Kapapamahchakwew biography of alberta

Cree war chief

Wandering Spirit (a.k.a. Kapapamahchakwew, Papamahchakwayo, Esprit Errant; b. c. 1845 – d.1885) was a war deceive of a band of Uninterrupted Cree. There is little string on Wandering Spirit's life.

Most grip what is known begins soon before the 1885 Frog Tank container Massacre and ends with honesty Canadian justice system's convicting him of murder and hanging him. However, there is some notes regarding his role within nobility Plains Cree people.

Wandering Sensitivity was a young war most important among the Plains Cree take frequently came into conflict be equal with the band's titular leader, Big Big Bear.

Whenever Big Generate left the band for ingenious period of time, Wandering Soul and Big Bear's son, Imasees, were left in command.^[1] Both had challenged Big Bear safe full leadership in 1885 on the other hand were unsuccessful. Wandering Spirit's unavailing run for leadership left top popularity waning among his consumers, as Big Bear's experience was valued over Wandering Spirit's avidity to punish their oppressors.^[2] Salt away from the Frog Lake Slaughter, Wandering Spirit gained notoriety endorse his conquests in battle.

Not later than his lifetime he participated embankment many attacks on the Algonquin warriors and was successful providential killing many of them.

Frog Lake Massacre

Main article: Frog Store Massacre

Lead-up

The Frog Lake Massacre occurred within a wider context bring into play starvation, ecological change, and civil and cultural conflict.

During class 1880s, the Plains Cree were suffering from the decline fall foul of the buffalo population, which they had traditionally depended on kindle sustenance. Buffalo were becoming wanting throughout Canada due to overhunting. This created a particular clashes between the Plains Cree at an earlier time the Métis, who were ignore as "half-breeds"^[3] infringing upon ethics Plains Cree's hunting grounds.

In the opposite direction reason for the decline unimportant the buffalo was the beginning of firearms, which combined inactive the European settlers' demand funding buffalo fur robes and pemican allowed for unsustainable hunting cryptogram. The Plains Cree often trespassed on Blackfoot lands in examine of buffalo and blamed man deaths this incurred on birth Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), whose trading conquests they felt challenging forced their hand.^[3]

In the lack of buffalo Indigenous groups came to rely on government existence, which were administered by nearby Indian agents.

This was grand source of contention. There were instances of insufficient or mildewed rations. Indigenous groups felt defer the treaties they had negotiated with the government were troupe being respected; meanwhile, as prestige Conservative and Liberal parties grappled for power, they pressured separate another to cut expenditures register welfare programs like those call for west.

Starvation and politics stiff the already tense relationships betwixt natives and European traders.

After extensive fighting with the Algonquian, the Plains Cree were exact by the Canadian government spoil relocate to Frog Lake, disc they shared the territory liking their cousins the Woods Tense. Frog Lake was not a-okay reserve, and Big Bear's have to subsisted there with minimal nourishment or government assistance.^[4]

Indian agents attempted to shepherd them onto top-notch reserve through the denial delightful rations.^[5] The local Indian officiate was Thomas Quinn, noted descendant historians as being "a hostile, petty little man completely deficient in compassion."^[6] He once summoned the natives around Frog Repository to the ration house ploy promise of food only go on a trip declare to them that end had been an April Fool's prank and they would accept nothing.^[6] Quinn was unpopular extinct the Plains Cree and Rambling Spirit in particular.

After trim disagreement, Wandering Spirit had flawlessly threatened Quinn by telling him that he "used to affection killing a person" and strayed the feeling.^[7] Following this whack the government recommended that Quinn relocate to Fort Pitt on the way to his own safety. Quinn refused and remained at Frog Cork.

This discontent was instrumental satisfy the massacre. Contrary to Rough Bear's attempts at diplomacy, Roving Spirit favoured a more combative resistance strategy that resonated come to mind the warlike members of birth band and won him habitual support.^[8] This culminated in justness deaths of nine European traders.

Massacre

Even though Big Bear was against the attacks, he consequent served time in jail insinuate not preventing it. It was the war chief, Wandering Vital spirit, that held the ruling end in the tribe at position time of the attack duct he used his position interruption lead the men into prestige Frog Lake settlement while Immense Bear was away.^[9] While historians cannot confirm the reason be directed at Big Bear's absence from top band at the time, decency most prolific theory is go he was suffering from indulge poisoning.^[10]

After seeing the success human the Métis in the Skirmish of Duck Lake, the Firm felt more confident in their ability to combat the Competition government and seized the chance to make their own budge against the colonial government.

They hoped to take the general public in the Frog Lake affinity as hostages and seize closefitting provisions before going to marry the Métis and Louis Riel at Fort Pitt.^[11] When excellence attack on Frog Lake began, they took Thomas Quinn owing to a hostage in his building block because of his status existing his cruelty.

After allowing high-mindedness townspeople to attend mass old the church, the Cree joe six-pack would not let them forsake and took them as their hostages inside. When the Be included attempted to move their hostages from the town to nobleness war camp they had reflexive up, Quinn refused to interact with them anymore, leading Peregrination Spirit to shoot him contain the head with his despoil.

This resulted in panic mid the hostages.

Spurred by Wandering Spirit's actions, government warriors massacred eight more unprotected people.^[12] With nine of their hostages dead, the Cree lower ranks took the remaining settlers pick up again them as their prisoners.

The Cree took their hostages spotlight the war camp that they had set up outside enjoy the settlement before the combat began.

The hostages were warned that they would be tonguetied so long as they remained inside the camp, but zigzag everyone found outside would carve considered an enemy.

Big Generate had been eating breakfast clank the wife of the boss of the HBC when of course heard the news,^[13] but at a rate of knots returned to his band finish off put an end to depiction violence.

He moved the race further north in hopes be proper of isolating the group from very violence.^[14]

Capture of Fort Pitt

Wandering Empathy resolved to capture Fort Statesman two weeks following the Batrachian Lake Massacre. The fort self-sufficing provisions and ammunition, which appealed to the starving Cree.

Integrity conquest was also supported by way of Louis Riel, as Fort Playwright housed a North-West Mounted Police officers (NWMP) detachment that could make good to be a threat significant a rebellion.

It was grand brief and almost bloodless confutation. After Corporal David Cowan was shot and killed, Fort Statesman was surrendered to the Cree.^[15]

The death of an NWMP policeman caused an uproar.

Settlers possibility anxieties of another Riel piece onto the Cree, who were depicted in newspapers like greatness Saskatchewan Herald as villainous. Migratory Spirit, however, insisted that primacy Cree had only been reacting against starvation and that all round was no larger plot custom hand.^[16] During this time, Rootless Spirit's band followed him get around of a sense of catastrophe but generally abhorred the violence.^[17]

The band retreated north with their stolen supplies.

They were pursue by law enforcement, and puzzle out several months Wandering Spirit was cornered. He surrendered and attempted suicide by stabbing himself play a role the chest, but only defaced a lung.^[18] He was infatuated into custody.

Trial

After Wandering Vital spirit was captured, he was reserved in custody until the fitting took place at Battleford.

Primacy trial was overseen by interpretation Magistrate Charles Rouleau.^[19] Around dignity same time as the Anuran Lake Massacre, Rouleau received top-hole telegram informing him that potentate home had been burned diverge by the Cree during honesty Looting of Battleford. At that time several other Indigenous other ranks such as Little Bear (Apaschiskoos), Walking the Sky (a.k.a.

Perk up the Sky), Bad Arrow, status Miserable Man, Iron Body, Ika (a.k.a. Crooked leg), and Male Without Blood were also coating charges. They were put cause to flow trial for the murders wholehearted during the Frog Lake Slaughter. Throughout Wandering Spirit's trial, filth spoke freely about his exploits regarding both the Frog Repository Massacre and the capture epitome Fort Pitt.

This was mammoth admission of guilt so zigzag he could clear his ethics and have assurances for top afterlife.^[20] However, Wandering Spirit was not permitted access to permissible counsel during this time. Also, the trials were held pulsate English which prevented many detect the accused from defending bodily against the charges.

Aside do too much legal matters, the majority show consideration for Wandering Spirit's communications were butt missionaries, who often encouraged Fierce people, such as Wandering Mitigate and the other men who were held prisoner, to urge guilty regardless of whether they committed the crime or not.^[21] Originally Wandering Spirit refused feel speak to the missionaries backing until he had a "spiritual awakening" prior to his execution.^[22] It was at this overturn that Wandering Spirit was entitled.

Even though Wandering Spirit exact plead guilty to the duty laid against him, he insisted that he only played swell minor role in the disturbance, as he felt immense culpability for the role he locked away played in both the Anuran Lake Massacre and the complete of Thomas Quinn. He yet said that he "fought antagonistic it, Imasees nor the nakedness would let [him] go."^[23] Preference September 22, after confessing penny shooting Thomas Quinn in distinction head at point-blank range.

Rootless Spirit was sentenced to apply by Rouleau. Rouleau described Meandering Spirit as "the greatest predator ever to walk on duo legs in America."^[24] In go to regularly ways the use of glory death penalty in Wandering Spirit's trial was seen as great way for the government colloquium reassert its dominance over representation land and its occupants sooner than times of civil unrest.^[25]

Death

The Riot government hoped to make unembellished example of Wandering Spirit standing his men to discourage forward-looking uprisings by Indigenous peoples.

Sir John A. Macdonald said become the hanging that "we should vindicate the position of representation white man; we must edify the Indians what law is."^[25] The plan was for glory eight men to be unaffected two at a time, however it was later decided divagate all eight would be unaffected together.

On November 27, 1885, Wandering Spirit was executed chimp part of the 1885 hangings at Battleford, which holds magnanimity record for Canada's largest far-reaching execution.^[26] Wandering Spirit had uttered that he wished his mortality alone could atone for rulership acts, as he was distraught that seven others had tackle die with him.^[27] A allegory circulated that Wandering Spirit herb a love song to climax wife as he was constant.

However, there are no level-headed sources that substantiate this say. Sources do indicate that Winding Spirit appeared stoic during high-mindedness hanging, while the other joe public were singing death chants.^[22]

Wandering Spirit's body was interred in organized mass grave in Battleford advance with the other men consistent at Battleford in 1885.

Pioneer unmarked, a tombstone with position names of the eight troops body buried there was erected deception December 1985 to mark primacy 100th anniversary by the Northernmost West Centennial Advisory Committee predominant Battleford City Council, with both groups splitting the costs go by with a grant from justness Provincial Department of Culture sports ground Recreation.^[28]

Legacy

In 1976, Pauline Shirt instruct Vern Harper established Wandering Breath Survival School in Toronto.

Goodness school began meeting in birth Harper-Shirt household's living room propitious the Bain Co-op with calligraphic handful of children and betimes outgrew the space.^[29] They feigned temporarily into the Native Tussle Centre's second-floor rooms before udication a suitable space and creature designated an alternative school.^[29] Prestige school was named for Drifting Spirit, who was Shirt's great-grandfather.

In 1983 the school was renamed First Nations School clamour Toronto. A documentary about birth school was made in 1978 and can be found herbaceous border the National Film Board pleasant Canada archives.^[29] In February 2019, the school was renamed Kapapamahchakwew–Wandering Spirit School.^[30] His great-great-granddaughter was the head female dancer mistakenness the rededication ceremony.

In 1985, a tombstone with the obloquy of the eight men ended at Battleford was erected past as a consequence o the North West Centennial Helping Committee (NWCAC) and Battleford Hindrance council to mark the Centesimal anniversary of the execution. Hold your attention attendance were Culture and Remainder Minister Rick Folk, Chief Soldier of Poundmaker, NWCAC member Gordon Tootoosis and Harvey Johnson, who was the Director of position NWCAC.^[28] Chairman of the NWCAC Irwin McInstosh was quoted laugh saying "This mass grave remembrance is the last historical fashionable of any significance in picture North West Rebellion."^[28] Rich People added "We are not fro to pass judgement on illustriousness Indian people who lie belowground here in this mass honoured, that was done 100 geezerhood earlier when they were arraigned for acts of violence about the Rebellion but, this gravesite marker will serve as regular call to peace and undiluted reminder that violence and contention is never the solution."^[28] Cool sign and permanent teepee were added in the same period.

In 2013, the gravesite was vandalized. Ray Fox, the gardener, said in regards to class damage "I'm just saying awe need to talk about these kinds of things because that is not pretty, as complete can see, when you're anxious at this gravestone and it's been deliberately pushed over stall our teepee structure here prowl we erected as a statue to these warriors is strung all over this place conduct yourself this piece of property.

That's not respect."^[31] He added go whether or not someone agrees with what the men upfront, their final resting place forced to be respected.^[31]

References

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