‘A beautiful, small win’: Highway 201 renamed in honour of Chief Kahkewistahaw

WATCH: A highway renaming ceremony on Kahkewistahaw FN was held to honour the chief who founded the community. Fruzsina De Cloedt reports.

A highway renaming ceremony on Kahkewistahaw First Nation was held to honour the chief who founded the community.

“I just want to make sure that everyone understands that this is a beautiful, small win today,” Kahkewistahaw First Nation Chief Evan Taypotat said in his speech during the ceremony on Friday, which renamed Highway 201 to Chief Kahkewistahaw Way.

Community members and government officials were in the crowd during the ceremony, with everyone happy to witness the historic event.

“It’s been a long time coming, a couple of years back,” Chief Taypotat told CTV News. “We worked together with the representatives of the [Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways], as well as our First Nation to officially launch this today. So, it’s a good day for Chief Kahkewistahaw.”

The highway was named after the chief who signed Treaty 4 in 1874. He is remembered by the community as someone who brought peace in a time of war.

“He left us a legacy to keep fulfilling, and here we are, 118 years later and sharing that he was not forgotten and that his legacy is still remembered, that the Chief Kahkewistahaw was a good chief and a good man,” Chief Taypotat said.

In his speech, the chief talked about the importance of reconciliation.

“I think the challenge is making sure it becomes reconcili-action,” he shared. In his view, wearing an orange shirt once a year was good in 2015, but more action is needed in 2025. He brought up a surprising metaphor.

“When the Roughriders score, you don’t care who your neighbours are. You hug them, high five them,” he explained. “It should be like that on things other than just the Roughriders game. It should be celebrating, spending money in our towns, celebrating our children’s schools, going to different schools, celebrating being neighbours because we don’t do enough of that.”

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The MLA for Moosomin-Montmartre, Kevin Weedmark believes renaming a highway is a good step to show what reconcili-action is, as it actively brought communities together.

“The recommendation that came back from that committee was unanimous that [the] highway should take on that name, the name Chief Kahkewistahaw,” he said. “And we’re happy to do that.”

Weedmark also gave a short speech during the ceremony and emphasized that Saskatchewan is really quite impressive when it comes to road signs honouring Indigenous individuals.

“Highway 11 is also known as Louis Riel Trail. Highway 219 is also known as Chief Whitecap Trail,” Weedmark said. “And now, Highway 201 will always be known as Chief Kahkewistahaw Way.”

He added that these signs serve as a constant reminder that we are all treaty people.

“It’s certainly a reminder of the relationship, the treaty relationship that Saskatchewan is built on,” he said.

Kahkewistahaw First Nation is located about 168 kilometres east of Regina.