The Treaty Land Sharing Network has expanded from its Saskatchewan origins, as Alberta farmers and ranchers join the grassroots organization.
The voluntary network connects landholders, often farmers and ranchers, with First Nations and Metis people seeking land access for cultural practices such as gathering plants and medicines, hunting, fishing and ceremonies.
“It was a logical extension, because the treaties predate the provincial boundaries, so it made sense to us to cover the full extent of Treaty 6, rather than just stick to Saskatchewan,” said Valerie Zink, co-founder of the Treaty Land Sharing Network.
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The concept for the Treaty Land Sharing Network began in 2018, when Zink had discussions with other like-minded people about relating to the land differently and honouring the treaties.
Since then, the network has snowballed, creating not just a network but an educational hub
History
Before European contact, Indigenous people thrived in many types of cultures and lifestyles. On the Great Plains, they lived primarily nomadic lives, moving from place to place and living off the land. Their lives primarily revolved around the bison, as they were their number one source of food, and they travelled across the plains, following the bison migration patterns. However, they also depended on native plants, not just for food but for medicinal and spiritual practices.
After the treaties were made, Indigenous peoples were forced onto reserves, depriving them of access to land and their traditional plants. This has been a problem since the late 1800s.
The Treaty Land Sharing Network works to mitigate that restriction.
“We’re working to expand the base of land that Indigenous peoples can safely access for harvesting traditional foods and medicines at a time when that’s being continually eroded, particularly in Saskatchewan, through the privatization of Crown land, through stricter trespassing legislation, ongoing loss of native prairie and other forces,” Zink says.
There has been much fear among Indigenous peoples regarding land access due to, in part, the death of Colten Boushie in 2016.
Boushie, a 22-year-old Cree man, was killed by Gerald Stanley on Stanley’s farm near Biggar, Sask. Stanley was charged with second-degree murder and a lesser offence of manslaughter through careless use of a firearm, and ultimately acquitted.
“In a way, (the network) was really a response to circumstances that were specific to southern Saskatchewan… that were making it increasingly difficult and also more dangerous for Indigenous peoples to access land, particularly after the killing of Colten Boushie, which obviously looms large in most Indigenous people’s minds still when it comes to accessing land off reserve,” says Zink.
Zink says the effect Boushie’s death has had on Indigenous land users is profound.
“For myself as a non-Indigenous person, I’ve come to appreciate that most non-Indigenous people really have no idea the extent of fear that exists among Indigenous land users, and for good reason, and the frequency of these kinds of confrontations that people experience.”
Sharing knowledge and building relationships
The Treaty Land Sharing Network creates connections between landholders and Indigenous land users. Its members also work to inform and educate.
Often, the events and webinars they host are intended to teach people about Indigenous land use and related topics.
Zink says often people don’t truly understand the historical context of the treaties, so part of what the network does is spread awareness. Even though the treaties were formed over a century ago, there are still implications in the current day and age.
“A big part of what we do is creating opportunities for sharing knowledge and building relationships. And I think that we still have a long way to go in terms of understanding what treaties are really about.”
Treaty Land Sharing Network events not only highlight changes to the network, but bring the network together. For example, a feast was held on May 31 near Gladmar, Sask., on Box H Farm. It commemorated the start of the network’s Indigenous Advisory Circle.
“It’s also a way for Indigenous peoples to reconnect with that land that they have been disconnected from for many years, and to see what’s there that might be of interest to them… and a way to build these relationships of trust, because that is something that does take a lot of time,” Zink says.
Expansion into Alberta
Since the Treaty Land Sharing Network’s official launch in 2020, lots of changes have been made. One of the biggest ones has been an interactive web map where land users can see what land they can access through the network.
“We’ve also created a big print wall map for display in band offices and at tribal councils and urban Indigenous organizations, just to continue to get the word out and give people a sense of what land is available in the network,” Zink says.
The network worked over a year to put the Indigenous Advisory Circle together. The aim is to provide guidance to the network and ensure it is grounded in Indigenous perspectives and priorities. The feast that was recently held at Box H was organized by the advisory circle.
Another notable expansion was into the Alberta side of Treaty 6, which happened in the summer of 2024. Zink says this was a no-brainer expansion, as they already had many producers involved on the Saskatchewan side, and Treaty 6 spans a large portion of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Elizabeth Holt is a rancher based out of Alliance, Alta. She found out about the Treaty Land Sharing Network in an internet search looking for something completely unrelated. Interested, she reached out, but at the time, they were only operating in Saskatchewan, so they put her on the mailing list.
Over the following year, the network expanded to Alberta, and Holt jumped on the opportunity to join.
“I think the importance of the (Treaty Land Sharing Network) is expressed in the name — to share the land that is part of the treaties,” Holt wrote in an email. “For a number of years, there has been much talk of reconciliation, but not as much action. The (network) opens that door and provides a way for landholders to answer the call to start living as treaty people.”
Holt says so far they have not had anyone reach out to access land, but she attributes this to their location, which is quite remote, and the newness of the network in Alberta.
However, she has still found benefits from being part of the network, such as hearing other people’s opinions and perspectives.
“We have also greatly increased our knowledge of the treaties, the locations of the First Nations and Metis communities, and I am expanding my understanding of what reconciliation means from an Indigenous perspective.”
Continuing the work
Despite all the progress the Treaty Land Sharing Network has made in the past few years, Zink says there is still work they’d like to do.
They are always looking to add more landholders to their network in Treaties 4 and 6. The network isn’t looking to expand to other treaties, mostly because they are entirely volunteer-run and still working at securing more funding.
However, if producers are interested in doing something similar in other areas but don’t know where to start, Zink recommends reaching out.
“Although the Treaty Land Sharing Network is the first formal land sharing network that we’re aware of, this is something that’s happened in an organic way since contact and since people started farming here,” she says.
“The needs might be different. So we’re always open to having that conversation and sharing our experiences and talking through what it might look like in other regions.”
In the future, the network would like to work on a project on grassland conservation and restoring native grasslands informed by Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous land use.
Holt says people need to understand what treaties are, what they entail, and how they have been abused and ignored. The Treaty Land Sharing Network is one way to help bridge the gap, but there are many other things that can be done.
While historically there has been mistrust between landholders and Indigenous land users, Holt sees the potential to re-establish trust through the network.
“There is a lot of mistrust between both farmers and Indigenous peoples that has created a rift. The reasons for the mistrust are justified in most cases, but that doesn’t mean it can’t change,” she says.
While some producers may be apprehensive to join for fear that it may affect their operation, the network is flexible and allows those involved to decide what is best for them.
Holt says it starts with a conversation, and though those conversations can be difficult, they are necessary.
“If an Indigenous person wants to come onto our land for any reason, they call us and we have a conversation. So, for example, our cattle move throughout our fields and pastures all year. We will not allow hunting on the same quarter as the cattle, but we have many quarters, and we may allow gathering or other uses. It begins with a conversation.”
For more information, visit treatylandsharingnetwork.ca.
