Memorable Manitobans: Keeseekoowenin [Moses Burns] (1818-1906)

Indigenous leader.

Born in 1818, in the Bow River region of what is now Alberta, he moved with his family and band to the Riding Mountain region of present-day Manitoba in 1822. In 1871 the band signed Treaty Two with the federal government, and, as a result, they moved their reserve to a place near Elphinstone in 1875. Keeseekoowenin was regarded by the government as chief. The band had accepted the mission of Presbyterian George Flett, and the Chief was baptized as Moses Burns, although a remote branch of the band at Clear Lake remained Catholic. Keeseekoowenin successfully blended Christian values with Indigenous beliefs and traditional rituals. He died near Elphinstone in 1906.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Wasagaming Fire Hall / Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation Interpretive Centre / Anishinabe Sharing Lodge (Wasagaming, Riding Mountain National Park)

Keeseekoowenin, Dictionary of Canadian Biography XIII, 537-38.

Sources:

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 December 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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