The Sioux

Related Collection: Remembering CFB Rivers

From the work of J.C. Cousins, one of the earliest settlers in the district.

A tribe of Sioux Indians were the first inhabitants of Daly Municipality. The Government set aside all the land lying between the Little Saskatchewan and Assiniboine rivers, more particularly described today as Township 11, Range 21, but the Government evidently discovered this was more suitable for farm lands and had the Indians removed to the Griswold Reserve.

Wabadista was the Indian Chief at that time. This tribe of Indians had escaped from the United States and crossed into Canada to avoid the wrath of the United States Government

Nevertheless there were some fine stalwart Indians amongst them. A John Crow of the tribe had joined the North West Mounted Police – their duty was to patrol the whole of the North West Territories and John had become acquainted with every river, nook and corner of the West then left the Force, but when the 1885 Rebellion started (which was brought about by Louis Riel, he had not forgotten his defeat in 1870) John joined up again and did his best to prevent an uprising. An Indian trail led on from the Reserve to join the Yellow Head Pass or Trail, It was so called after Jasper Hawes one of the gentlemen adventurers of the Hudson Bay Company who had very red hair – the Indians named it Yellow Head Pass because he had hair the colour of September wheat in the sheaf. They called him Tette Jaune or Yellow Head. At the time of the rebellion, the then residents were very much afraid, having in mind the massacres… and awful deeds perpetrated in the States at the time Custer in Minnesota and the South fought the Indians and was killed. They came over to Canada from Dakota after Sitting Bull was defeated . They never showed any desire to take up arms here or to become unfriendly, had many pow-wows, beat their Tom-toms and would dance around yelling “Hi Yi, Hi Yi.”