An introduction to Saskatchewan: its history, its Nations and treaties, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
Indigenous history of Saskatchewan
The Canadian Encyclopedia counts at least 70 First Nations in the province, belonging to Cree, Dene, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota and Saulteaux peoples, alongside a long-established Métis homeland. Six numbered treaties cover the land: Treaty 2 in a small southern area, Treaty 4 (1874) across the south, Treaty 5 in a strip along the Manitoba border, Treaty 6 (1876) through the centre, Treaty 8 (1899) in the far north and Treaty 10 (1906) in the northwest. Treaty 6 marked its 150th anniversary in 2026 with gatherings across the territory. Regina is the capital and Saskatoon the largest city, and both host universities; Regina is also home to First Nations University of Canada. Tribal councils such as the Prince Albert Grand Council and Saskatoon Tribal Council deliver services to member nations. People have lived on the lands now called Saskatchewan since at least 10,000 BCE, when hunters followed migrating bison herds across the plains. By the 1730s, Cree families were living permanently on the plains, and a distinct people, the Nêhiyawak or Plains Cree, took shape. In the early 1800s the Saulteaux joined the Nakota and Plains Cree in a trading partnership known as the Iron Alliance. It became the company’s first western inland post and remains the oldest continuously occupied site in Saskatchewan, beside the Cumberland House Cree Nation. Métis families, many with roots at Red River, spread to places such as Batoche, Lebret, Willow Bunch, Green Lake and Buffalo Narrows. Their resistance in 1885, alongside First Nations, ended with the execution of Louis Riel. After Sitting Bull sought refuge north of the border following 1876, Lakota people also settled here, at Wood Mountain.
Treaty and territory
Saskatchewan is our home province. It lies within the lands of Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10, and is home to Cree, Dene, Saulteaux, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota and Métis people. XUSI started in Saskatoon, on Treaty 6 territory, and the brothers who founded it grew up in a small reserve community in the north of the province.
Nearby: Saskatoon · Regina · Prince Albert · Lac La Ronge Indian Band · Whitecap Dakota First Nation · Batoche
Regions of Saskatchewan
Two physiographic regions shape the province. The rocky, lake-filled Canadian Shield covers the north, while the Interior Plains in the south hold level or gently rolling land with fertile soils. Language and nationhood follow these landscapes closely. The Denesuline, a branch of the Dene, have long occupied the northern boreal forest. Their communities entered Treaty 8 in 1899 and Treaty 10 in 1906–07. Woods Cree, the th-dialect, is spoken across the central forested belt. Swampy Cree, the n-dialect, is heard around Cumberland House in the east. Plains Cree, the y-dialect, stretches across the southern plains and central parkland. The southeast is Saulteaux and Nakota country. Nakota reserves include Mosquito, Carry the Kettle, Ocean Man and Pheasant Rump. Dakota communities sit at Whitecap, Wahpeton and Standing Buffalo, and Wood Mountain is a Lakota community. Many Dakota nations are not treaty signatories but still hold reserves. Métis communities grew along river lots and trade routes, from Batoche and Duck Lake to St. Louis, Green Lake and Buffalo Narrows.
Indigenous Saskatchewan today
About 17 per cent of Saskatchewan residents identified as Indigenous in the 2021 census. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations speaks for 74 First Nations in the province. It states its commitment to honouring the spirit and intent of the Treaties and carrying out their promises. Its work runs through secretariats for health, education, justice and women, plus a Treaty Governance Office. Public events on its calendar include the Spirit of Our Nations Pow Wow and the Strength of Our Women Gala. Language is a living thread here. Nêhiyawêwin, the Cree language, has roughly 20,000 speakers in Saskatchewan. Dene is second, with about 5,100 speakers, and it holds on unusually well among children in the north. Saulteaux is the main language of eleven bands in the southeast. Michif, the Métis language blending Cree and French, travelled west with buffalo hunters. For Métis learners, the Gabriel Dumont Institute has been the education and training arm of the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan since 1980. Its SUNTEP program trains teachers in Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon. Its Culture and Heritage Department has produced more than 160 Métis-specific resources.
Communities in Saskatchewan
