Fishing Lake First Nation

Chief Yellow Quill and two headmen, Kenistin and Ne-Pin-awa, signed an adhesion to Treaty 4 on August 24, 1876, at Fort Pelly. In September 1881 reserves for the Yellow Quill Saulteaux Band were surveyed at Fishing and Nut Lakes, and in 1900 a reserve was surveyed for Kenistin. In 1907 approximately 13,190 acres (representing more than 60% of the Fishing Lake First Nation's land base) were secured by the Department of Indian Affairs and sold by public auction. The band submitted a claim to the Specific Claims Branch in April 1989, and years of negotiations began. As the claim progressed, discussion evolved around whether the people living on the Fishing Lake, Nut Lake, and Kinistin reserves were distinct bands (as they considered themselves to be). The creation of the three reserves by the Department validated that assertion. In 2001 a Settlement Agreement was ratified, allowing the band to purchase 13,190 acres of land that would again be given reserve status. Of the 1,439 registered band members, 404 live on the 3,906.6-ha reserve, located approximately 119 km north of Fort Qu'Appelle.

Christian Thompson