User:GeorginaLW/sandbox

Article Evaluation
Evaluation: Frog Lake Massacre

Relevance:

Most information presented in this article is relevant to the topic. The heading labeled "Causes" could have used more information so that the reader had a better understanding of not only the causes but the previous conditions of the area in question (i.e. a more in depth history of what was happening in this area prior to the massacre). The main headings included relevant information. However, the heading labeled "Aftermath" was not particularly well put together and brought up topics that had only been mentioned in passing previously in the article.

Neutrality:

This source could have quite easily become biased, however, the author (or authors) was able to keep this article neutral. There is not evidence of the author siding with either the settlers of indigenous peoples involved in the Frog Lake Massacre, but rather just stated what happened in and after the event in a matter of fact way.

Information:

Upon review of this article's "Talk" page, it is evident that there are some inconsistencies with the information presented in the article. Furthermore, as other Wikipedia users have pointed, out there are missing citations, thus making it difficult to trust some of the information in this article. Some of the information is presented in fragmented sentences rather than complete paragraphs, which makes it seem to the reader that perhaps there are chunks of information missing from this article.

Sources:

Despite the fact, as stated above, that some of the statements presented in the article are without source, those sources that are cited are well placed and relevant. There are 14 separate sources used throughout this article, which seems like a good amount, especially considering that this article is not particularly lengthy. Links for the sources appear to be working.

Working Draft: Ahtahkakoop
Biography (note will be moved to intro paragraph rather than its own header)

Ahtahkakoop (Cree: Atāhkakohp, "Starblanket")(c. 1816–1896) was a Chief of the House Cree (Wāskahikaniwiyiniwak) division of the Plains Cree, who led his people through the transition from hunter and warrior to farmer, and from traditional indigenous spiritualism to Christianity during the last third of the 19th century. He rose to be a respected and tactical leader of the Cree Nation in the latter part of the 19th century. At the onset of his leadership, the plains buffalo herds were abundant in the northern plains and parklands, providing the mainstay of social, environmental, and economical balance vital to the survival of its people. By the 1860s, the buffalo were rapidly disappearing and with the arrival of the European settlers this balance became altered. Chief Ahtahkakoop understood that the ways of living that his band was used to needed to change in order for it and its future generations to survive. Together with his friend and fellow Chief, Mistāwasis ("Big Child"), he signed the 1876 Treaty 6 as the second signatory chief at Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan. By signing this treaty he agreed to relocate his band to a 67 square miles reserve at Sandy Lake, 45 miles northwest of present-day Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

Early Life

Ahtahkakoop was born about 1816 in the Saskatchewan River country. Neither his maternal or paternal lineage is known. However, he does have four known brothers: Masuskapoe, Sasakamoose, Ahenakew, and Nāpēskis. Ahtahkakoop's own descendants, and that of his brothers, are thought to be quite extensive although not completely compiled.

Ahathkakoop was brought up with the traditional values and way of life of the Plains Cree peoples. Thus, Ahtahkakoop was raised in a hunter-gatherer society. Every summer his family, in addition to other band members, would travel from their camps to the prairie grassland. Here they would hunt buffalo, and gather roots, herbs, and berries. The buffalo were especially important to the survival of Ahtahkakoop's people. They not only provided food but also their hides, which were used for a variety of purposes; from tipi covers and clothing to storage bags and cooking vessels. During the winter his people would separate back into their family groups and move to the parklands. Throughout the winter, in addition to buffalo, his family would hunt elk, moose, and deer. Once the weather began to warm towards the end of winter, birds such as geese and ducks would return to these lands, which would also be hunted. During this time sap from maple and birch trees would be gathered and turned into syrup and sugar.

Spirituality was also an important aspect of life for the Plains Cree. From a young age Ahtahkakoop would have been familiar with the stories of the Creator (māmawiwiyohtāwīmaw), his spirit helpers, and their place on Mother Earth. He also learnt about the various ceremonies, prayers, and songs involved in said ceremonies. When he was old enough Ahtahkakoop would have taken part in these ceremonies, such as being able to smudge and purify himself, pipe ceremonies, and sweat lodges. A very significant ritual that Ahtahkakoop would have taken part in during his early life was his vision quest. Around the age of 14, Ahtahkakoop would have left his family to seclude himself in the hills or forests around his camp. There, without food or water, he fasted in hopes of receiving a vision from the Creator. This ritual was an important part of puberty and a rite of passage.

Ahtahkakoop the Chief

Throughout his adult life Ahtahkakoop was noted for his leadership skills. Even when he was still a young-adult others noticed his knack for taking on responsibility and effectively leading his people. He often knew the best places to set up camps and where to hunt for buffalo, in addition to his impressive hunting skills. Most notable were his skills as a warrior. Many stories were told about his great war feats against other tribesmen. In many, such as a clash with the Blackfoot warriors, he was outnumber yet was still able to lead his party to victory while keeping his men unscathed. This not only showed others his potential as a impressive leader, but also how the spirits favoured him and how powerful his spirit helpers were.

Although there is no certain date, it is believed that Ahtahkakoop was recognized as a chief no later than some time in the 1850s (although potentially earlier). Ahtahkakoop's band was part of the Fort People (wāskaahikaniyiniwak), so called for their close proximity to Fort Carlton. The territory of the Fort People spanned north, west, and south-west of Fort Carlton, although Ahtahkakoop's typical hunting grounds were located north of the Bad Hill (maci-waciy), north-west of modern day Rosetown. The other major chief of the Fort People at this time was Mistawasis. Ahtahkakoop and Mistawasis were close allies and friends throughout their lives, often camping near one another and spending their summers hunting with each others peoples. Their families were also closely linked. Ahtahkakoop's eldest son Kā-miyo-ahcahkwēw (Good Spirit) married Mistawasis' daughter Judique, and Ahtahkakoop's daughter Isabella married Mistawasis' eldest son Wēyatōkwapew (Lively Man). The two men also worked closely together when hunting and trapping for the Hudson's Bay Company, who recognised both of these men as prominent chiefs.

As a recognized chief, and a man of high rank, it was appropriate for Ahtahkakoop to take on multiple wives. He is known to have had at least three wives, one of which, named Mary, was the daughter of Nātowēw (although the names of the other women are unknown). These women would have been very important in sharing the workload of the band as a whole in addition to organizing family matters. The women were all likely from other prominent bands, as interband marriages were particular important in creating ties and alliances.

John Hines

In the summer of 1874, Ahtahkakoop and his band traveled to Fort Carlton to pick up supplies before heading out to hunt buffalo. While at the stop in Carlton he met the young missionary, John Hines, only in passing. However, Ahtahkakoop had been hoping to meet someone that could help his people transition and adapt to the changing world around them. The two men parted ways, with Ahtahkakoop leaving for the hunt and Hines setting out to build a new home for himself. However, when Ahtahkakoop heard that Hines was living nearby at a site on Whitefish Lake he decided to pay Hines a visit. During this visit Ahtahkakoop suggested to Hines that he should join them and move his settlement to Sandy Lake (yēkawiskāwikamāw) to be a minister there. In October of the same year, Hines moved his settlement to Sandy Lake, camping on Ahtahkakoop's land, which was much more appropriate for cultivation than his previous settlement sites.

This was not Ahtahkakoop's first encounter with missionaries. Prior to his encounter with Hines, Roman Catholic priests had visited Ahtahkakoop and his people. Ahtahkakoop had allowed for these priests to baptize his children. Ahtahkakoop had yet to be converted and baptized when Hines arrived at his camp. He was baptized 20 May, 1877 along with his wife, who had been cautious about converting under the Church of England due to the fact that this church differed from that of her children. Ahtahkakoop not only introduced Hines and his religious teachings to his own people but also other bands, such as that of Mistawasis and Okinomotayew of Stony Lake. He stated that it was neither the work of Hines nor his own work that led to the spread of Christianity, but that rather people converted of their own accord.

Ahtahkakoop was under the impression that the previous missionaries under the Roman Catholic Church that visited his people would send somebody to educate his children, and others in his band, which they had stated they would. However, he was underwhelmed by these missionaries and was therefore excited for Hines to start educating his children and others at his camp. Therefore, Hines established a day school at Ahtahkakoop's site. He later set up additional day schools at other camps, one of which at Stony Lake which was run by one of Hine's previous pupils that had been taught at the school at Sandy Lake.

Ahtahkakoop was not only concerned about religious and practical teachings that Hines could provide but also agricultural teaching. Ahtahkakoop was aware of the changing economic world around him. With the drastic decrease in buffalo populations, which the Cree people had been so reliant on, Ahtahkakoop decided that turning to agriculture would provided the best and most stable economic income for the band. Therefore, Hines taught Ahtahkakoop and his people various agricultural tools, such as how to sow grain and plant gardens. At any given time, Ahtahkakoop's land had anywhere between 20 and 120 acres of land in use for agricultural purposes. In later years the Government of Canada praised Ahtahkakoop and Hines on their agricultural efforts.

Treaty 6

On August 15 1876, Ahtahkakoop, along with various other chiefs and officials met at Fort Carlton. On August 18, negotiations began and by August 23 Treaty Six had been signed first by Mistawasis, followed by Ahtahkakoop and 11 other chiefs, overseen by Lieutenant-Governor Alexander Morris. Each chief was presented with a medal and flag, and as head chiefs Ahtahkakoop and Mistawasis were presented with the chief's government uniform which included a gold-trimmed scarlet coat, a felt top hot, pants, a shit, and a handkerchief. They were told that by accepting this uniform they became representatives on the kingdom and the Queen.

North-West Rebellion

Ahtahkakoop and his people remained neutral during the North-West uprising of 1885 (also known as the Riel Rebellion), determined to honour the treaty signed nine years earlier.

Legacy

Ahtahkakoop died 4 December 1896 at the age of about 80 years, struck by what is believed to have been a heat attack while out on a walk with his grandson Pacī (James Starblanket). He was buried on the reserve that was named after him. In 1994 a high school named after him was built on the Ahtahkakoop Reserve. The building of this school not only honours him and but also other band members which can be seen in the school's Hall of Achievement which displays the accomplishments of the Cree peoples. Peer Review

- Outline is well thought out and follows a logical and easy to follow path

- The outline has a section for Treaty 6 but nothing written in there yet. Treaty 6 is an area which you may want to focus a decent chunk of the article on as his signing of it seems to be one of the main reasons for his historical notability.

- One thing not covered in the outline is how he became Chief of the House Cree. Was it hereditary, was he a great warrior, was he a respected intellectual, etc.? If this information could be found it might be an interesting thing to add to the article.

- You write: “However, he does have for known brothers: Masuskapoe, Sasakamoose, Ahenakew, and Nāpēskis.” Should be: “…four known brothers…”

- You only use one source for this. That’s probably because it’s just an outline, but if not you should really use more sources.

Hi, thanks for this feedback! I've made the grammatical corrections that you pointed out. I'll definitely look into how he became a Chief like you suggested, I think it would probably fit nicely into the "Early Life" section seeing as there isn't a whole lot known about his childhood. -Georgina

PEER ASSESSMENT
Hello! Great article so far! I'd like to start by saying that I really liked the way you broke down the sub-headings of the article. I think the points you are choosing to cover are well chosen. I especially like the sub-heading of legacy the information that you included there. I do think that a few more citation should be added throughout the article. I realize how difficult it is to find books covering some of these historic figures- as I have a tough topic myself. Although I enjoy the expression added into the article, I think that saying things such as "more than abundant" and "irrevocably alter this delicate balance" takes away from the knowledgable and factual-ness of Wiki articles...if that makes sense. It also helps stay away from personal bias. I think that a little more information regarding the "difficult transition from hunter and warrior to farmer" mentioned in the lead would be great. I think the article is doing great so far and I look forward to reading it when it is complete.

Hey, thanks for this! For the notes on language, I've looked over it and made adjustments to avoid sounding biased. I'll likely be covering the hunter/warrior to farmer information more thoroughly once I get to writing my section of John Hines, as I agree that in needs more looking into! -Georgina