Metis scrip files exhibit draws plenty of attention

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Students of Native studies at the University of Alberta, embarked on a unique project last fall entitled Applied Historical Research on Metis Land Rights.

This is the first such course ever offered at the university said the school's director, Frank Tough.

Recently, the fruits of the project came front and centre in a database exhibit called The Scrip Files: The Truth is Out There, which is one of more than 225 individual exhibits that made up Research Revelations '99 at the university's Butterdome Arena on Feb. 6.

The display was definitely one of the more well-received ones. Given the high interest exhibited by numerous visitors who spent hours coursing though the files to discover who took scrip at the signing of Treaty 8 at Lesser Slave Lake in June of 1899.

The database, according to student Roz Brown, also supplies various information regarding every person that received scrip.

For example, it tells you the person's name, who their parents were, date of birth, what agent was present, the date the scrip was delivered, the receipt number, the location (township, range, meridian), the names of the allottees and the patentees and the number of acres.

Staffed by Tough, Brown and Norma Collins, visitors were permitted to view a listing of more than 600 names of those who took money valued at $240 or land scrip, for 240 acres, at Lesser Slave.

Interestingly, only 48 of a total of 1,195 scrips issued throughout the entire Treaty 8 region were land scrip. All the others went directly to the bank, said Tough.

"For $75 cash, two Winnipeg bankers, Alloway and Champion, bought the first scrip issued to the Metis at Lesser Slave Lake," read a statement taken from Rene Fumoleau's book, As Long As This Land Shall Last.

Other communities visited by the scrip commissions included Peace River Crossing, Wolverine Point, Fort. Vermilion, Fort. Chipewyan, Smith's Landing, Fort. McMurray, Wabaskaw Landing, Pelican Portage, Grand Rapids, Calling River Portage and Athabasca Landing.

The money scrip was feverishly gobbled up by speculators who followed the treaty commissions around the country. Indeed, it was a huge business for many, and for some businessmen, such as the Secord family millions.

The speculation of scrip, much of it fraudulent at the time, annoyed people like Father Albert Lacombe to no end. He disliked the fact that the Canadian government offered no real protection of scrip from speculators and the fact that parents were able to unload the scrip of their wives and children.

Tough said the display will be going to Grouard, Alta, in June for the huge week-long celebrations of the Treaty 8 Centennial and, possibly, to the local Edmonton Historical Society on March 4.