Misipawistik in the local Cree language means 'Rushing Rapids', which was once a historical Canadian landmark before the construction of the Manitoba Hydro-electric Dam in the late 1950s.

Cree peoples had been migrating to the area during the summer seasons for thousands of years prior to establishing a year-round settlement with the advent of the North American fur trade.

Many famous Canadian figures would pass through Misipawistik on the way through to Western Canada as transportation at the time relied heavily on waterways prior to the late 1800s.

The area was considered a crucial point in the Fur Trade endeavour as most water-bound routes into the Northwest converged at this site.

According to Alexander Morris, the rationale behind the negotiation was due in part because of improvements in boating technology, but also because of the economic necessity of the region.

Initially, the Cree people negotiating an adhesion to Treaty 5 wished to have their reserve lands cover both sides of the Saskatchewan River entering into the Lake Winnipeg, but were nonetheless convinced to accept the Southern shore.