THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
September 22 is Siksika Day which marks the anniversary of the signing of Treaty 7, which took place in 1877.
2026 marks the 149th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 7.
Treaty 7 is the last of the Numbered Treaties made between the Government of Canada and the Plains First Nations. It was signed on Sept 22 by five First Nations: the Siksika (Blackfoot), Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Peigan), Stoney-Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina (Sarcee).
Treaty 7 territory covers roughly 130,000 square kilometres in southern Alberta, stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the Cypress Hills, and from the Red Deer River down to the United States border.
Known as Siksika Day by the Siksika Nation, this anniversary isn’t always considered celebration. Many of the promises from the Canadian government to the Blackfoot People in the treaty were not fulfilled, and Blackfoot culture and their way of life was threatened with elimination.
Today is an opportunity to honour the treaty’s significance and take an opportunity for reflection, learning and fostering greater understanding and reconciliation within the Treaty 7 region.
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