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Big Bear

Plains Cree chief · c. 1825-1888

Mistahimaskwa held out against Treaty 6 for six years trying to get a single large Cree territory.

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Life story

1. c. 1825 · Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan
   Born near Fort Carlton
2. 1876 · Fort Carlton
   Refused to sign Treaty 6, seeking one contiguous territory and better terms
3. December 1882 · Fort Walsh and Fort Pitt
   Signed at last as the buffalo vanished and his people starved
4. April 2, 1885 · Frog Lake, Alberta
   Lost control of his young men at Frog Lake, where nine settlers were killed
5. July 2, 1885 · Fort Carlton
   Surrendered at Fort Carlton and was sentenced to three years
6. January 17, 1888 · Little Pine, Saskatchewan
   Died on the Little Pine reserve soon after release

In the timeline

• 1871 — Treaty 1 and the numbered treaties
• 1885 — The North-West Resistance

Sources

• Wikipedia article: Big Bear
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography
• The Canadian Encyclopedia