Aboriginal Culture

Native peoples wanted 2 things fom Treaties: 1) Self sufficiency for economic base - have access and control of land to support themselves i.e. to be able to fish and hunt 2) Self governance - to govern and rule themselves and land Canada has a history of treaties dating back to 1665

What went wrong 1) Loss of Self-sufficiency and Economic Base - Free access to land was basis of traditional life - Reserves were not large enough, resources dwindle -2360 reserves = 27 500 km2 , 800 000 Natives = .3% of Canada’s land - Choice for Natives, stay on reserve where there is nothing, or move to city = abandoning culture

What went wrong 2) Lack of Self Government - Natives were not given a right to govern themselves -Iroquois had one of the oldest democracies in the world -Canadian government forced Native children into Residential Schools, where children taken from home and sent to learn in cities - Taught the mainstream Canadian values -Punished for speaking Native language or practicing their own culture

Problems with Treaties - Treaties were unfair (favored Europeans) -Differences between what the Natives thought they were signing and what they signed -Promises broken (money, reserve rights to hunting and fishing) -Governments interfered with the decisions made on reserves