A little elbow grease to a nearly century old monument by a Councilor of the Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation, now has a lending hand.
Parks Canada said it will be contracting the First Nation to help refurbish the 1930 Treaty 6 monument on the boundary of Fort Carleton Provincial Park north of Saskatoon.
Kevin Seesequasis began painting the fence around the monument last month.
“On October 31st, Parks Canada team members met with Councillor Kevin Seesequasis of Beardy’s & Okemasis First Nation to discuss his concerns and opportunities for enhancing the cairn site, “said spokesperson Joanne Zalera in a statement.
“Parks Canada will be contracting Beardy’s & Okemasis First Nation to perform ongoing maintenance and enhancements at the site. As a first step, this work will include repainting of the fence and installation of a flagpole to fly the Treaty 6 Flag.”
The federal agency said the plaque had been removed as its text was outdated.
“The site has been neglected a little too long. Right now as it currently stands, no one would be able to identify that national historic site as representing where Treaty 6 was signed,” said Seesequasis.
“Parks Canada will continue to collaborate with Indigenous groups, heritage experts, and stakeholders on ensuring the wording on the plaque appropriately conveys the significance of the signing of Treaty No. 6,” explained Zalera.
(Photo: Treaty 6 Monument. Courtesy of Kevin Seesequasis Facebook.)