John Tootoosis | |
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| Born | July 18, 1899  Poundmaker Cree Nation |
| Died | February 1, 1989 (aged 89) |
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John Baptiste Tootoosis (July 18, 1899 – February 1, 1989) was a prominent Cree First Nations leader in Canada. He is the grandson of Yellow Mud Blanket, the brother of legendary Cree leader Poundmaker, also known as Pitikwahanapiwiyin.
Tootoosis was born on the Poundmaker Reserve in Saskatchewan to Mary Theresa and John Tootoosis. He grew up in a close-knit family, but at the age of 13 was sent away to attend the Thunderchild Residential School, also known as the Delmas Residential School, [1] a Roman Catholic residential school located near North Battleford, Saskatchewan. [2] He returned to the reserve at the age of 17 where his father began to get him involved in the community's political life. [1]
He married Louisa Angus from Thunderchild in 1929. She died in 1987. [3] They had ten sons and three daughters and many of their children and grandchildren were involved in cultural and artistic practice. [3] His son Gordon Tootoosis was a well-known actor. His son Wilfred Tootoosis was a performer and storyteller. His daughter Jean Cuthand Goodwill was the first indigenous woman to graduate from a nursing program in Saskatchewan and wrote a biography on Tootoosis. His grandson Tyrone Tootoosis was an activist, story keeper and actor and was awarded the Canadian Diamond Jubilee medal. [4]
Tootoosis was appointed chief of his band by his community in 1920. His leadership was not recognized by the Canadian government's then Department of Indian Affairs, the branch of government responsible for reserves as the Indian Act dictated that a chief had to be 25 and another chief was chosen. [5] Despite this Tootoosis continued to assert a leadership position. [1] Upon the formation of the Union of Saskatchewan Indians in 1946, he served as its president and later as a member of the executive. In 1959, the union was reorganized as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), and Tootoosis became its first president. In 1970, he was appointed to the federation's newly formed senate, and served in this capacity for the next 19 years. In recognition of his work and his devotion to "...seeking answers to the grave problems of his people" [6] he became a Member of the Order of Canada in 1986. [1]
Tootoosis died on February 2, 1989.
The Battle of Cut Knife, fought on May 2, 1885, occurred when a flying column of North-West Mounted Police, Canadian militia, and Canadian regulars attacked a Cree and Assiniboine teepee settlement near Battleford in the North-West Territories' District of Saskatchewan. First Nations fighters forced the Canadian forces to retreat, with losses on both sides.
Poundmaker, also known as Pîhtokahanapiwiyin, was a Plains Cree chief known as a peacemaker and defender of his people, the Poundmaker Cree Nation. His name denotes his special craft at leading buffalo into buffalo pounds (enclosures) for harvest.
The George Gordon First Nation is a First Nations band government located near the village of Punnichy, Saskatchewan, in Canada. The nation has an enrolled population of 3,752 people, 1,191 of whom live on the band's reserves. Chief Shawn Longman leads the First Nation. Their territory is located on the Gordon 86 reserve, as arranged by Treaty 4.
Thunderchild First Nation is an independent Cree First Nations band government in Turtleford, Saskatchewan, Canada with no affiliation with any Tribal Council. It is located approximately 113 kilometers northwest of North Battleford. European settlement in 1909 caused the reserve to be moved by the Government of Canada from its original location near Delmas, Saskatchewan to where it now currently resides near Turtleford, Saskatchewan.
Gordon Tootoosis, was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Poundmaker. He was acclaimed for his commitment to preserving his culture and to telling his people's stories. He once said, "Leadership is about submission to duty, not elevation to power." He served as a founding member of the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company. Tootoosis offered encouragement, support and training to aspiring Aboriginal actors. He served as a leading Cree activist both as a social worker and as a band chief. In Open Season and Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run, Tootoosis was the voice of Sheriff Gordy.
Walter Perry Deiter was a Canadian First Nations leader. He was the founding chief of the National Indian Brotherhood in 1968, which is today known as the Assembly of First Nations.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), formerly known as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, is a Saskatchewan-based First Nations organization. It represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan and is committed to honouring the spirit and intent of the Numbered Treaties, as well as the promotion, protection and implementation of these promises made over a century ago.
The Poundmaker Cree Nation is a Cree First Nations band government, whose reserve community is located near Cut Knife, Saskatchewan. It is a Treaty 6 nation, started by the famous Cree Chief Poundmaker, also known as Pitikwahanapiwiyin. The band has 1281 members with 505 living on the reserve. Its location is northwest of North Battleford and Saskatoon. Poundmaker Cree Nation is home to the Battle of Cut Knife National Historic Site of Canada. Veteran actor Gordon Tootoosis was born in Poundmaker.
The Red Pheasant Cree Nation is a Plains Cree First Nations band government in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The band's sole reserve, Red Pheasant 108, is 33 km (21 mi) south of North Battleford.
Ahtahkakoop First Nation is a Cree First Nation band government in Shell Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada belonging to the Wāskahikaniwiyiniwak division of nēhiyawak. The Ahtahkakoop First Nation government and community is located on Ahtahkakoop 104, 72 kilometers northwest of Prince Albert and is 17,347 hectares in size. The community was formerly known as the "Sandy Lake Indian Band", a name which is still used interchangeably when referring to the reserve.
Cowessess First Nation is a Saulteaux First Nations band government in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. The band's main reserve is Cowessess 73, one of several adjoining Indigenous communities in the Qu'Appelle Valley. The band also administers Cowessess 73A, near Esterhazy, and Treaty Four Reserve Grounds 77, which is shared with 32 other bands.
The Looting of Battleford began at the end of March, 1885, during the North-West Rebellion, in the town of Battleford, Saskatchewan, then a part of the Northwest Territories.
Jean Cuthand Goodwill OC was a Canadian Cree nurse who, in 1954, became Saskatchewan's first Aboriginal woman to finish a nursing program.
Poundmaker may refer to:
Tyrone Tootoosis was a Plains Cree storyteller, activist, culture keeper and dancer. He was born on May 9, 1958, in Canada on the Samson Reserve in Maskwacis, Alberta and raised on the Poundmaker Cree Nation Reserve in Saskatchewan. He was a member of the Tootoosis family and was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, a brother of Chief Poundmaker, also known as Pîhtokahanapiwiyin. His grandfather was John Tootoosis, who was an activist for First Nations rights and founder of the Saskatchewan Indian Federation and he was the first born son of Wilfred Tootoosis, a historian and storyteller and Irene B. Tootoosis. He was married to Winona Wheeler, a professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Actor Gordon Tootoosis was his uncle.
Mistawasis was a Chief of the Sak-kaw-wen-o-wak Plains Cree, notable for his role as the leader of his people during the signing of Treaty 6 in 1876, to which he was the first signatory. Due to the dwindling buffalo population caused by excessive hunting, he was forced to look for new strategies to ensure the survival of his people and their culture. He believed the only way to save his people was to negotiate with the Canadian Government. As a result of his strong influence over the Cree people, he and his close ally Ahtahkakoop were able to argue successfully for the adoption of Treaty 6 by his fellow Cree. After the treaty was signed he remained an ally of the Canadian government until his death.
George Lawrence Poitras, Paskwaw-Mostos-Kapimotet was a teacher and later Chief of the Peepeekisis Cree Nation.
The Little Pine First Nation is a Plains Cree First Nations band government in Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserves include:
The Lucky Man Cree Nation is a Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. After spending more than a hundred years illegally associated by Canada with the Little Pine First Nation, the band was awarded the Lucky Man Reserve, on the eastern border of the RM of Meeting Lake. The re-established nation has the smallest membership in Treaty 6.
The Lucky Man Reserve is an Indian reserve of the Lucky Man Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. It consists of Sections 25 to 36, Township 46, Range 6, west of the Third Meridian. In the 2016 Canadian Census, it recorded a population of 0 living in 0 of its 0 total private dwellings.
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