When is a gift not really a gift? And when is a fair deal not really all that fair?
Crowfoot, a Chief of Blackfoot nation, negotiated one of the most controversial treaties in Canadian history – Treaty No. 7. Crowfoot was once a chief of the Blackfoot people in what is now Canada.
Somehow his personal regalia – indeed the very shirt off his back – ended up in a museum in Exeter in the UK.
Along with his bow and blade, his sacred war shirt changed hands amidst the negotiating of the treaty that would alter the lives of millions. But some transactions aren’t all they seem as the Blackfoot people soon discovered.
In this episode, Marc Fennell takes you to Siksika Nation in Alberta, Canada and sits down with experts and nation leaders to ask the questions: who was Chief Crowfoot, how did his regalia end up thousands of miles from home, and how did his treaty negotiation shape the future for the Blackfoot people?
The people Marc encounters paint a picture of Crowfoot as a proud leader in a turbulent time. A time in which many questionable treaties were being negotiated with the oncoming British settlers. Some suggest Chief Crowfoot gifted his regalia to a local Mounted Policeman.
Others say it was purchased. But was it stolen? And will those sacred items ever be returned?
As The Crow Flies, ultimately, is a story about power. The power to take and the power to take something back.
Production credit: An Australia-Canada co-production. Co-produced by Wooden Horse, WildBear Entertainment and Cream Productions (Canada) for the ABC and the CBC. Principal production funding from Screen Australia. Financed with support from the Canada Media Fund, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Ontario Creates, and Content Mint. Executive producers: Richard Finlayson and Jude Troy (Wooden Horse); Alan Erson and Michael Tear (WildBear Entertainment); and David Brady and Kate Harrison (Cream Productions). Co-producer, Writer, Marc Fennell. ABC Commissioning Editor and Executive Producer: Kalita Corrigan. CBC Executive Director of Unscripted Content: Jennifer Dettman. CBC Executive in Charge of Production, Unscripted Content: Nic Meloney. Acting Head of Factual and Culture: Richard Huddleston. FremantleMedia will distribute the series world-wide.
