Calgary & Southern Alberta

The main denominations in Calgary in 1900:Anglican,
Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian
Courtesy of the Glenbow Collection

The nature of missionary and Aboriginal peoples’ encounters in southern Alberta differs from most areas in Canada. Unlike many First Nations, the Blackfoot Confederacy was not directly involved in the fur and pelt trade. Unlike the West's more northerly regions, southern Alberta contained few beavers and the Siksika considered them sacred. In addition, the Siksika's traditional way of life, the bison hunt, took place in the fall during the fur trade's most prosperous season. Missionaries, therefore, often became the first non-Natives to enter Blackfoot territory.

	Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site: "The Early Trading Posts"
	Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site: "Aboriginal Peoples and the Fur Trade"

Catholic missionaries, represented by men like Albert Lacombe, a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and various sisterhoods, Wesleyan Methodists, and Anglicans dominated the missionary field. Their efforts in Blackfoot territory, however, were largely unsuccessful. Although a sincere desire to "civilise" and Christianise the Blackfoot motivated the missionaries, their lack of understanding for Aborignal peoples' culture and religion – in addition to sectarian rivalries between the churches – hampered missionary endeavours. Members of the Blackfoot Confederacy – particularly the Siksika – also resisted the missionaries' efforts. Prior to the Blackfoot Confederacy's settlement on reservations following the signing of Treaty 7 in 1877, missionaries preached itinerant, or traveling, missions. Because the missionaries developed early relations with the Confederacy, missionaries like the Reverend John McDougall and Father Constantine Scollen played important roles during treaty negotiations. Following the signing of Treaty 7, missionaries focussed on education, health care, and other social work.

High Crow Eagle, a Peigan, recalls the effect that missionaries had on reservations life: "This [their presence] created a split among the people, with one part on the reserve being Anglican and the other Roman Catholic. This created a great deal of animosity among the Indians because of the way they were pitted against each other by the churches to the point where young people from each denomination would physically fight one another." (1)

Louise Crop Eared Wolf’s assessment of missionary endeavours is likewise harsh: "The missionaries’ role enhanced the treaty-making process because they were seen as sacred trustees. Today, however, they are not taken as holy men because of how they treated us and robbed us of our language and culture during the residential school era."

(1) Source: Hildebrandt and Carter, The True Spirit and Intent of Treaty Seven, Hugh Crow Eagle, p. 156.