Sarcee people
The Tsuu T'ina Nation (also Tsu T’ina, Tsuut’ina, Tsúùtínà - "a great number of people";[1] formerly Sarcee, Sarsi) is a First Nation in Canada. Their territory is located on the Indian reserve Tsuu T'ina Nation 145, whose east side is adjacent to the southwest city limits of Calgary, Alberta. The land area of the reserve is 283.14 km² (109.32 sq mi), and it had a population of 1,982 in the Canada 2001 Census. The land is a former Canadian Army training camp, active from 1910-1996, when the land was turned over to the Tsuu T'ina Nation. The Tsuu T'ina people have formerly been called the Sarsi or Sarcee, words which are believed to have been derived from a Blackfoot word meaning stubborn ones. This is in reference to territorial conflict between the Tsuu T'ina and the Blackfoot Confederacy. The term is now viewed as offensive by most of the Tsuu T'ina.
The proximity of the territory to the city of Calgary has led to disagreement over the city's plans to construct the western leg of a ring road, which, according to city planners, has to pass through Tsuu T'ina land in order to avoid environmentally sensitive areas. As of 2009 a referendum by the tribe has rejected the ring road. Though some are upset by this, stating that it has resulted in 40 years of lost planning, others view it as a triumph both environmentally and for the Nation. Another controversy stems from plans by the Tsuu T'ina to construct a casino just outside city limits. The land was once located within the city, but was ceded back to the nation in the 1990s. This has sparked concern from Calgary residents worried about increased traffic.
History of the Tsuu T'ina
The Tsuu T'ina are an Athapaskan group, once part of the more northerly Danezaa ('Beaver Indians') nation, who migrated south onto the plains during the 1700s, prior to any written records of the area. Tsuu T'ina oral history has preserved the memory of the separation. [2] [3]
See also
References
- ^ Treaty 7 Management - Tsuu T'ina Nation (Sarcee)
- ^ Report on the Sarcee Indians by the Rev. E.F. Wilson - as published in the Report of the Fifty-Eighth Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science -Page 243
- ^ Indian Legends of Canada by Ella Elizabeth Clark - Page 92
External links