Canada · History, treaty and community

Indigenous Manitoba: Treaties, Nations and Community

An introduction to Manitoba: its history, its Nations and treaties, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.

About Manitoba

Manitoba is a province of big water: Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis spread across its middle, while Hudson Bay forms its northeastern coast at Churchill. Indigenous Services Canada lists 63 First Nations in the province. Most are covered by Treaties 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and their adhesions; Marcel Colomb and Mathias Colomb signed Treaty 6, Barren Lands and Northlands Denesuline signed Treaty 10, and the Dakota nations never entered a treaty with Canada. Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dene and Dakota peoples live here, and the Red River valley is central to Métis history. Winnipeg, the capital, grew up at the Forks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Each year the city hosts the Manito Ahbee Festival, which celebrates Indigenous arts, culture and music with a pow wow, marketplace and live performances.

Manitoba history

People have lived in what is now Manitoba for thousands of years. The Canadian Encyclopedia names the Assiniboine, Dakota, Cree and Dene among its early peoples. Forest hunters took moose, caribou and beaver, while people on the plains relied on the buffalo. Archaeological finds show trade networks reaching the Pacific Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1670 the Hudson's Bay Company was granted a vast territory called Rupert's Land. It built posts on the Hudson Bay shore, including Fort Hayes in 1682 and Fort Churchill in 1717–18. The fur trade pushed hunting past local needs and created new dependence on European goods. In 1812 the company granted Lord Selkirk land where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet. Displaced Scottish and Irish farmers arrived to build the Red River Colony. In 1869 Louis Riel led the Métis resistance, seized Upper Fort Garry and declared a provisional government. The Manitoba Act that followed created the province. It guaranteed Métis title to their lands and set aside 1.4 million acres for their descendants. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that the government later failed to uphold those promises. Treaty-making began the next summer, when Treaty 1 was concluded at Lower Fort Garry in August 1871.

Treaty and territory

Manitoba lies within the lands of Treaties 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10, and is home to Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dene, Dakota and Inuit people. It is also the homeland of the Red River Métis.

Nearby: Winnipeg · Brandon · The Pas · Thompson · Peguis First Nation · Opaskwayak Cree Nation

Regions of Manitoba

Manitoba divides into three physiographic regions. The Interior Plains cover the south and west and hold most of the settlements and farmland. The Canadian Shield spreads across the centre and east in rock, lakes and forest. The Hudson Bay Lowland lines the far northeast coast. The Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba says Treaties 1 through 5 cover most of the province. Treaty 2 was concluded at Manitoba House in August 1871. Treaty 3 followed in October 1873 at the Northwest Angle of Lake of the Woods. Treaty 4 was made at Fort Qu'Appelle in September 1874, with adhesions at Fort Ellice. Treaty 5 was signed in September 1875 at Berens River, Norway House and Grand Rapids. Further Treaty 5 adhesions were entered into throughout the north. Treaty 6, made at Fort Carlton in 1876, and Treaty 10, made at Canoe Lake in 1906, contain no Manitoba territory. Four Manitoba communities signed them all the same. Wapusk National Park, on the Hudson Bay coast, lies in Treaty 5 territory. Cree, Dene, Inuit and Red River Métis peoples traditionally used its lands. The Dakota were left out of the numbered treaties. The commission notes they hold recognized territorial rights and agreements with the Crown and with First Nations.

Indigenous Manitoba today

First Nations in Manitoba speak through several regional organizations. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, incorporated in 1981, advocates for 26 First Nations across the north. Its member Nations are signatories to Treaties 4, 5, 6 and 10. MKO keeps its head office at Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in Nelson House, with offices in Thompson and Winnipeg. In the south, the Southern Chiefs' Organization formed in March 1999. It represents 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations and more than 92,000 citizens. Its mission includes protecting First Nations languages, customs and traditions, and upholding the spirit and intent of treaty-making. The Manitoba Métis Federation has served Métis citizens since 1967 and acts as the national government of the Red River Métis. From its Henry Avenue office in Winnipeg, it runs programs in housing, health, early learning, youth, employment and culture. It also issues citizenship and harvester cards. The Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty set out formal government-to-government relations. The federation has also announced the opening of the first campus of Louis Riel College. At Riding Mountain National Park, Parks Canada works with Anishinabe peoples and First Nations from Treaties 1, 2 and 4.

Life in Manitoba

Manitoba counted 1,342,153 residents in 2021, the fifth-largest population among the provinces. Roughly 62 per cent live in the Winnipeg metropolitan area. The rest are spread across farm towns, mining centres and northern communities. Farms here grow wheat, canola and soybeans, and mines produce zinc, cobalt and nickel. Hydroelectric power and manufacturing, including furniture and buses, round out the economy. Riding Mountain National Park, in Treaty 2 territory, mixes windswept grassland, deep forest, lakes and wetlands. Visitors hike its trails in every season, camp, and watch for wolf packs, orchids and lilies. Far to the north, Wapusk National Park covers 11,475 square kilometres near Churchill. It sits where boreal forest turns to Arctic tundra and protects one of the world's largest polar bear maternity denning areas. Visits there run only through licensed tour operators in Churchill. History draws travellers too. Lower Fort Garry, St. Boniface Basilica and York Factory are among the province's best-known historic landmarks.

Manitoba seasons and weather

Winnipeg is famous for deep January cold and blowing snow, with the north colder still, while summers are warm and humid. A thick hoodie and a toque earn their keep for half the year here.

Communities in Manitoba

Keep learning in the XUSI Journal

Manitoba questions

How do I order from a fly-in First Nation in northern Manitoba?

Order online like anyone else. The shipping cost for your address is calculated at checkout, orders of $90 or more ship free within Canada, and your package leaves Saskatoon within 1 to 3 business days.

Can a Winnipeg school get printed shirts for a pow wow club?

Yes. We screen print orders of 10 or more garments, up to 4 colours per design, and every order is quoted before printing. Design help is included, and we print in Saskatoon before shipping to Manitoba.

What should I pack from XUSI for a trip to Riding Mountain National Park?

The park mixes open grassland, deep forest and lakes, and Parks Canada keeps trails open across the seasons. For summer, bring a heavyweight cotton tee and an A-frame snapback for sun. In spring or fall, add the Black Oni long sleeve or one of our hoodies for cool mornings by the water.

Can I send a XUSI gift to a relative in Thompson or Nelson House?

Yes. Our digital gift cards arrive by email, so they work well for family in northern Manitoba. Your relative can then choose their own size and design online. If they pick a tee, hoodie or hat, their order is packed and shipped from our shop in Saskatoon.

Last reviewed September 19, 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.

Sources for this page

Indigenous clothing from XUSI

Manitoba shoppers can order Indigenous clothing straight from XUSI, a Saskatoon brand owned by Indigenous people. We print our tees, hats and hoodies on the prairie and mail them east to Winnipeg, Brandon, The Pas and fly-in communities across the north.

Manitoba's year runs from prairie farmland to Shield lake country to the tundra edge, so we think in layers. A heavyweight 100% cotton tee suits a summer hike through Riding Mountain's grassland and forest trails. Pull the Black Oni long sleeve over it for cool evenings at a campsite. During harvest on the southern plains, our A-frame snapback keeps the sun off long days in the field. When winter settles over the north, a hoodie from our $59.95 to $89.95 range works as a warm layer under a parka. The Revitalize Culture crewneck is a good fit for a February trip toward Churchill's polar bear country. Many of our designs carry a Cree word and its story, which matters to Cree families across the province.