The collection consists of Elder Interviews obtained and used by the Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council Treaty and Aboriginal Rights Research (LSLIRC-TARR) Program over the course of their research into treaty rights. Please note the LSLIRC-TARR program did not conduct these interviews. The majority of the interviews have been transcribed.

The fonds consists of Lesser Slave Lake Agency’s original district records of treaty annuity paylists and interest payments. Annuity payments are paid annually to registered First Nations who are members of communities who have adhered to Treaties with the Federal Crown. The paylists maintain an annual record of those who have been paid. The district copies are one of two versions of paylists kept by the Department of Indian Affairs. The district retained a local version and another would be forwarded to headquarters in Ottawa. While the two copies should be identical, historians have found discrepancies between versions.

The fonds consists of First Nation Elder Interviews conducted by the Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council - Treaty Aboriginal Rights Research (LSLIRC-TARR) Program as support for the Program’s on-going treaty and aboriginal rights research and Specific Claims work. Predominantly interviews were done with Elders from Alberta Treaty 8 First Nation communities. The majority of the interviews have been transcribed.

The fonds consists of textual records containing Elder Interviews, meeting minutes, annual and quarterly reports, financial reports, project files, policy documents, agreements, press releases, community correspondences, memorandums, and position papers pertaining to the research activities of the IAA-TARR Program.

The fonds is arranged into nine series:

Series 1    Board of Directors
Series 2    Annual and Quarterly Reports
Series 3    Budgets, Funding Reports and Workplans
Series 4    Administration
Series 5    Special Committees
Series 6    Comprehensive and Specific Claims
Series 7    Indian Self-Government
Series 8    Economic Development
Series 9    All Chiefs Assembly
Series 10   Elder Interviews