Head and shoulders image of Cree Chief Thunderchild (Pa-sic-wasis) (1849-1927) of Battleford, Saskatchewan; wearing a feather headdress and a treaty medal, and holding a eagle feather fan. The medal was presented to him on behalf of Queen Victoria for his loyalty during the 1885 Northwest Resistance.

Pîhtokahanapiwiyin (or Poundmaker) holding a pipe and seated for portrait.

Bio/Historical Note: Pîhtokahanapiwiyin (c. 1842-4 July 1886), also known as Poundmaker, was a Plains Cree chief known as a peacemaker and defender of his people, the Poundmaker Cree Nation. His name denotes his special craft at leading buffalo into buffalo pounds (enclosures) for harvest. Remembered as a great leader, Pitikwahanapiwiyin strove to protect the interests of his people during the negotiation of Treaty 6. Considered a peacemaker, he did not take up arms in the North-West Resistance. However, a young and militant faction of his band did participate in the conflict, resulting in Pitikwahanapiwiyin’s arrest and imprisonment for treason. Soon after his release he died from a lung hemorrhage on 4 July 1886 at Blackfoot Crossing, Alberta. He was 44 years old. His remains were exhumed in 1967 and reburied on the Poundmaker Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. In May 2019 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exonerated the chief and apologized to the Poundmaker Cree Nation.