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{{short description|First Nations chief}}
{{About|the Cree chief|the village|Piapot, Saskatchewan|the rural municipality surrounding said village|Rural Municipality of Piapot No. 110}}
[[Image:Piapot.gif|thumb|right|Piapot in studio pose circa 1885 – Saskatchewan Archives]]
'''Piapot''', '''Payipwât''', or '''Payipwat''' (Hole in the Sioux or One Who Knows the Secrets of the Sioux), born as '''Kisikawasan''' (Flash in the Sky), known by his [[Assiniboine]] allies as '''Maȟpíya owáde hókši''' (Lightning In The Sky Boy) ({{circa|1816}}&ndash;April 1908) was a [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|Native Canadian]] [[Tribal chief|chief]] of the Cree-Assiniboine / Young Dogs Band, a mighty band and division of the ''Downstream People (Māmihkiyiniwak)'' of the [[Plains Cree people|Plains Cree]].<ref name="dcb">{{canadabio|6989}}</ref> He was one of the five major leaders of the Plains Cree after 1860.<ref name="gpi">{{cite encyclopedia | title=Payipwat | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of the Great Plains Indians | publisher=University of Nebraska Press | accessdate=5 February 2012|author1-link=David J. Wishart | author=Wishart, David J. | year=2007 | page=150 | isbn=978-0803298620 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=646oX4hA8EkC&pg=PA150}}</ref>

== Early life ==

Most likely born near what is now the border of [[Manitoba]] and [[Saskatchewan]], Payipwat was originally named Kisikawasan, or Flash in the Sky. Along with his grandmother, Payipwat was kidnapped by the [[Sioux]] as a child. He grew up among his captors, learning their [[medicine man|medicine]]. At fourteen, Payipwat was captured during a Cree raid and returned to his own people. He was given the name Payipwat, literally Hole in the Sioux, in recognition of the knowledge he had gained while living among the Sioux. His name is often translated as "One Who Knows the Secrets of the Sioux".<ref name="gpi"/>

== Invasion of Cypress Hills ==

By 1860 Payipwat had become a spiritual leader among the Cree. At the same time, he had become chief of the '''[[Cree-Assiniboine]]''' or '''Young Dogs''', a particularly powerful mixed band of Cree and Cree-speaking Assiniboine as well as some Plains Ojibwe. This band was known by the Cree as ''Nēhiyawi-pwātak'' (Cree-Assiniboine) and by the Assiniboine as ''Sahiyaiyeskabi'' or ''šahíya iyéskabina'' ("[[Cree language|Cree-Speakers]]", because they had switched to speaking Cree). Members of the band were renowned as great buffalo hunters and warriors, as well as horse-thieves and troublemakers. As his band depended on the declining buffalo herds, Payipwat advocated for the Cree to expand their territory into the [[Cypress Hills (Canada)|Cypress Hills]]. Payipwat was an important leader of the ensuing invasion; however, in a dream, he had a vision of Cree defeat. He was unable to persuade the other leaders of his vision, but he refused to participate in the battle the next day in which the Cree attacked a [[Kainai Nation|Kainai]] village. The "[[Battle of the Belly River]]" was disastrous for the Cree, who lost a third of their warriors, and essentially marked the end of the invasion.<ref name="dcb"/>

== Treaty 4 ==

In 1875 Payipwat met with [[William J. Christie]], Canadian treaty commissioner. Christie wanted Payipwat to sign [[Treaty 4]], which had been negotiated a year earlier. Payipwat demanded several changes to the treaty and, incorrectly believing that they had been made, signed it on September 9, 1875. Although many of his requests were provided by the government as part of future treaties (particularly [[Treaty 6]]), several were not. Until his death, Payipwat felt betrayed by [[Government of Canada|Ottawa]].<ref name="dcb"/>

Over the next decade Payipwat continued to negotiate with the [[Canadian government]]. He and other Cree leaders refused to sign any additional treaties unless the Crown guaranteed the autonomy of the Cree people and grant them a united territory. When it became clear that this would not happen, Payipwat, Cree leaders Cowessess and Foremost Man, and the [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]] [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] all requested reserves in the Cypress Hills. The requested territories were all adjacent, and Ottawa agreed to the request, effectively granting the tribe the united territory it sought.<ref name="dcb"/>

== Rebellion ==

In 1882, facing starvation due to the declining buffalo herds, Payipwat and the Young Dogs agreed to leave the Cypress Hills in exchange for food, horses and supplies. However they returned in short order. The next year he again agreed to leave, this time to [[Indian Head, Saskatchewan|Indian Head, Assiniboia]], and was escorted there by the [[North-West Mounted Police]].<ref name="dcb"/>

Once he arrived in Indian Head, Payipwat immediately set about organizing his people again with the goal of establishing their own territory. Payipwat again achieved some success. He gained permission to establish a new reserve immediately adjacent to another existing Cree reserve. He joined with other leaders of tribes subject to Treaties 4 and 6 to pressure Ottawa for treaty revisions.<ref name="dcb"/>

However, in 1885 the government exploited the [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]] [[North-West Rebellion]] to crack down on the Cree. A military fort was established next to Payipwat's reserve. Several other leaders were arrested as rebels. Payipwat was the only leader to survive, and he was closely monitored by the police and military.<ref name="dcb"/>

== Later years ==

Payipwat continued to be a respected spiritual leader among the Cree and continued to advocate for greater autonomy and promote the preservation of Cree culture. He was distrusted by the government.<ref name="dcb"/>

In 1902 Indian Agent William Morris Graham attempted to have Payipwat deposed as chief for incompetence. He eventually succeeded when he had the chief arrested for holding a [[Sun Dance|Thirst Dance]], a ceremony which had been banned in 1892. On April 15, 1902, the federal government removed Payipwat as chief. Payipwat met with [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto|Governor General Lord Minto]] in September of that year. The Governor General was persuaded to advocate for the lifting of the ban on the dances, but was unsuccessful.<ref name="dcb"/>

In April 1908, Payipwat died on his reserve.<ref name="dcb"/>

== References ==
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[[Category:Cree people]]
[[Category:Indigenous leaders in Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:1810s births]]
[[Category:1908 deaths]]
[[Category:Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)]]
[[Category:People of the North-West Rebellion]]
[[Category:Piapot Cree Nation]]