Looting of Battleford

Within days of the Métis victory at the Battle of Duck Lake on March 26, 1885. Cree and Nakota (Assiniboine) bands sympathetic to the Métis cause and with grievances of their own began raiding stores and farms in the western part of the District of Saskatchewan for arms, ammunition and food supplies. Multiple bands were involved, including pîhtokahânapiwiyin (Poundmaker's) band and people from Mistahi-maskwa (Big Bear's) band. On March 28th, as news spread of a generalized Cree and Métis uprising, settlers fled their homes and hid within the North-West Mounted Police post, Fort Battleford. North-West Mounted Police hid inside their post while the town and surrounding settler homes were looted for badly needed supplies and provisions. Starvation was widespread in Cree communities at the time and one of the main causes of the unrest was Canada's lack of following through on their recent treaty promises at the signing of Treaty 6 and the withholding of provisions from starving Native peoples. On March 30, pîhtokahânapiwiyin asked for a meeting with the Indian agent J. M. Rae who refused and thus the looting proceeded.