You won't find the Ocean Man and Pheasant Rump reserves on a map of
southeastern Saskatchewan. In 1901, the two Nakoda bands reluctantly
surrendered the 70 square miles granted to them under treaty. It's just
one of more than two dozen surrenders aggressively pursued by the
Laurier Liberal government over a 15-year period. One in five acres was
taken from First Nations.
This confiscation was justified on the grounds that prairie bands had
too much land and that it would be better used by white settlers. In
reality, the surrendered land was largely scooped up by Liberal
speculators -- including three senior civil servants and a Liberal
cabinet minister -- and flipped for a tidy profit. None were held to
account.
Cheated is a gripping story of single-minded politicians,
uncompromising Indian Affairs officials, grasping government appointees,
and well-connected Liberal speculators, set against a backdrop of
politics, power, patronage, and profit. The Laurier government's
settlement of western Canada can never be looked at the same way again.