The Numbered Treaties

First Nations Ensure Their Survival Between 1871 and 1921, 11 treaties were signed between the government of Canada and First Nations.   They are commonly referred to as the “Numbered Treaties” because they are numbered 1 to 11.

Although some First Nations did not trust the Canadian government to honour the treaties, they had little choice. The First Nations in the West were facing disease and starvation, as well as the loss of their culture and way of life in the face of European settlement.

In order to survive, many First Nations agreed to surrender their lands in exchange for reserve lands, annuities (a sum of money paid yearly), schools, hunting and fishing rights, agricultural implements, cattle, clothing, flags, medals, and annual cash distributions for ammunition and twine.

Who Was and Who Was Not Included In The Treaties? INCLUDED: First Nation peoples who were living on reserves in the new Dominion of Canada.

NOT INCLUDED: First Nations peoples whom the government considered to be “troublemakers” or who had not accepted Christianity and its ideals of being “civilized”. First Nations in the James Bay area and most of British Columbia (because the Canadian government didn’t even bother approaching these people)

Treaties 1 Through 5 (1871 – 1875) The first five Numbered Treaties covered lands in present-day northwestern Ontario, southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Treaties 1, 2, and 3: negotiated with the Cree and the Ojibwe of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

Treaty 4: negotiated with the Cree and Ojibwe of southern Saskatchewan Treaty 4: negotiated with the Cree and Ojibwe of southern Saskatchewan. Treaty 5: negotiated with the Ojibwe and the Swampy Cree in the area from the middle of Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba to just below the Southwestern quadrant of James Bay.

The purpose of these treaties was to clear the way for European settlement and agricultural and industrial development. In exchange for giving up their land rights, First Nations were promised: reserve lands – 600 square metres per family of five (Treaties 1 and 2); 2.5 square kilometres per family of five (Treaties 3 and 4) cash – the amount differed from treaty to treaty but usually increased with each subsequent treaty.

an allowance for blankets and hunting and fishing implements   farming assistance schools on reserve land a census to record the number of people in each band, mainly for financial compensation purposes the right to hunt and fish on all ceded land not used for settlement, lumbering, or mining (promised in writing from Treaty 3 onward)

public buildings, roads, and other important infrastructure – to be built by the government. In exchange for these items, First Nations promised they would keep the peace and maintain law and order on the reserves.

Treaty 6 (1876) Treaty 6 was settled with the Plains and Woodland Cree. At first, the chiefs Poundmaker and Big Bear refused to sign the treaty because they felt the government was being unfair. However, they eventually relented because their people were dealing with starvation and disease.

Treaty 7 (1877) Treaty 7 was signed by several First Nations, including the Siksika Confederacy, the Nakoda, and the Dene in present-day southern Alberta. Although its provisions are much the same as those in the first six treaties, these First Nations negotiated for more money and supplies. No further Numbered Treaties were signed until 1899.

Treaty 8 Through 11 (1899 – 1921) The last four Numbered Treaties were signed over a period of two decades. Treaties 8: negotiated with the Cree and the Dene in 1899 so that the federal government could provide an overland route to the gold fields in the Yukon.   Treaty 9: negotiated with the Cree and Ojibwe in northern Ontario in 1905 and 1906. The government wanted to open transportation routes and access to natural resources, such as timber, in this area.

Treaty 10: signed in 1906; transferred land titles from the Cree and Ojibwe to the newly created provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Treaty 11: negotiated in 1921 with the Slavey, Dene, Loucheux, and North Slavey for land in the present-day Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory.

Broken Promises Many of the promises made in the Numbered Treaties were either broken or never completely fulfilled by the federal government. For example: In Treaties 1 and 2, First Nations were promised farming assistance and extra money, but these items were never provided. Some oral promises made by the federal government were not carried out.

Promises made in earlier treaties – such as First Nations’ right to hunt and fish on Crown land – were cut back or extinguished in later treaties. In Treaties 1 through 7, the government had agreed to take a census of First Nations people living on reserves in order to pay each person a lump sum of cash annually, however, by the time Treaty 8 was signed in 1899, the government had lost count of many First Nations peoples.