Treaties in Canada Curriculum Essential Question 11.3.3: How did Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples change after Confederation? Essential Understanding: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples have achieved constitutional recognition of their unique status as Aboriginal peoples in Canada, along with recognition and affirmation of their existing Aboriginal and treaty rights. Unit Guiding Question: How did we get from the healthy relationships of the past to the issues we see today? Example: Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Land Claims, Kapyong Barracks court case, etc (BC FN example)

Treaties in Canada North America before the arrival of Europeans was populated by many nations of people with different languages, cultures, religions, ways of life and traditional territories. When First Nations met with each other they negotiated alliances that were mutually beneficial. These alliances established peaceful relationships among them which included trade, passage, peace and friendship, and other responsibilities.

First Nation Treaty Making First Nations had their own process of Treaty-making that had existed for thousands of years. The ceremony and the items used within the First Nations’ Treaty-making process followed the general format of: introductions, gift-giving, time spent getting to know each other, Negotiations of the Treaty and a pipe ceremony. After the pipe ceremony, the Treaty would then be seen as a tri-party agreement between the two parties and the Creator.

Pre-Confederation Treaties The Royal Proclamation was issued by Britain's King George III in 1763. It provided protection of First Nation territories by establishing First Nation ‘hunting grounds’. No European settlement, occupation, or infringement would be permitted in these ‘hunting grounds’ without the consent of the Crown. The Proclamation recognized First Nation occupation and use of territories not already treated. It also established the ‘Trust Relationship’ between the Crown and First Nations by stating that only the Crown could ‘purchase’ the land from the First Nations.

Numbered Treaties Between 1871 and 1921, the Crown entered into Treaties with various First Nations. The Treaties allowed the Canadian government to pursue agriculture, settlement, transportation and resource development of the Canadian West and the North. Because they were numbered 1 to 11, these Treaties were often referred to as the ‘Numbered Treaties’ The Numbered Treaties cover northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta,  northeastern British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories.

BNA Act of 1867 Under the BNA Act of 1867, the federal government had constitutional responsibility and authority over First Nations people and any land that was to be reserved for them. The Canadian government wanted to remove FN from their land and place them in smaller reserves in order to enfranchise them and eventually assimilate them into white society. The idea was to quickly and cheaply clear the west for European settlement.

Activity 6 groups of approx. 5 people each (numbered heads) Groups: Treaties 1-5; Treaties 6 and 7; Treaties 8-11. Using the artifacts bins and the treaty summaries, find out: What were the terms of each treaty? Who “won” and who “lost?” * Your group will be presenting to the class!

Treaties 1-11: Use this space to write the notes from group presentations Treaties 1-5 Treaties 6 and 7 Treaties 8-11

1871 - 1875: First Five Numbered Treaties Declining buffalo herds and disease put many FN on the verge of extinction. They also risked the loss of their culture and way of life due to European settlement. To survive, many FN negotiated the surrender of land for very little in return: cash and supplies. They received small reserves that the government wanted them to farm. This was the start of the reserve system we know of today.

1871 - 1875: First Five Numbered Treaties The first five Numbered Treaties covered areas in what are now parts of Ontario and southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The purpose of these treaties was to secure land from the FN for European settlement and agricultural and industrial development. In the wording of these treaty documents, the FN were to give up their rights to the land "forever." Typically, the government would provide farm supplies and new clothes to help transform FN society from what Europeans viewed as a simple hunting and gathering basis, into independent pioneer farmers like the Europeans.

1871 - 1875: First Five Numbered Treaties In return for giving up their land rights, First Nations peoples would receive: Reserve lands to live on. Cash. The amount differed between each treaty. An allowance for blankets and hunting/fishing tools. Farming assistance. Schools on reserve land, whenever desired by the FN A census to keep track of how many FN there were in each band. The right to hunt and fish on all land not used for settlement.

Treaties in Manitoba Treaties 1 through 5 encompass the majority of Manitoba. The Treaties were negotiated  by Treaty Commissioners on behalf of the Crown and First Nations leaders. 5 4 2 3 1

Treaties in Manitoba Treaty No. 1 was negotiated and entered into on August 1871 at Lower Fort Garry. Treaty No. 2 , August 1871 at Manitoba House. Treaty No. 3 , October 1873 the Northwest Angle of Lake of the Woods. Treaty No. 4 , September 1874 at Fort Qu’appelle. Treaty No. 5, 1875 at Beren’s River, Norway House, and Grand Rapids.

Treaties 6 & 7 Treaty 6, 1876 Signed by the Plains and Woods Cree peoples The FN worried about more European settlers moving westward and taking the land The buffalo had almost disappeared and more FN worried about starvation Diseases like smallpox were wiping out entire populations

Treaty 6, 1876 The Indian Act There were two main changes with Treaty Six: 1.) Healthcare provision: It included a medicine chest to be kept for FN use. Some FN interpreted the healthcare provision to apply to all who signed the numbered treaties. Some interpreted the healthcare provision as the federal government’s duty to provide free healthcare to all FN in Canada forever. 2.) The Indian Act A major part of Treaty 6 was the passing of the Indian Act. This Act made FN legal wards of the state.

The Indian Act, 1876 Since the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the colonial governments had laws regarding First Nations. In 1876, all of these laws became the Indian Act. This Act is still in force today. Canada is the only country in the developed world to still have a government branch based on “race”

The Indian Act, 1876 The three main goals were: To assimilate First Nations people To control FN communities and reserves To define who was and was not a FN person Under this Act, the government could make changes without notifying or getting permission from the FN community

Main Provisions of the Indian Act: FN people became “wards of the government” = no citizenship treated like children Traditional leadership and government was discouraged or outlawed Defined “Status”: A “Status Indian” had to live on a reserve may apply for certain government programs and services

The Indian Act Main Provisions The Status provision had other conditions : Any woman that married a FN man could be considered an Indian and could be allowed to live and even be buried on a reserve. These women also received other cultural and social benefits. However, any FN woman who married a white, European male was now considered to be a member of Canadian society. She lost her Indian status and every right that came with it. A status person who got a university degree, joined the military, or clergy would lose their status All "half-breed Indians”, like the Métis, were not entitled to Indian status.

Indian Act Main Provisions The government controlled most finances, especially the sale / rent of reserve lands. Children had to attend residential schools. Alcohol on reserves was banned Some traditional First Nations ceremonies were banned “Indian agents” (“government employees” had power to enforce the Act. They were not FN themselves. Did you Know? As a result of the 1876 Indian Act, FN who lived on reserves were forced to carry an identity card, like a passport, every time they stepped off reserve land. Shamefully, Canada’s “pass system” idea was later adopted by Adolf Hitler to persecute Jewish people.

Treaty 7 - 1877 This treaty was signed by a number of FN bands, including the Blackfoot and Stoney FN in present-day southern Alberta. It is very similar to the ones that preceded it, with some exceptions. There was no health care provision as there had been in Treaty Number Six Treaty 7 negotiated for more money and supplies than in previous treaty negotiations. Blood family arriving in carts in Fort Macleod, Alberta, to sign adhesion to Treaty Seven. Date: Ca. 1893

Treaties 8-11 1899 - 1921 Treaty Eight was signed in 1899 so the federal government could get FN lands to the north of Treaty Six (present-day northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and south-central Northwest Territories). Treaty Nine was signed in 1905 and 1906, and dealt with lands in northern Ontario. Treaty Ten was signed in 1906 and included land cession deals in northern Alberta. Treaty Eleven was signed in 1921 and dealt with land in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. These treaties are all very similar to each other and most of the earlier numbered treaties.

Treaties 8-11 Treaty Eight created small family reserves for individual families. This was to meet the needs of small band groupings like the Woodland Cree and Dene tribes that lived in this area. Despite the fact that northern FN were not doing well, some bands were not interested in signing Treaty Number Eight. They did not want to live on reserves, and they feared signing the treaty would destroy their way of life. Some bands expressed concerns about the treaties, and almost all were suspicious of the government. Northern FN saw the failed attempts to turn the Prairie FN into pioneer farmers like the Europeans. Many FN on Prairie reserves were suffering from poverty and starvation.

Treaty Benefits Treaties were negotiated to define the rights of First Nation people and governments to use lands that First Nations people traditionally occupied. Each side benefitted from the Treaty agreement. First Nations got: hunting and fishing rights, reserved lands, education and health rights. The Crown got: land for farming and settlement, natural resources, peaceful expansion.

‘We Are All Treaty People’ All people in Manitoba have benefitted from the partnership created by the Treaties.