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Piapot Chief Piapot was a famous leader in what is now southern Saskatchewan during the times of struggle and transition in the late 1800s. He was known as a wise and knowledgeable speaker who had a sense of humour and wit, and a quick and keen mind. He believed in peaceful negotiation and was known as a diplomat and a visionary. Piapot was born to a Cree mother and an Assiniboine father and was later captured by a Sioux war party. He lived with them until the age of fourteen, when he returned to the Cree. His name Payepot means Hole-in-the-Sioux. He became a chief at the young age of twenty-four and became a famous warrior, horse thief, and spiritualist. Piapot negotiated Treaty #4 in 1874 for his people, and became known as a moderate voice in negotiations with other chiefs and bands. Fluent in five Native languages, Piapot successfully diverted many violent encounters with neighbouring groups. As an act of defiance against white settlement in Cree territory, Piapot's band set up their camp in the path of the CPR tracks in 1883. He negotiated travel concessions for his people to end the standoff. The town of Piapot, Saskatchewan, was named in memory of this blockade. In 1885, Piapot decided to live up to his commitment to the treaty and chose not to fight in the 1885 Rebellion.
"Piapot never gave up. He was peaceful in his negotiations, but determined to have the best for his people. His actions showed courage and strength, and how a great leader should behave."
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