Land Acknowledgement
Sixty-OneTen represents the coordinates located at the northernmost (60 degrees) and easternmost (110 degrees) boundaries of Alberta.
We operate out of Treaty 6 Territory, but as an organization, we represent the larger area of Alberta which includes Treaty 6, Treaty 7, Treaty 8, as well as parts of Treaty 4 and Treaty 10 Territory.
We acknowledge, honour, and respect the ceremonies, cultures, and identities of the Indigenous Peoples that call this land home.
The History
In Canada, 11 numbered treaties were signed between the Crown and First Nations people with the agreement of shared land and resources. Three of which — Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8 — cover most of Alberta.
• Sixty One Ten HQ (Edmonton, AB)
Treaty 6
Treaty 6 came with the promise of shared land and resources, as well as schools and healthcare.
This treaty was signed at Fort Carlton in 1876 and at Fort Pitt in 1897 between the Crown, Cree, Chipweyan, and Stoney Nations.
Additional signatories were made over the course of the next 70 years to accumulate close to 50 Nations including Saulteaux, Dakota, and Dene Peoples.
Treaty 7
Treaty 7 was signed in 1877 in southern Alberta at Soyoohpawahko by five Nations — the Kanai, Siksika, Piikani, Stoney-Nakoda and Tsuut’ina — after crises including smallpox outbreaks and dwindling buffalo populations impacted Indigenous communities in the area.
This Treaty included many promises to these nations, including land for individual families, monetary compensation, weapons, clothes, livestock, and teacher salaries (to be paid for by the Canadian Government).
Treaty 8
Treaty 8 was signed on June 21, 1899, covering around 840,000 km of land. This Treaty was based on oral promises of peace and friendship: taking care of the poor, providing medical care, and ensuring that their way of life would continue without interference.
Treaty 8 is home to 39 First Nation communities including the Nehiyawak, Dene Tha’, Dane-zaa, Chipewyan, and Métis peoples.
Treaty Outcomes
Although these treaties were presumed to be binding between the Crown and aforementioned Nations, not all that was promised came to fruition. Verbal agreements — viewed as valuable promises in Indigenous culture — were not recognized by the Crown.
Reconciliation is an ongoing process.
Looking to the Future
As non-Indigenous settlers whose ancestors colonized this land, we acknowledge our privilege and continue to learn from those who call this land home. We aim to acknowledge, support, and learn from Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous-owned businesses and resources in Alberta through our work on Sixty-OneTen by including the perspectives and stories of Indigenous individuals in Alberta.
There still has not been proper reparations for the harm caused by settler colonialism and assimilation. Reconciliation is an ongoing process.
Delays in equipment and supplies impacted the transition to industrial agriculture which was anticipated to be mutually beneficial when originally proposed. Additionally, colonizers ravaged the land from buffalo and other resources, actions that do not align with the Indigenous Peoples’ understanding of “shared land.”
All of these broken promises impacted trust and compromised the mutual benefits promised via the Treaties. We also acknowledge that Métis and Inuit communities were not included in the original signing of the numbered Treaties.
- The Sixty-OneTen Team
