Chief Peguis National Historic Person (1774-1864)

Chief Peguis was designated a national historic person in April 2008.

Historical importance: Used his skills as hunter, warrior, diplomat, and leader to protect the rights and interests of his people and to ensure the success of the Selkirk settlement.

Commemorative plaque: Not yet installedFootnote 1

Chief Peguis (1774-1864)

A skilled hunter and diplomat, Chief Peguis worked to protect the rights and interests of the Anishinaabeg of Red River. He stepped in to save lives when fur trade animosities threatened the Selkirk Settlement. Peguis was one of five First Nations negotiators of the Selkirk Treaty in 1817, the first agreement permitting limited farmland access to settlers in western Canada. During an era of fur trade hostility and ecological disasters, Chief Peguis deftly balanced Anishinaabe interests with those framed by their relationship with the Hudson's Bay Company and their entrepreneurial Métis neighbours.