PAUL FIRST NATION HISTORY
Paul First Nation Heritage and Culture
Anthropologists believe that the Stoney Nakoda of the Paul First Nation in Alberta are descendants of the Assiniboine's in their “... most northwesterly penetration into the foothills of the Canadian Rockies ...”, Probably sometime in the early or mid 1700s.
MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
Paul First Nation items held in collections of Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, and The Smithsonian, Washington D.C. (National Museum of the American Indian)
Paul First Nation Treaty 6 Medal, currently on display at the Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton
VIDEOS AND RECORDINGS
SHARPHEAD RESERVE
The Sharphead Band were a group of Stoney Nakoda, that had once lived adjacent to Ponoka, Alberta near the four Cree bands at Maskwacis. Prior to receiving their reserve lands along the Battle river, the Sharphead people were living at Pigeon Lake. The band was named after the Chief whose name was “Sharphead" ... he is sometimes called "Pointed Head" and also "Chee-poos-ta-quan" in the old Indian Affairs documents. Due to much affliction the Sharphead people, who having suffered through a great degree of illness and death on their reserve eventually were encouraged by government officials to move to Wabamun Lake and live with the Ironhead Band, another group of Stoney that had separated themselves from the Alexis Stoney.
PAUL BAND ORIGINS
*Survey of the Reserve 1891,
*Chiefs and Councillors Historical Timeline,
*Historical Reports
History of the Wabamun/White Whale Lake Indians -
(Ironhead/Paul’s) Indian Reserve 133A and 133B
In August 21, 1877, this group signed with Treaty Number Six (6) under the Alexis Band. In 1891, a small group of Alexis/Joseph Band members followed Chief Ironhead to a location on Wabamun Lake. Currently this reserve is referred to as Paul or Paul’s Band.
In 1894, 72 Sharphead Band members were moved to this reserve and were forthwith administered out of the Edmonton Agency.
WABAMUN 133A, HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
Reserve Maps, Canada Census Records, Treaty Annuity Paylists
TRADITIONAL LAND USE
Wabamun Lake, Alberta, Canada
LOCATION
Wabamun Lake, a traditional fishing and hunting area, had been selected by Chief Ironhead as a desirable area for his band. Wabamun is a Cree word meaning mirror or looking glass. The lake was once referred to as White Whale Lake. The Stoney people called it Wihnemne (glass looking glass). Reserve lands Wabamun 133A and 133B, surveyed in November 1891 by John C. Nelson, were established through an Order in Council on June 16, 1892 (ICC 2007a).
