Cowessess First Nation & History

Ogima Cowessess signed the 1874 treaty with canada, which ceded his peoples land, and established the Anishinabe indians cowessess reserve in saskatchewan. It appears that some sort of problem developed after the treaty which established the first nation, was agreed upon because it took some time before the Anishinabe indians eventually settled down to live upon their reserve land. The saskatchewan reserve covers 12,049 hectares or 29,774 acres. The population of the first nation is 2,825, but as with other Anishinabe first nations which are surrounded by numerous white settlements, most of the Anishinabek of the cowessess reserve live off the first nations land. Around 523 live on the Anishinabe cowessess first nation. Their history with the whites may have involved some sort of dispute among the citizens of cowessess, who may have resented their ogima ceding their land. They first settled near fort walsh but the whites forced them to relocate to their new location. Many of the crees also settled down to live on the reserve in saskatchewan. Many can trace their origins back to Montana, where they originally lived but were driven out by the whites, after the 1868-1886 war. Ogimak Big Bear or Sitting Bull, led them up to Canada.