The Ojibwe moccasin represents Ojibwe Peoples and the broader Indigenous presence across Treaty 1 territory, including Ojibwe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene, and Métis communities whose relationships to the land are carried through movement, kinship, harvesting, governance, ceremony, and responsibility to future generations. In the Moccasin Identifier collection, this moccasin is connected to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Treaty 1.
This moccasin reflects design knowledge shaped by movement across land, practical construction, and expressive beadwork. It is described as a two-piece, short ankle-height moccasin with a fully beaded cuff and top-piece vamp. Made from smoked deer hide, it has a soft sole, a sewn centre seam that comes forward into a pointed toe, and a back T-seam at the heel. These construction details reflect land-based knowledge, comfort, movement, and durability.
Materially and artistically, this Ojibwe moccasin carries both function and beauty. The cuff features wild floral and vine beadwork, while the vamp includes a Prairie Smoke floral motif. The balance between open smoked leather and decorative beadwork gives the design a sense of movement, allowing the floral patterns to flow across the moccasin while still highlighting the material itself. This balance reflects both the practicality of footwear and the artistic knowledge carried through beadwork traditions.
This moccasin also teaches about Treaty 1, the first of the Numbered Treaties. Treaty 1 was signed in 1871 in what is now Manitoba, during a period of major change as Canada expanded westward and settlers moved onto First Nations lands. First Nations leaders entered treaty discussions to protect their people, lands, livelihoods, and future generations. The Treaty Summary notes that First Nations did not understand the Numbered Treaties as selling or giving away land, but as agreements to share the land and live peacefully together.
During treaty talks, First Nations leaders understood spoken promises and ceremony as sacred and binding. They were promised support such as food, medicine, schools, tools, and the continued ability to hunt, fish, and trap. Many of these promises were not fully written into the treaty documents or were later broken, creating lasting harm and different understandings of what had been agreed to.
Winnipeg is also connected to an earlier treaty relationship through the Selkirk Treaty of 1817, also known as the Peguis–Selkirk Treaty. This agreement arose in the Red River region during a time of increasing settlement, fur trade competition, and pressure on Anishinaabe and Cree lands. First Nations leaders, including Chief Peguis, understood this treaty as a peace and sharing arrangement that allowed settlers to live on portions of the land while First Nations retained their inherent relationship, laws, and responsibilities to the territory.
For visitors today, this moccasin reminds us that Ojibwe presence in Treaty 1 territory is ancient and ongoing. Through its smoked deer hide, Prairie Smoke florals, beaded cuff, soft sole, pointed toe, and balanced use of open leather and beadwork, the Ojibwe moccasin reflects movement, resilience, beauty, and land-based knowledge. In the context of the Moccasin Identifier, it invites learners to understand Treaty 1 not only as a historical agreement, but as a living relationship rooted in land, responsibility, respect, and the importance of keeping promises.
This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada.
