Treaty 6 Leaders Meet King Charles III, 150 year anniversary

King Charles III met with seven Treaty 6 leaders at a private audience in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 11 March – and there’s an Orkney connection. Chief Christine Longjohn, is the Chief of Sturgeon Lake First Nation. Cree Chief Ah-yah-tus-kum-ik-im-am (William Twatt) and four headmen signed Treaty 6 near Fort Carlton on August 23, 1876, and received…

theorkneynews

March 12, 2026

2–3 minutes

First Nation, King Charles III, Magnus Twatt, Sturgeon Lake First Nation, Treaty 6

King Charles III met with seven Treaty 6 leaders at a private audience in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 11 March – and there’s an Orkney connection.

Chief Christine Longjohn, is the Chief of Sturgeon Lake First Nation.

Cree Chief Ah-yah-tus-kum-ik-im-am (William Twatt) and four headmen signed Treaty 6 near Fort Carlton on August 23, 1876, and received a reserve at Sturgeon Lake in 1878, about 29 km northwest of Prince Albert. The band was commonly known as the William Twatt Band, but it changed its name in 1963 to the Sturgeon Lake Band, and later to the Sturgeon Lake First Nation. – Sturgeon Lake First Nation.

Chief William Twatt was the grandson of Orkney man Magnus Twatt.

The Orkney News has a 13 part series written by Kim Foden (nee Twatt) about how she rediscovered her family links with Sturgeon Lake First Nation.

Full Circle: An Orkney family reunited after 200 years Separated by distance and culture (Part 1)

Magnus was born in 1751. His father, John Twatt and his mother Ann Manson were married on 16th January, 1746. He had two sisters, Ellen (Helen) who was born on 15th January, 1747 and Jean (Jane). There is no record of her date of birth. Magnus grew up and was a farmer in the township of Kirbister, Orphir.

As part of the 150th commemoration, Chief Edwin Ananas of Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation is planning to bring original treaty parchments back to historic sites in Treaty 6 territory.

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Treaty No. 6 (1876 August 23) Signed: At or near Fort Carlton on the day and year aforesaid, and near Fort Pitt on the day above aforesaid. University of Alberta Library Internet Archive collection – https://archive.org/details/treatyno600unse/mode/2up

The parchments were official, portable records representing the foundational agreements between the Crown and First Nations between 1871 and 1906. The Treaty 6 document will stop at signing sites including Beardy’s Camp, Fort Pitt, and Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta.

Before meeting King Charles III, Chief Christine Longjohn, Chief of Sturgeon Lake First Nation, said on Facebook :

“I am very honoured to be able to be part of a delegation that is going to have a private audience with King Charles III. And it’s an opportunity to invite the King back to Saskatchewan, to Fort Carlton during. August 20th and 23rd of 2026.

“This year marks 150 years since the signing of the Treaties. And so it’s very important that we continue to build those relationships with the Crown.

“I’m very honoured with this trip.

“I am carrying baby moccasins that were handcrafted by my brother Robert. Although they were handcrafted by Robert, they are a gift on behalf of Sturgeon Lake First Nation membership and the children and the unborn, the children that are yet to come.

“My medallion that I’m wearing, handcrafted by my brother Robert as well. Beautiful work. I sewed this ribbon skirt and I also got Kiyam Clothing to do the logo. And so I feel like I was really representing Sturgeon Lake First Nation in a good way.”

You can watch Kim speaking about her experiences in the episode ‘Homecoming’ in The Orkney News series Orcadian Stories on YouTube.

Fiona Grahame