Searching for solace a year after tragedy in James Smith Cree Nation

Rickety wheels slice through the undisturbed gravel of the race track in Prince Albert, Sask. A man in a cowboy hat declares that the first chariot race will start soon.

After donning helmets, vests and a need for adrenaline, the drivers guide their horses into position. A horn blares and the crowd cheers as hooves beat the ground, producing plumes of dust that hang in the air long after the horses rush past.

Darryl Burns calmly sits on a nearby aluminum bench, his eyes tracking every rotation of the wheels on his grandson's cart.

Burns has competed in races like this for 50 years. The competition, family, equestrian passion — they all provide him brief solace in this moment.

"It takes my mind off all the turmoil," says the 64-year-old.

One year after Canada's worst mass stabbing, Burns and other members of James Smith Cree Nation say addictions, violence, grief and trauma continue to pervade their community. 

But slowly, some are finding ways to feel safe again — for themselves and the next generation.

On Sept. 4, 2022, 32-year-old Myles Sanderson unleashed uncontrollable violence on central Saskatchewan. Most of it happened in his own community of James Smith Cree Nation, that has some 3,400 members. About 1,900 of them live on reserve approximately 200 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

Early that morning, Sanderson and his brother, Damien Sanderson, were seen drinking excessively before breaking into a home in James Smith.

Sanderson attacked a man with scissors, but Damien broke it up. The brothers left, then got into a fight. 

Damien's body was found days later in a nearby bush.

The first 911 call came after the first attack at 5:40 a.m. Two RCMP officers arrived in the First Nation less than 40 minutes later.

Sanderson, however, was faster — swiftly moving from house to house, stabbing people in their own homes.

Eventually, he fled the First Nation in a stolen car and killed a man in the nearby village of Weldon, Sask.