, a grandson of One Arrow and himself a one time chief of the One Arrow First Nation, thanked the many people who helped in bringing Chief One Arrow home after 12 years of work. John said the spirit of One Arrow “started entering sweat lodges and we wondered why?” “We had a shaking tent ceremony for him and his spirit told us he wanted to come home”. Gerald Prosper, cultural coordinator for the First Nation, said he “received a message from the chief about coming home, which he described as being a “key event” in his life. Kirby Littletent, who officiated at the shaking tent ceremony, told the service that “One Arrow spoke in the Shaking Tent Ceremony of his desire to come home” and they were “bringing home someone who had been away for many years”. Littletent urged the One Arrow people to retain their cultural and spiritual ties to the past.
“We should hang on to many things of our forefathers, that is what will keep us strong,” said Littletent. After the encounter with One Arrow’s spirit, John said the elders had been consulted about repatriating his remains and the process started last September. He said they received excellent cooperation from the Manitoba government and finally got approval to exhume Chief One Arrow on July 29. John said many agencies were supportive and involved, including financially, but they received no support from the federal government, a position the One Arrow people have been in since 1876, when Chief One Arrow did not sign the treaty at Fort Carlton, but rather signed an adhesion of First Nations land. He said the Department of Indian Affairs “was one of the disappointments and did not provide one dollar” towards the repatriation of Chief One Arrow, and this was the same attitude the Dominion Government had in 1886 after the chief died, and would not help repatriate him at the time, when his people were starving and under the thumb of the Indian Act of the time. “This chief was a champion in protecting people. He tried, with others, to open discussions with the government. His people were still hungry – they were raising cattle but could not eat them,” he said, pointing out that this was at a time after the buffalo were gone.
“The chief and Louis Riel were friends. Riel was trying to defend his people and the (Métis) wanted lands registered with the federal government.” John said One Arrow would listen to the Métis, but did not get involved in the fighting at Batoche, but was arrested and forced to turn over his treaty medal and Union Jack before being charged with treason. Standing before the remains of Chief Arrow, John asked the chief, now that he is home “to help us”. One Arrow was convicted of treason, but released before he died.
