Alberta West News: North Saskatchewan River Indigenous name and history

North Saskatchewan River: Indigenous Names and History

The North Saskatchewan River carries profound Indigenous heritage that stretches back over 10,000 years, far predating European contact. This vital waterway holds different names and meanings across the Indigenous Nations who have called its valleys home.

Indigenous Names and Their Meanings

The river is known by several Indigenous names, each reflecting the relationship between specific Nations and this sacred waterway:

kisiskâciwanisîpiy (also spelled kisiskâciwani-sîpiy) is the Cree (nêhiyawak) name, typically translated as "swift-flowing river" or "swift current". This name captures the river's dynamic character as it flows from the Rocky Mountains across the prairies. The Cree understanding of the river extends beyond its physical nature—it represents the water's essential role in their spiritual worldview and connection to the land. The modern name "Saskatchewan" derives directly from this Cree word, first documented as "Saskatchiwine" by Alexander Mackenzie in 1793.canada+4

Omaka-ty (also rendered as Amakowsis or omahkoyis) is the Blackfoot (Niitsitapi) name, meaning "big river" or "the big river". For the Blackfoot, this name emphasized the river's impressive scale and power as it traversed their traditional territories.wikipedia+4

The river's naming reflects deeper cultural understandings. The Cree community in Edmonton called the area Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Beaver Hills House), while the Nakota Sioux referred to it as ti oda (Many Houses). These naming practices demonstrate how Indigenous peoples understood places through their relationships to the land, animals, and communities.edmonton

Ancient History and Archaeological Evidence

The North Saskatchewan River valley has been continuously inhabited by Indigenous peoples since shortly after the last glacial period. Recent archaeological discoveries have dramatically extended the known timeline of human occupation:

Near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, researchers working with Sturgeon Lake First Nation uncovered evidence of human settlement dating back approximately 10,700 years—pushing back the timeline by 1,000 years. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from a hearth confirmed that Indigenous peoples established camps along the river almost immediately after glaciers receded around 10,000-10,500 years ago.cbc+2

Willie Ermine, an elder from Sturgeon Lake First Nation, explained that the location on the river was strategically important as a crossing point for migratory animals like bison, making it an ideal place for recurring seasonal camps. Glenn Stuart of the University of Saskatchewan noted that "people certainly kept coming back to this location over and over and over again, and there could be hundreds of years between some of these occupations".cbc+2

In the Edmonton area alone, archaeologists have identified evidence of nearly 800 permanent or temporary occupation and quarry sites, some dating back thousands of years. The oldest cultural artifacts in Edmonton's river valley were found at Maskwapîwinân'watinâw (Sitting Bear Hill), dated to at least 9,000 years ago. Archaeological excavations have also revealed sites like FjPi-171 in what is now Queen Elizabeth Park, containing hearth features, food processing evidence, and radiocarbon dates of 2,730 years before present.ervcc+2

Cultural and Spiritual Significance

The North Saskatchewan River served as far more than a transportation route—it was integral to Indigenous spiritual life, ceremony, and worldview. For the Cree, the river embodied the principle of wâhkotowin (kinship), representing not just relationships between people but connections to the land itself.teaching.usask+1

The river valley and surrounding areas contained numerous sacred sites. The Rossdale Flats area in Edmonton, known as a Pehonan (gathering place), served as an ancient meeting place where Cree, Chipewyan, Beaver, Nakoda, and Blackfoot peoples gathered for inter-tribal trade, celebration, and ceremony. These gatherings reflected the extensive diplomatic and trading networks that connected Indigenous Nations across vast distances.ualberta+1

Indigenous ceremonial practices along the river included sweat lodge ceremonies (matotisân in Cree), which served as purification and healing rituals. The Sun Dance (Pâhkwesimôwin for Plains Cree, Akôka'tssin for Blackfoot) represented the most sacred ceremony, celebrating community well-being, world renewal, and thanksgiving. Many of these ceremonies were held at significant locations along the river and its tributaries.learnalberta+2

Traditional Trade Routes and Travel Networks

The North Saskatchewan River formed the backbone of an extensive Indigenous transportation and trade network that connected the Rocky Mountains to Hudson Bay. This system predated European contact by thousands of years and represented sophisticated economic and diplomatic relationships between Nations.

The river was part of the Saskatchewan River system, which Indigenous peoples used as a major east-west corridor. Cree peoples developed flat boats specifically designed for navigating the river's currents. In winter, they used dog travois and carioles; in summer, dog travois carried goods overland. These transportation technologies enabled trade across enormous distances.communitystories+1

The river connected to the Old North Trail (also called Wolf Tracks or Blackfoot Tracks), a network of north-south trails running from Edmonton to Mexico. At the confluence of these routes, Indigenous peoples established major gathering places where diverse Nations came together to exchange goods, knowledge, and diplomatic relations.ualberta

Trade goods flowing along these routes included buffalo meat and pemmican, furs, ochre pigments, shells from the Pacific Coast, wild rice from eastern regions, corn from the Southwest, ceremonial rights, and manufactured items. The Métis people, whose culture emerged from unions between Indigenous women and European fur traders, became essential intermediaries in these trading networks.exploresaskag+2

The Fur Trade Era and Treaty Period

When European fur traders arrived in the late 17th century, they relied entirely on Indigenous knowledge, transportation routes, and partnerships. Henry Kelsey of the Hudson's Bay Company traveled along the Saskatchewan River in 1690, becoming one of the first Europeans to reach the prairies, but he was following routes Indigenous peoples had used for millennia.swimdrinkfish+1

The river became the primary transportation artery for the fur trade from the 1700s through the 1800s. Fort Edmonton was established in 1795, and Rocky Mountain House marked the uppermost point reached by canoe navigation. The Cree, positioned along these waterways, acted as middlemen in the fur trade, translating goods between European traders and more inland Nations.parks.canada+5

This period brought devastating changes. Smallpox epidemics in 1781 and 1784 killed over 80% of some Cree populations. The near-extinction of the buffalo in the late 19th century destroyed traditional ways of life. These pressures led to the negotiation of Treaty 6 in 1876.digital.library.mcgill+1

Treaty 6 was signed at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt along the North Saskatchewan River, with Cree leaders Mistawasis and Ahtahkakoop representing Indigenous negotiators. The treaty covered 121,000 square miles across central Alberta and Saskatchewan—territory defined largely by the North Saskatchewan River system. For Indigenous peoples, the treaty represented tipahamâtowin (rent) and asotamâkêwin (a sacred vow invoked through the pipestem). The treaty included the famous phrase "as long as yonder river flows," with Commissioner Morris pointing to the North Saskatchewan River—kisiskâciwanisîpiy—as the symbol of the treaty's permanence.cfweradio+7

However, Indigenous and Crown understandings of the treaty differed fundamentally. While the Crown viewed it as land surrender, Cree leaders understood it as an agreement to share the land while maintaining their connection to it. The tragic events of 1885, known in Cree as ê-mâyihkamikahk ("when it went wrong"), followed attempts by leaders like Big Bear to peacefully organize for proper treaty implementation.wikipedia+1

Heritage Recognition and Contemporary Significance

In March 2024, the entire Alberta section of the North Saskatchewan River—718 kilometers—received designation as a Canadian Heritage River, joining the 49-kilometer section through Banff National Park designated in 1989. This recognition formally acknowledges that kisiskâciwanisîpiy is a traditional gathering place, travel route, and home to Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Ktunaxa, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibwe, Saulteaux, Anishinaabe, Inuit, and Assiniboine.chrs+1

Elder Nôhkom Jo-Ann Saddleback of Saddle Lake Cree First Nation stated: "The North Saskatchewan River has always been an integral part of our heritage since time immemorial and continues to embody Treaty 6. At Fort Pitt, when Commissioner Morris indicated 'as long as yonder river flows' he was pointing to this river, kisiskâciwanisîpiy".canada+1

The designation aims to foster support for wider use of Indigenous languages and cultural connections to this important waterway. Andrea Sandmaier of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government noted that "Like the Métis, this river has played a pivotal role in the development of Alberta and Canada. It was an original transportation route along which our ancestors travelled and sang their songs".canada

Today, the river continues to serve Indigenous communities as a source of cultural identity, ceremony, and connection to ancestral knowledge. The Cree worldview emphasizes that humans are intimately linked with the world around them, with the river representing not just a physical feature but part of the living network of relationships that sustain life. Archaeological work along the river increasingly involves collaboration between researchers and Indigenous communities, combining scientific methods with traditional cultural knowledge to tell more complete stories of this ancient landscape.teaching.usask+3

The North Saskatchewan River—kisiskâciwanisîpiy, Omaka-ty—remains a living testament to over 10,000 years of Indigenous stewardship, embodying the deep connections between land, water, and the Nations who have called this territory home since time immemorial.

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Friday, October 17, 2025

North Saskatchewan River Indigenous name and history