1876 Indian Treaty Medal Restrike - 1-Ounce Fine Silver Small Format Issue

This one-ounce fine silver Indian Treaty Medal small-format restrike represents an important part of Canadian history. Larger silver medals with this design were originally issued in 1876 and were presented to the Indigenous chiefs who signed Treaty Number 6 with the government of Canada.

Between 1760 and 1923, the British Crown presented several different medals to North American Indigenous chiefs as tokens of friendship, to win their allegiance, to reward them for services, and to mark the conclusion of treaties. Perhaps the most important and most artistic of these medals were the numbered treaty medals issued by the Canadian government between 1872 and 1923. These were designed and produced by the leading medallists of the era, J.S. and A.B. Wyon in England.  

The beautiful design features a high-relief image of a Canadian treaty commissioner shaking hands with an Indigenous chief, both in formal dress, with a tomahawk between their feet and the sun and teepees in background. The treaty commissioner is the representative of the queen, and yet the two figures are presented as equals, both standing proudly with similar stature. The Indigenous chief is presented as a figure of strength, with clearly defined muscles and an expression of confidence. The obverse features an exquisitely detailed high-relief effigy of Queen Victoria.

Treaty Number 6 is an agreement between the Canadian monarch and the Plains and Woods Cree, Assiniboine, and other band governments of First Nations at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt. The area agreed upon by the Plains and Woods Cree represents most of the central area of the current provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. One Manitoba band also signed on to the treaty by adhesion in 1898. The treaty signings began in August 1876, with adhesions added later, the last being signed in 1898 in central Saskatchewan in the Montreal Lake area.

According to Michael Anderson, research director of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (an organization that defends the political interests of the 30 groups that signed treaties 4, 5, 6 and 10), "this handshake symbolizes the profound meaning of historic treaties....The essence of the treaty was to create a nation together that will exist in perpetuity, for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the waters flow....The core concept is to share the traditional land of the First Nations who have entered into a treaty with the Crown and the Canadian settlers, and also to benefit from the Crown's resources, such as medicine and education."

• Mintage: 1,000
• GST/HST exempt

Includes:
• 1-oz Silver 1876 Indian Treaty Medal Restrike  

Warranty Information:
This product comes with a 30-day return policy through TSC.