The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations and the City of Edmonton marked 150 years of Treaty No. 6. To commemorate Treaty No. 6 Recognition Day, there was a ceremony, cultural programming and a public celebration at City Hall and Churchill Square on Monday, August 17, 2026. Photo by Shaughn Butts /Postmedia

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Between Aug. 20-23, thousands of people will gather at Fort Carlton Provincial Historic Park in Saskatchewan to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6, the very place where First Nations leaders and the Crown first entered into one of Canada’s most significant treaties in 1876.

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The four-day gathering is expected to bring together elders, knowledge keepers, youth, families and visitors to honour the Treaty relationship and reflect on its enduring significance.

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For many Canadians, this will be an opportunity to learn more about an important chapter in our shared history. For Michel Callihoo descendants, it is something much more personal. It is a chance to return to a place where our ancestors helped shape history.

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Chief Michel Callihoo was among the leaders whose family and descendants became part of the Treaty relationship.

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Although the Michel Band was the first and only Indian band to be collectively enfranchised, resulting in the loss of its legal recognition as a band, our descendants never lost their connection to their history, their families or their identity. That connection has endured across generations.

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Today, Michel descendants live throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and beyond. Families have built lives in communities across this country, yet many continue to share a deep desire to reconnect with their history and contribute to rebuilding the Nation their ancestors entrusted to future generations.

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The Treaty 6 commemoration provides an opportunity to do exactly that. Returning to Fort Carlton is about more than marking an anniversary. It is about standing where history unfolded and remembering that our ancestors were not simply witnesses to Canada’s story; they helped write it.

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For younger generations, the gathering offers something increasingly rare: the opportunity to experience history where it happened. Walking the same ground, hearing the stories from elders and knowledge keepers, participating in ceremony and meeting relatives from across the Prairies and beyond helps transform history from words in a book into something living and deeply personal.

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These experiences strengthen identity. They build pride. They remind descendants that they are part of a story far larger than themselves.

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For the Michel Callihoo Nation Society, the anniversary arrives at an especially meaningful time. In recent years, descendants have been working together to rebuild the Michel Nation and restore recognition after generations of displacement through the Michel Calihoo Nation Society. That work continues through ongoing engagement with descendants and constructive discussions with the Government of Canada regarding the future of the Nation.

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While much work remains, anniversaries like this remind us why that work matters. Nation-rebuilding is not simply about governance. It is about reconnecting families. It is about preserving language, culture and history. It is about ensuring that future generations understand where they come from and why that history still matters today.