Yellow Quill First Nation

C hief Yellow Quill and headmen Kenistin and Ne-Pin-awa adhered to Treaty 4 on August 24, 1876, at Fort Pelly. In September 1881 a reserve was surveyed at Fishing and Nut Lakes; Chief Yellow Quill chose the Nut Lake Reserve, situated 8 km east of Rose Valley. Band members continued to trap, hunt and fish until the disappearance of fur-bearing and big game animals forced them to begin farming in the 1930s. They progressed quickly, and by the mid-1950s grain sales provided their primary source of income. The first school was built on the reserve in 1949. Following Yellow Quill's death, Farmer (born in 1887) became chief for life. The band successfully ratified a Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement on September 23, 1992, and in 1997 purchased an office complex in downtown Saskatoon. While significant, this acquisition is only one of several economic activities the band currently has underway. The Yellow Quill First Nation is located 19 km northwest of Kelvington; 808 of the 2,409 band members live on their 5,923.3 ha of reserve land.

Christian Thompson