Saulteaux

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History[edit | edit source]

They are a branch of the Ojibwa people (aka Algonquin, Anishinabe, Bungee, Chippewa, Little Shell, Nez Perce, Ojibway, Ojibwe, Pembina, Saginaw, Sac, and Sauk. Their land was located just east of Lake Superior when the English and French first met them in the early 17th century. It was the French who supposedly named these eastern Lake Superior Chippewa District people the Saulteaux. It means "People of the Falls" in French. In Montana, the Gros Ventre are known as the People of the Falls or People of the Waterfalls or simply the Waterfalls People. They are the Chippewas who forced their way from the west to the east after the whites settled. They are also the Montana Saulteaux. They originally lived in the Great Falls, Montana region and still do.

Their original land was located in the immediate surrounding region of Sault Ste. Marie. Ojibwa authors from the 19th century wrote about Chippewa's from the west forcing their way to the east, after the whites began to settle the area. According to George Copway, the Chippewas from northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, settled the region where Sault Ste. Marie is. They then worked their way further east. Copway wrote that these Chippewa settlers colonized the region east of Lake Superior and east of Lake Huron, after 1634 and 1635.

Surprisingly, Copway wrote that Minnesota served as a starting off point. Copway learned that a general council was held where Minneapolis-St. Paul is (Falls of St. Anthony) to distribute land to the Ojibwa's. He also wrote that the Ojibwa east of Lake Superior, considered the Minnesota region to be the land of their forefathers.

Not very long after the western Chippewas colonized the region east of Lakes Superior and Huron, they began to move westward. It was their Seven Fires Prophecy which forced them to leave for western lands. Among them were the Amikwa Chippewas who are also known as the Nez Perce. They are the Nez Perce of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Amikwa means Beavers in Anishinabe. The Beaver Tribe including the Sekani of British Columbia, are the Amikwa Chippewas.

According to the 1832 Edinburgh Encyclopedia, the Athabascan People or Dene People including the Apache, Chipewyan, and Navajo, are Algonquin. They speak Algonquian. Click this books.google.com/books link to read the 1832 Edinburgh Encyclopedia. A website about the Algonquin's is www.wilkesweb.us/algonquin/nations.htm here. You'll find the information about the Amikwa Chippewas at their website.

The focus will be on the northern Saulteaux Indians north of Lake Superior and exactly where their migration ended. From the Sault Ste. Marie region, they followed an old road north of Lake Superior which led to where Winnipeg, Manitoba is now situated. This same road led into what is now Saskatchewan then to what is now Edmonton, Alberta. It then branched off to where the Saulteau First Nations are located in British Columbia. That is where Moberly Lake is. Before the road reached Moberly Lake, it branched off where Dawson Creek, British Columbia is. It led up to where Fort Nelson, British Columbia is now.

Another branch of this same old road, branched off near Dawson Creek and extended into central British Columbia. From there, it led to where Prince Rupert, British Columbia is. The whites now call this old road the Highway of Tears. The Chippewas probably named the road Highway of Tears. Similar to the Trail of Tears in the United States which is now known as route 66.

Other branches of the Ojibwa Nation are the Little Shell, Pembina, and Saginaw. The Saulteaux lived north of them, excepting the Pembina who historians probably classify as being Saulteaux. To identify the Saulteaux Indians, information about the Little Shell, Pembina, and Saginaw must be separate so the information about the Saulteaux can be distinct.

This Saulteaux District bordered thePembina Band of Chippewa Indians District and theLittle Shell Band of Chippewa Indians, MontanaDistrict. It starts in eastern Saskatchewan and extends into Alberta. It may have included land in northern Montana, east of the Rocky Mountains. It also included much of British Columbia, particularly northern British Columbia. Another Chippewa District was probably located in southern British Columbia.

Only Reservations or Reserves, in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories will be included. Historians have written that the Cree Indians made no use of totems or clans. If that was correct it will signify that they are not Algonquian. However, it is known that the Swampy Cree and Woodland Cree used totems or clans. Woodland Cree are obviously Saulteaux. Their history is a fragmented one. There is one Saulteaux people in northeastern British Columbia and one in Alberta.

17th century:[edit | edit source]

They were living in Minnesota in the early part of the century. As a result of the white settlements into the area, many were sent east to support the eastern Chippewas in the wars against the whites and their Indian allies.

18th century:[edit | edit source]

Wars between the First Nations Peoples and the European white settlers became more frequent and more deadly. By 1795 (after the Battle of Fallen Timbers) the Saulteaux living east of Lake Superior and north of Lake Huron, began leaving the area. Some migrated up to northern Quebec. Most migrated north of Lake Superior then to the west.

19th century:[edit | edit source]

Many Saulteaux Indians had migrated into northwestern Ontario then southern Manitoba. They probably participated in the Pemmican War which was a part of the War of 1812. By the 1860s, they were realizing they had to migrate again. Under the leadership of Saulteaux leaders Chief Yellow Quill, his sub-chief Chief Kinistin, Chief John Smith and his brother Chief James Smith, the diasporas commenced. From southern Manitoba, they migrated into southeastern and central Saskatchewan. Other Chippewa leaders who followed prophecy and led migrations were Chief Kahkhagooguns and Chief Napaneegwan. Both leaders did as instructed and led the Saulteaux people to northern British Columbia, from southern Manitoba.

Chief Kinistin led many Saulteaux people up to northern Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan. They merged with the Chippewa's native to those regions. They also migrated into Alberta then British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, including what is now Nunavut.

Additional References to the History of the Tribe[edit | edit source]

Reserves[edit | edit source]

Manitoba

Ebb and Flow

Gamblers

Keeseekoowenin

Long Plain

Marcel Colomb (settled by chief KInistins Saulteaux)

Mathias Colomb (settled by chief KInistins Saulteaux)

O-chi-chak-ko-sipi

Pine Creek

Rollin River

Roseau River

Sandy Bay

Swan Lake

Tootinaowazibeeng

Waywayseecappo

Barren Lands (Chipewyan)

Churchill (Chipewyan)

Nothlands (Chipewyan)

Sayisi Dene (aka Tadoule Lake - Chipewyan)

Saskatchewan

Crooked Lakes Reserve (Cowessess, Kahkewistahaw, Ochapowace, Sakimay) - Saulteaux largely from chief Yellow Quills subjects

Cumberland House (Cree and Saulteaux)

File Hills Reserve (Little Black Bear, Okanese, Peepeekisis, Star Blanket) - Cree and Saulteaux

Grizzly Bears Head-Lean Man-Mosquito-Red Phesant Reserve (Cree-Dakota-Saulteaux)

Qu' Appelle Reserve (Muscowpetung, Pasqua, Piapot, Standing Buffalo) - Saulteaux

Day Star-Kawacatoose Reserve (Cree and Saulteaux)

Gordon-Muskowekwan Reserve (Saulteaux)

Little Pine-Poundmaker Reserve(settled by chief Big Bears Saulteaux - Little Pine is a part of Moosomin and Saulteaux) - Cree and Saulteaux

Saulteaux-Moosomin Reserve (Cree and Saulteaux)

Cote (Saulteaux largely from chief Yellow Quill's subjects)

Fishing Lake (Saulteaux largely from cheif Yellow Quill's subjects)

James Smith (settled by Saulteaux Ojibwa's from St. Peters Reserve in Manitoba)

Keeseekoose (Saulteaux)

Kinistin (Saulteaux largely from chief Yellow Quill's subjects)

Lac La Ronge (settled by chief Kinistins Saulteaux)

Montreal Lake (settled by chief Kinistins Saulteaux)

Muskoday (settled by Saulteaux Ojibwa's from St. Peters Reserve in Manitoba)

Ocean Man (Saulteaux largely from chief Yellow Quill's subjects)

Onion Lake (settled by Saulteaux Ojibwa's from Montana)

Peter Ballantyne (settled by chief Kinistins Saulteaux)

Red Earth (Cree and Saulteaux)

Shoal Lake (Cree and Saulteaux)

The Key (Saulteaux largely from chief Yellow Quill's subjects)

Thunderchild (settled by chief Big Bears Saulteaux)

Waterhen Lake (Saulteaux)

White Bear (Saulteaux)

Witchekan Lake (Saulteaux)

Black Lake (Chipewyan)

Birch Narrows (Chipewyan)

Buffalo River (Chipewyan)

Clearwater (Chipewyan)

English River (Chipewyan)

Fond Du Lac (Chipewyan)

Hatchet Lake (Chipewyan)

La Loche (Chipewyan)

Alberta

Alexis (connections to the Montana Reserve and the O'Chiese)

Beaver

Heart Lake (Beaver)

Horse Lake (Beaver)

Montana Reserve (settled by Saulteaux Chippewas from Montana)

O'Chiese-Sunchild Reserve

Paul (connections to the Montana Reserve and the O'Chiese)

Athabascan Chipewyan

Chipewyan Priaire

Cold Lake (Chipewyan)

Dene Tha' (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Fort McKay (Chipewyan)

Fort McMurray (Chipewyan)

Northwest Territories

Behchoko (Chipewyan-Dogrib)

Behdzi Ahda (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Colville Lake (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Deline (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Deninu K'ue (Chipewyan)

Dettah (Chipewyan-Dogrib)

Fort Good Hope (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Fort Laird (Chipewyan-Slavey - aka Acho Dene Koe)

Fort Norman (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Fort Providence (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Fort Simpson (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Fort Rae (Chipewyan-Dogrib)

Gameti (Chipewyan-Dogrib)

Hay River (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Jean Marie River (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Liidlii Kue (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Lutsel K'e (Chipewyan)

Nahanni Butte (Chipewyan-Mountain Dene)

N'Dilo (Chipewyan-Dogrib)

Norman Wells (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Salt River (Chipewyan)

Sambaa K'e (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Smith's Landing (Chipewyan)

Tulita (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Wekweeti (Chipewyan-Dogrib)

Wha Ti (Chipewyan-Dogrib)

Wrigley (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Yellowknife (Chipewyan-Yellowknife)

British Columbia

Kwadacha (Sekani)

McLeod Lake (Sekani)

Takla (Sekani)

Tsey Keh (Sekani)

Fort Nelson (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Prophet River (Chipewyan-Slavey)

Blueberry River (Beaver)

Doig River (Beaver)

Halfway River (Beaver)

Saulteau (aka East Moberly Lake)

West Moberly Lake (Beaver)

Records[edit | edit source]

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

Important Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]