Week 4 July 22-29

Module 4.3: Painted Buffalo Robe

Contents:

Tsuu T'ina (Sarcee) From Eung-do Cook, "Tsuut'ina (Sarcee)," The Canadian Encyclopedia, March 1, 2012.

The Tsuu T’ina (Sarcee) are a Dene (or Athabaskan) First Nation whose reserve borders the southwestern city limits of Calgary, Alberta. The name "Sarcee" is believed to have originated from a Siksikáí’powahsin (Blackfoot language) word meaning boldness and hardiness. The Sarcee people call themselves Tsuu T’ina (also Tsuut'ina and Tsúùt'ínà), translated literally as "many people" or "every one (in the Nation)."

Traditional Territory

According to oral tradition, the Tsuu T’ina split from a northern nation, probably the Dane-zaa, and moved to the plains, where they have maintained close contact with the Siksika, Cree and Stoney. Their acculturation to the plains culture distinguishes them from other northern Dene people, but they have retained their language, often known as Sarcee.

Today, Tsuu’tina territory is in southern Alberta, bordering the southwestern city limits of Calgary. In 1877, well-known leader Chief Bull’s Head reluctantly signed Treaty 7, which created the 280 km2 reserve on which the Tsuu T’ina now live.

Chief Bull's Head

Tsuu T'ina Chief (Stone-Ack-Soh-Gan or Chief Bull's Head), 1887. Photograph by Alexander James Ross, silver salts and watercolour on paper mounted on card, albumen process, 22.9 x 18.3 cm. McCord Stewart Museum, Montreal.

Bull’s Head, a Tsuu T’ina Chief

Born around 1833, Chief Bull’s Head belonged to the Tsuu T’ina tribe, formerly called the Sarcee. After mid-century, when inter-tribal warfare reached high intensity, Bull’s Head became the leading warrior of his tribe. His war deeds are recorded on the painted buffalo hide displayed behind you. After his brother died in battle in 1865, Bull’s Head succeeded him as chief of the tribe and led the Tsuu T’ina until his death in 1911.

In 1877 Bull’s Head signed Treaty No. 7 with the Dominion of Canada on behalf of his people, who numbered 255. Several years later, the Tsuu T’ina settled on a reserve twelve kilometers from the center of present day Calgary. Despite devastating social and health problems, and great pressure to sell parts of their land, Bull’s Head ably led the Tsuu T’ina into the twentieth century united as a people and with their reserve intact.

Traditional Life

Prior to life on the reserve, the Tsuu T’ina camped in tipis and hunted along the edge of the forest during the winter. During the summer, all bands met in the open prairie to hunt bison, collect berries and engage in ceremonies, dances and festivals.

When anthropologist Diamond Jenness visited the Tsuu T’ina reserve in 1921, the nation consisted of five bands: Big Plumes, Crow Childs, Crow Chiefs, Old Sarcees and Many Horses. Before they were confined to the reserve, each band was led by a chief. Today, the band is governed by an elected chief and counsellors.

Language

The Tsuu T’ina language (often known as Sarcee) is an Athabaskan/Dene language of northern Canada. It is considered endangered; according to the 2016 Statistics Canada census, only 150 people identify having knowledge of Sarcee. Various institutions and community programs are working to preserve and protect the language. In 2011, the University of Calgary developed a program in association with the Tsuu T'ina Gunaha Institute to help revive the language.

Watch the video below to hear more about the Tsuu T’ina language.

Indigenous Language Lesson: Tsuut'ina Nation (1:40)

Population

From 1857 to 1860, explorer Captain John Palliser estimated the Tsuu T’ina population at 1,400 during his scientific expedition of western Canada. Epidemics of smallpox (1837), scarlet fever (1864) and other diseases, as well as wars, reduced their population to 450 by the time they settled on the reserve in 1881. By 1924, the Tsuu T’ina population had decreased to about 160.

According to Statistics Canada, between the years 1996 and 2006, the Indigenous population in Canada grew by approximately 45 per cent. This higher growth rate can be contributed to higher fertility rates and an increasing tendency for people to identify as Indigenous. As of 2020, the Government of Canada counted 2,439 registered members of Tsuu T’ina Nation.

History

With colonization and increased white settlement, traditional ways of life for the Tsuu T’ina were forever altered. On 22 September 1877, the Tsuu T’ina and some other Indigenous nations signed Treaty 7, which created various reserves. At the time, the millions of bison that had once roamed the North American plains—and on which various Indigenous nations relied on for food—had disappeared. For Indigenous people like the Tsuu T’ina, treaties offered a way to survive; for the Canadian government, treaties were a way of enabling westward settlement and expansion.

Like many other Indigenous peoples in Canada, the Tsuu T’ina have had their society and culture threatened by colonial policies and practices of assimilation, including the Indian Act, residential schools, reserves and the pass system. These have had historic and ongoing impacts on generations of Indigenous peoples. The final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women speak to ongoing work of reconciliation.

Culture and Beliefs

Historically, the Tsuu T’ina believed in supernatural power that could be obtained through a vision or dream and was enshrined in a tipi painting or medicine object, such as a beaver bundle or pipe bundle. The quest for supernatural power and the attainment of certain character traits, such as bravery for men and chastity for women, were highly valued. In traditional Tsuu T’ina culture, the family usually arranged marriages, and the gifts exchanged reflected family status.

In recent years, many Tsuu T’ina are Anglican or Catholic, but they observe traditional cultural ceremonies and feasts, such as the Beaver Bundle ceremony and the Medicine Pipe ceremony, the Rock Pile Feast and the Christmas Powwow in the winter.

The Tsuu T’ina also host annual celebrations that include a rodeo, handgames, and golf tournament.

Contemporary Life

Today, the Tsuu T’ina are active in modern economic sectors, such as cattle raising and real estate, but efforts are being made to revive the traditional culture and lifestyle.

There are also band-operated schools on the reserve which most children attend, while some still go to public or separate schools in Calgary.

In 2020, Costco opened a new store on Tsuut'ina territory. This is the first Costco in North America that is located on a First Nation.

To Analyze and Read: Painted Buffalo Robe (c. 1908)

Take some time to closely look at and analyze Two Gun's (Sarcee) Painted Buffalo Robe. How do you read the robe? Where do you start and what section do you read next? What details do you notice first and why? How did Two Gun's (Sarcee) use the elements of art and principles of design within the robe? After spending some time analyzing the Painted Buffalo Robe, read the following excerpt from the Royal Ontario Museum's wall panels.

Two Guns (Sarcee), Painted Buffalo Robe, c. 1908. Furred bison hide, paint, sinew, 208.3 x 200 cm. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

War Record Robes

During much of the 19th century, Great Plains life was marked by intense inter-tribal warfare. Most Plain tribes adopted systems to reward individual war exploits. The successful warrior won the right to publicly display pictorial accounts of his deeds on his robe.

War record robes were probably made by all the Plains peoples, with some variation in tribal style. Usually made of buffalo hide, the robes would “show off” single war events or connected series of events, with little regard for chronological order.

Only a dozen or so war record robes survive from the early 19th century. Most known examples were painter later, after the warfare ended.

Bull’s Head Robe

In 1908 the artist, Edmund Morris, brought a buffalo hide formerly used as carriage robe from Toronto to the Sarcee Reserve. He commissioned the reserve Interpreter and Farm Instructor, George Hodgson, to have Bull’s Head’s war history painted on it. Bull’s Head described his deeds in Sarcee to Two Guns who executed the painting. Young Charlie Crow Chief, among the first graduates of the reserve school, probably translated Bull’s Head’s words into English. Hodgson’s daughters transcribed the text, quoted in part below. This text is today preserved in Morris' archival papers.

Two Guns was born around 1861, too young to have been a warrior. Yet his painting vividly evokes the high drama of Plains Indian warfare. He recorded six of Bull’s Head’s exploits, along with a tally of the horses, weapons and scalps taken from the enemy. Unlike more traditional war exploit painting thick lines were drawn to distinguish the events, and English names and numbers were inscribed as a key to the written explanations. He painted the enemy Crees in black and blue, with the Tsuu T’ina in red and green.

Words of Bull’s Head, transcribed by George Hodgson’s daughters

Painted Buffalo Robe Illustration,Detail

In the same year 1860, one winter day, at Battle River near Dried Meat Lake, the Sarcees had driven a large band of Buffaloes into a “Buffalo Pawn” [pound]. (A Buffalo Pawn is an enclosure built of logs. Built by the Indians for capturing Buffalo.) And while butchering the animals they had just killed, aided by the women and children a party of Crees surrounded them. In an instant they were prepared for fight. Many managed to reach the camp, which was near by Bull’s Head who had reached his tepee, shot and killed one of the enemy.

The Crees were defeated and fled. Four of the Sarcee braves were killed.

Painted Buffalo Robe Illustration,Detail

A few weeks after Little Chief [Bull’s Head’s brother] was skilled while the Sarcees were camping at Battle River some of their horses were stolen.

Suspecting where their horses were taken to, Bull’s Head gathered a few men and rode away.

They soon came upon a party of Crees building a fort. One of the Crees came to meet them asking to be friends, but Bull’s Head who had not forgotten his brother’s death jumped from his horse and sprang to the Cree with the intention of killing him but ended by only taking his gun and giving it to “Heaven Fire.”

Painted Buffalo Robe Illustration,Detail

In the summer of 1866 a party of Sarcees met a few Crees who seeing the Sarcees outnumbered them, fled.

The Sarcees killed nine of them and wounded one.

Bull’s Head sprang from his horse and taking a knife from the wounded man stabbed him and took his scalp.

This took place at Long Lake.

Painted Buffalo Robe Illustration,Detail

In 1866, a party of Sarcee made ready to go to Edmonton to trade. While on the way “Bull’s Head,” “Going to the Crees” and “Little Boy” who were following at a distance, hunting for game, thought they saw a wolf on a hill and decided to try and kill it. As they approached near Bull’s Head hesitated, telling his companion that he thought the object on the hill was a man and not a wolf, but they would not believe him and finally persuaded him to follow.

When they reached the summit they not only saw one man but a number of Crees who instantly fired upon them.

Bull’s Head who was so taken by surprise could not run away. He walked a few steps then the fright seemed to leave him and running he soon joined his companions who had reached the bottom of the hill again. The main party of Sarcees hearing the firing fled also. Little Boy’s arrow case was shot off his back, but he was not hurt. “Going to the Crees” was killed.

After running maybe five or six miles with the enemy following close firing all the time they were met by Bull’s Head’s wife with two horses.