Studio shot, horizontal layout - 2021

The St. Peter’s Reserve Project

In 1871 the St. Peter’s Reserve north of Selkirk, was established under terms of Treaty No.1. In 1907 the prosperous Anishinaabe community was uprooted when the reserve was surrendered and the people moved to the new Peguis Reserve, 200 kilometers to the north. In 2008 the Supreme Court of Canada declared the 1907 surrender illegal and awarded the First Nation a settlement of $126 million. In 2009 Peguis First Nation voted to accept the terms of the settlement.

My studio at the time was on a rural property 3 miles north of the nearby town of Petersfield. I reflected on whether my land might have once been part of the old St. Peter’s Reserve. This led me to investigate the surrender and settlement and to make this work, which was created as the people of Peguis First Nation considered whether to accept the offer from Canada.
                                                                                                         
- Tim Schouten, 2016

Studio shot, vertical layout - 2021