John Smith

Chief John Smith (c. 1836 – 1924) was a Cree and Saulteaux First Nations leader in what is now Saskatchewan, Canada. He is best known as the founder and longtime chief of the Muskoday First Nation (originally called the John Smith First Nation) and as a signatory to Treaty 6 in 1876. His leadership spanned the transition from the pre-treaty era through the early reserve period.

Early life John Smith was born around 1836 in the St. Peter's Indian Reserve (Peguis), near Selkirk in what is now Manitoba. He was of Cree and Saulteaux (Ojibwe) ancestry, one of several brothers from a prominent family in the St. Peter's band. His younger brother, James Smith (1843–1902), would later become the founding chief of the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. During the 1860s and 1870s, he worked as a labourer and voyageur for the Hudson’s Bay Company, gaining experience in the fur trade and travel across the prairies.

In the early 1870s, Smith led a group of Cree and Saulteaux families (including his brothers and their kin) westward from St. Peter's to settle along the South Saskatchewan River, near present-day Prince Albert in the North-West Territories (Saskatchewan). They took up farming and hunting in the area, forming the nucleus of what would become the John Smith band.

Treaty 6 and leadership As the Canadian government sought treaties on the Plains, John Smith emerged as a leading representative of his band. He and his followers were among the chiefs and headmen who entered into Treaty 6 with the Crown at Fort Carlton in 1876. On August 23, 1876, Chief Smith, known in the Cree language as Mis-ti-koo-na-pac, added his mark to Treaty 6 at Fort Carlton, alongside other Plains Cree leaders such as Chiefs Mistawasis and Ahtahkakoop. By signing the treaty, Smith agreed to peacefully cede vast territories to the Crown in exchange for reserve lands, annual payments, and other provisions for his people. The treaty also included promises of farming equipment, a medicine chest for healthcare, and protection from famine, reflecting new terms not present in earlier treaties.

Following the treaty, a reserve for John Smith's band was surveyed in the fall of 1876 about 19 km southeast of the settlement of Prince Albert. This reserve, initially about 36 square miles in size, was legally established as the “John Smith Indian Reserve.” It was named after Chief John Smith himself, in recognition of his status as the band's leader. John Smith became the first hereditary chief of the new reserve, a role he would occupy for the next 48 years until his death. Under his leadership, the band transitioned into a settled farming community in accordance with the treaty terms.

Smith's band, composed of both Cree and Saulteaux members, initially organized their new reserve in the style of river-lot farms along the South Saskatchewan River. By 1878, a day school had been established on the reserve, reflecting early efforts at education and assimilation. The reserve as surveyed in 1876 was smaller than this aspiration, and over time it became clear that the band had not received all the land to which they were entitled under the treaty's formula (which allowed one square mile per family of five). This led the Muskoday First Nation to file a Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) claim in the late 20th century, seeking redress for the shortfall in land. The claim was successful: in the 2000s, Canada and Saskatchewan reached a settlement with Muskoday, providing compensation and the opportunity for the First Nation to acquire additional reserve lands to fulfill the treaty promise.

Today Muskoday First Nation is a thriving community that remembers Chief John Smith as its progenitor. He is recognized for guiding his people through the transition to reserve life and laying the foundations for self-sufficiency. The First Nation's achievements in areas such as agriculture (it was the first reserve in Saskatchewan to ratify its own Land Code in 1998, regaining control over land management) are part of the ongoing legacy of initiative and self-determination that traces back to Chief Smith's era.

Smith also ensured the perpetual continuance of the original Saint James Anglican Church (and later two other consecrated churches) by allocating a portion of the surrounding land lease revenues for the rest of time (120 acres), to ensure that spiritual and burial needs are forever met for membership and those requesting burial at the adjoining cemetery grounds.