Several of the province’s treaty boundaries will now be marked with highway signs, which were the product of a four-year-effort between the Government of Saskatchewan and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.
Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan Mary Musqua-Culbertson says there has never been demarcation of the treaty boundaries in Saskatchewan before recent. Several signs were put up last year, and she intends to see several more put up in the future. She adds that not only do the signs serve as an educational conversation starter, but they also give Indigenous people a sense of pride.
The signs will be visible along Highway 39 near Estevan to mark the Treaty 2-Treaty 4 Boundary, the Trans-Canada Highway 1 near Moosomin to also mark another Treaty 2-Treaty 4 Boundary, the Yellowhead Trans-Canada Highway 16 near Lanigan to mark the Treaty 4-Treaty 6 Boundary, and Highway 2/102 near La Ronge to mark the Treaty 6-Treaty 10 Boundary. Saskatchewan is the first province in Canada to implement such signs.
A secondary sign at each of the sites will read “As long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow,” symbolizing how long Saskatchewan’s treaties will stand.