Catalogue of broken promises in Treaty 7: Bruised Head
By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 7, 2022.
The Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) hosted Mike Bruised Head during its weekly seminar on Thursday discussing the history of Treaty 7 and exploring Indigenous awareness of that historical event.“There is a long conversation on Treaty 7,” said Bruised Head. “The treaty was also to open the door for CP Rail by John A. Macdonald. There was an agenda behind it. Also, some of the provisions and commendations given, such as health, education, farming, ranching, have never materialized. […] To the audience here, I want to give them a quick overview, to get the point on what the treaty really meant to us, and this Blackfoot word Inistsi, it means to create peace.”
Thanks to the platform through SACPA, Bruised Head was able to talk about the importance of this knowledge and message.
“Every time I am doing a speech or documentation, I like to see myself as the mediator, the educator, and educate those people that are refusing to listen or just blocking it up. I don’t mind opening closed minds at all, because they need to be educated to know. The more people get educated, there is less racism, segregation, and discrimination,” said Bruised Head.
Bruised Head comes from a long educational background, getting his Bachelor of Education from the U of L in 1996. He would go on to work as a teacher, vice-principal, and principal from 1996 to 2011 on the Kainai Board of Education, along with recently defending his doctoral dissertation at the U of L in Cultural, Social, and Political Thought on June 20, 2022.
Though he spoke for 30 minutes at SACPA, Bruised Head said he could speak on the topic for days, noting the complexity of the matter and the many factors that went into the signing of Treaty 7.
But he was grateful for the time he spent talking with those in attendance to help spread awareness on Indigenous history.
“We got the bad end of the deal,” said Bruised Head. “This is actually a three-day, or four-day, presentation, and I need water before smoke comes out my ears.” 2
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