First Nations supported the British in the War of 1812 to save Canada from American invaders. True. And several First Nations people, such as Tecumseh, Chief John Brant, and John Norton, were very prominent in the battles.

After the War of 1812, the government needed First Nations to fight as military allies several more times. False. They weren’t needed for military support in Canada, but individuals were called on much later in the world wars.

Immigrants outnumbered Aboriginal people 10 to 1 by the mid- 1800s. True.

The bison disappeared from the Prairies because they got a foreign virus. False. Bison were fast disappearing from the landscape as more and more people were hunting with rifles (as opposed to bows and arrows). Bison hunting became the sport of Wild Bill Cody, and train passengers were used as sport hunters to kill even more bison. Bison hide became crucial in the Industrial Revolution, as the hides were converted into machine belts. Finally, the government instructed armies to kill the bison to make way for homesteaders. This policy effectively reduced the Aboriginal food supply and forced First Nations to give up the land for reserves.

First Nations decided to send their children away to schools so that they would be able to learn how to farm. False. Starting in 1849, under the Residential School Program, First Nations children were physically forced to attend Christian residential schools apart from their families for years at a time without visits.

Every First Nations person was given a choice about what reserve to live on and where to put the boundaries. False. In 1830 the government created a policy to establish reserves so that First Nations would become educated and converted to Christianity. Not all First Nations got reserves, and they were not given the option of determining size, location, or boundaries.

Every corner of Canada is now settled under a treaty with First Nations. False. Land rights agreements are still being settled with the government, even though they are not referred to as “Treaties.”

First Nations asked for social assistance because they did not want to hunt and fish anymore. False. They were no longer needed to be military allies, and they had become an obstacle to European settlement in the West; they were suffering from diseases, were starving, needing clothing (as they had relied on bison for clothing), and needing help.

First Nations had a choice to live on a reserve or get land that they could sell or develop if they agreed to become “White.” True. The government had passed an official policy to assimilate First Nations, called the “Act to Encourage the Gradual Civilization of the Indian Tribes in this Province” in 1857—they could volunteer to become Canadian citizens by denouncing their First Nations heritage, and thereby get the same rights as European homesteaders, including land and the vote.

All children with First Nations mothers can live on reserves. True, but it was not always that way. Starting in 1869, First Nations Status Indian women who married non-Status Indian First Nations men lost their status as well as that of their children. This law changed in 1985.

Anyone who marries a First Nations woman becomes a First Nations person. FALSE

Reserves are all the traditional lands that First Nations people have lived on and hunted and fished for centuries. False. Reserves are small areas within or near large tracts of traditional territories that First Nations used for hunting, fishing, and other purposes.

Every year First Nations celebrate June 21st as the day that the government gave them reserves. False. That is National Aboriginal Day, a day to celebrate the sovereignty of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.

The First Nations chiefs forced the government to sign treaties. False. By and large, First Nations did not initiate treaties, though in some cases they were more eager than others, depending on their unique situations.

Métis people never got reserves because they never asked for them. False. Métis people did ask for lands and fought in the famous Red River Resistance over land. They were granted, in one instance, to be included in the Treaty 3 through negotiations and annexations to the original document. They have never received that land.

The British North America (BNA) Act was passed in 1867 to create reserves for First Nations. False. The BNA Act made Canada an independent country.

Learning Goals:  Why treaties were formed  How have treaties impacted First Nations, Metis & Inuit people

Success Criteria  Define the terms colonialism, sovereignty, treaty  Explain First Nations, Metis & Inuit perspective on treaties  Negotiation concerns & priorities  Differences from European perspective  Conditions under which they were entered into  Impact on relationships between First Nations  Explain the concept “we are all treaty people” and how this relates to the past, present & future  Impact on us as Canadians

Colonialism A relationship between two peoples in which one takes over the other’s land and imposes traditions

Sovereignty A nation’s or state’s supreme power within its borders A vital issue in colonialism because colonists typically wish to transfer their own governments and laws into the territory that is new to them despite the forms of governance that may already be in place

People sometimes wonder why we have struggled so long to sign a treaty. Why, we are asked, did our elders and elected officials dedicate their lives to a resolution of the Land Question? What is it about a treaty? To us, a treaty is a sacred instrument. It represents an understanding between distinct cultures and shows respect for each other’s way of life. We know we are here for a long time together. A treaty stands as a symbol of high idealism in a divided world. That is why we have fought so long, and so hard. -Nisga’a Chief Joseph Gosnell in a speech to the British Columbia legislature on Dec 2 nd, 1998

Treaty A formal agreement between two or more nations in reference to peace, alliance, commerce, territory, or other relations.  Agreements that provide for peaceful relationships between two nations  Each party in a treaty has equal status  Each party has duties and obligations to each other

First Nations, Metis & Inuit Perspective on Treaties  More than just agreements on written documents “What we speak of and do now will last as long as the sun shines and the river runs, we are looking forward to our children’s children…..” Mistawasis, Cree Chief, speaking at Treaty 6 proceedings, 1876 What do you think is the meaning behind the phrase “as long as the sun shines and the river runs”? Why is this phrase part of all treaty agreements in Canada?

 They are living things meant to last “as long as the sun shines and rivers run”  Based on values that & principles that centre on peaceful relationships & living together on the land  The Creator was considered to be a witness to the treaties, making the treaties sacred agreements

“Treaty, or innaihtsiini, is when two powerful nations come together into a peace agreement, both parties coming forward in a peaceful, reconciliatory approach by exercising a sacred oath through the symbolic way of peace, which is smoking a sacred pipe and also through the exchange of gifts to sanction the agreement which can never be broken” Louise Crop Eared Wolf, Blood Elder

What does it mean by the phrase We are all treaty people?  Not only agreements between Aboriginal peoples & federal government, or between Aboriginal peoples of the past and historical colonial powers (France, England)  Treaties exist, are renewed, created and supported today  Continue to be beneficial for all members of the nations within the agreements  This means that ALL CANADIANS are members of treaty agreements ALL CANADIANS ARE TREATY PEOPLE

The Sharing Circle: Treaties

As Long As the Sun Shines Assignment