Treaties Pt.2
♡Transcript♡
For thousands of years prior to first contact with European colonists, the early First
Nations indigenous to the land we now call Canada were the earliest environmentalists,
living harmoniously with nature, respecting the land, water, and wildlife. Philosophically,
the early First Nations did not subscribe to the idea of land ownership. But instead,
land and water were sacred elements that should be shared, respected, and
protected for future generations. However, this was not a philosophy echoed by the
early European monarchs, explorers, trading companies, and settlers who believed that
this new land, rich in its natural resources, should be claimed, exploited, and its
indigenous population assimilated. This has led to generations of racism and oppression,
misunderstandings, disagreements, broken promises, conflicts, and tragedies that still
exist in every region of Canada today. [SINGING] Canada's indigenous people had many
treaties between nations that were recorded orally. These treaties enforced peace,
land agreements, and friendships among the First Nations, and were sacred pacts that
solidified the relationship between nations. A calumet, or peace pipe, was smoke at the
beginning of treaty talks to mark friendship between the nations. A wampum belt was
used to record the decisions of a treaty. It was made of white and purple Atlantic
coast seashells that were beaded into a belt or a sash in a certain way that
symbolized particular events. One of the earliest recorded treaty-making sessions was
called the Great Law of Peace of the People of the Longhouse, and took place before
1450, and was between the Mohawk, Seneca, and Cayuga nations. And all 117 articles of
the treaty were passed down orally from generation to generation for over 400 years.
Not long after first contact, the early European settlers began to arrive, fueled with
the promise of a better life, land ownership, and all the bounties and riches that the
new world had to offer. The First Nations were open to sharing their land and
resources with these early European newcomers, and taught the early explorers how
to survive and travel in the harsh and unforgiving Canadian environment. Long before oil,
gold, and timber, the demand for beaver pelts and fur drove the economy and pushed
development further and further inland, encroaching on many First Nations' traditional
territories. European colonists and aboriginal people had long traditions of diplomacy,
which quickly evolved into treaty-making and the creation of new economic and military
alliances. In 1701, the Iroquois Confederacy entered into a formal agreement with Britain
called the Treaty of Albany. Iroquois leaders agreed to sell the lands of the Great
Lakes to the British in exchange for their protection from the French and continued
right to hunt and fish throughout the territory. For 50 years after the Treaty of
Albany, many friendship and peace treaties were signed between both the French,
British, and aboriginal peoples in the eastern part of what eventually would become
Canada. Much of the Atlantic region was ceded to the British during this time, with the
French retaining only Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. As the European demand for
fur, resources, and control over the New World grew, so did tensions between the
French and the English, resulting in a worldwide Seven-Year War that ended in 1763
with the victorious English king, George III, issuing a royal proclamation. [MUSIC PLAYING]
The Royal Proclamation explicitly states that aboriginal title has existed and continues
to exist, and that all land would be considered aboriginal land until ceded by treaty.
The Royal Proclamation further sets out that only the crown can buy land from First
Nations. Aboriginal treaties in Canada are constitutionally recognized agreements
between the crown and aboriginal peoples. Most of these agreements describe
exchanges, where aboriginal groups agree to share some of their interests in their
ancestral lands in return for various payments and promises. In less than 50 years
after the first land surrenders brought settlers to Upper Canada, the non-aboriginal
population now outnumbered First Nations people in the Great Lakes basin. As more
colonists arrived, the pace of land treaties increased to allow for their firms. In all,
some 35 land surrender treaties were concluded that covered all of the lands of
Upper Canada. Land surrender treaties continued up until 1862. On the whole, these
treaties were agreements for relatively small pieces of land with individual First Nation
groups. In the 1850s, two treatises fell outside the norm and would become the new
template for future treaties in the West. The Robinson Huron and Robinson Superior
treaties were negotiated with various Ojibwe people within the region in exchange for
reserves, annuities, and the continued right to hunt and fish on occupied crown lands.
This formula for concluding agreements with numerous bands for large pieces of land
would become the model for the post-Confederation numbered treaties. With the
signing of the British North America Act of 1867, Canada's new government led by Sir
John A. Macdonald wanted to expand the country from coast to coast as quickly as
possible with very little resistance. This would require the implementation of treaties
with aboriginal peoples across Canada. The government of the day developed a series of
legislative policies geared towards expediting the treaty process and ultimately forcing
the assimilation of Canada's indigenous people into a new Euro-Canadian society, which
included the implementation of the Indian Act, which removed any citizenship rights for
First Nation people and made them subjects of the crown. It also made many First
Nations' cultural practices illegal. It was also common practice for the government to
withhold rations and starve many First Nation communities who tried to assert their
own identity. And as a result, many people died. The Canadian government also
established the residential school system, which tore generations of families and
communities apart. The Canadian government forced the Hudson Bay Company to sell
Rupert's Land, a huge territory located west of Ontario, that was home to many
Metis people and the Red River Colony. They did this without consultation and, in the
process, stripped the Metis of their aboriginal title. These actions eventually led to
the Red River Rebellion and the execution of Metis leader Louis Riel. The numbered
treaties are a series of 11 treaties signed between the First Nations people in Canada
and the crown. These treaties came in two waves-- numbers one through seven from
1871 to 1877, and numbers 9 through 11 from 1899 to 1921. In the first wave, the
treaties were key in advancing European settlement across the prairie regions as well
as the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In the second wave, resource
extraction was the main motive for the government officials. [MUSIC PLAYING] Today
both sides agree that treaties are agreements between the crown and the First
Nations in which the First Nations exchanged some of their interest in specific areas of
their ancestral lands in return for various kinds of payments and promises from crown
officials. However, each side has a different interpretation of what was intended by
these agreements. According to the British, treaties were intended to extinguish all
First Nation claims and rights to their lands forever except in those lands that were
set apart for reserves for the bands to live on. In return, the government would
make a one-time payment to the bands plus a specific annual sum. As well, treaties
had terms dealing with hunting and fishing rights as well as education and health care.
Treaties were also intended to offer First Nations some protection from the
consequences of new settlement and some assistance in adapting to new ways of living
as the old ways became less feasible. Treaties were also expected to be the first
step towards assimilation. Government expected First Nations people to give up their
culture, including their customs, their language, their religious beliefs, their
ceremonies, and everything else that made them different from Canadians of British
origin. It's been widely reported that throughout Canadian history, many government
officials believed that treaties were barriers to progress. And often, they did not honor
the agreements. Or when they did, they implemented them as cheaply and as quickly
as possible. To make themselves understood, the British often used language that
was very different from the text used in the treaty documents, which could be very
misleading. First Nations saw treaties in a different light. To them, treaties were
solemn pacts establishing the future basis of relationships between their people, for
whom Canada is an ancient homeland, and for the new government of Canada and its
people. Many First Nations groups felt that the numbered treaties signed by the
dominion government and their First Nations chiefs between 1877 and 1921 were rushed
and disorganized, limiting to the aboriginal way of life and ultimately had poor results
due to unfilled promises. The treaties were often negotiated in a matter of days in
English, with interpreters who were not always up to the task. They were signed by
the aboriginal chiefs who generally could not read English and who had not been properly
advised by anyone. Nor could they comprehend the idea of giving up the rights of their
lands forever. Even though historic treaties exist in nine provinces and three
territories that cover over 50% of Canada's land mass, historically, Canada's aboriginal
people have benefited very little from these legally binding agreements. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Today these agreements are upheld by the government of Canada, administered by
Canadian aboriginal law, and overseen by the Minister of Indigenous Affairs in Northern
Development. Depending on how the treaty was negotiated, individual members of some
First Nations still receive an annual treaty payment that's often paid in cash at
Treaty Day events. It is ironic that Canada's Parliament buildings and Canada's national
capital region sits in unceded Algonquin territory. The Algonquin people never
surrendered their land. And as a result, there's a modern treaty and land claim
that's currently being negotiated between the government of Canada and the Algonquin
people. In Canada, irrespective if you have indigenous heritage or not, we are all treaty
people.
♡Questions♡
☆ Define indigenous
○ The term indigenous refers to those who originated from a particular place or
those who were inhibiting or living in a territory from the earliest years or until
the arrival of the colonizers. The term in the west commonly refers to the
indigenous people of the United States or Canada. The term native, aboriginal,
first nations, autochthonous or indigenous all respectively mean the same thing
with little difference. The term indigenous is becoming increasingly popular than
the term aboriginal as the years go by since the former term is used
internationally more often than the latter. Despite this many indigenous people
☆ Looking at a map or globe of the world, select a country.
○ I choose the country of Australia which occupies the continent Oceania. I chose
Australia because it is globally renowned for its natural wonders, wide-open
fields, islands, deserts. It is well known for its attractive major cities, such as
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. I thought it would be interesting to find
out more about the glorious country. Australia is listed as one of the best
places to live in the world by international perceptions due to employment,
education, health and quality of life. its population is relatively small, with most
people living along the eastern and south-eastern coasts. Its indigenous
population is known to live on the land for more than 50,000. Aboriginal
Australians are said to be the earliest human group other than Africa,
according to one hypothesis, 70,000 years ago they arrived there from boats.
☆ Who are the Indigenous peoples of this country?
○ The indigenous people of Australia are commonly called “the Aboriginal
Australians' '. They have lived on the land for at least more than 50,000 years
and are the second oldest population of humans. Some anthropologists suggest
that they may have arrived as a result of early human migration from Africa.
While they were likely to move to Australia across Southeast Asia, Aboriginal
Australians are not proven to be related to any known Asian or Melanesian
group, however, the Torres Strait Islanders have a genetic link to certain
Melanesian populations.
☆ Provide a brief description of the Indigenous peoples of the country you selected.
Present a minimum of five facts
○
○
I've presented a total of 8 facts
There are two separate groups of the Native population in Australia-Torres
Strait Islanders from the Torres Strait Islands north of Cape York, Queensland,
and Indigenous tribes from all over Australia.
○
Humans are thought to have migrated from Asia to Northern Australia
through small boats.
○
In 2017 a study had found that Aboriginal Australians nowadays are all related
to a common ancestor who was a member of a different tribe that emerged
about 50,000 years ago on the mainland.
○
British colonizers came to Australia in 1788, around then the population of the
aboriginal Australians were estimated to be between 750,000 to 1,250,000. Not
long after the British colonizers took their rule among aboriginal lands and
approximately 20,000 Australian aboriginals were manslaughtered due to
resisting the British forces
○
From 1910 to 1970 due to the government, 33% of aboriginal children were
physically forced from their homes and families and were put with “adoptive
families” and in new schools, often had their names changed and worst of all
they were forbidden from speaking their native language which would be the only
connection they would have to their roots at that point.
○
Finally in 2008 after a near-century of mistreatment did the Australian Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd issued a national apology for the country’s actions toward
Aboriginal Australians
○
Aboriginal Australians didn’t have the right to citizenship or voting until 1965.
○
Approximately 3% of the Australian population has aboriginal heritage while the
rest still struggle to retain their nearly extinct culture. Stan Grant is an
elder of Australia's second-largest Aboriginal community, the Wiradjuri. He is one
of the few people who still speak his tribal language. The language, Wiradjuri
nearly died in the 20th century, when Aboriginals could be arrested for speaking
their native language.
○
☆ Explore the connection First Nations people have to the land as expressed
through their stories, traditions and ceremonies.
○
The connection between the first nations and the land is told by their songs
and stories as old as time. They believed the land and water were sacred
elements that should be shared, respected, and protected. Unlike non-
indigenous people, aboriginal people think of the more of land and everything on it
such as the calm rocks, rushing water, luscious green hills, fascinating animals
and even the beautiful sky as something that we're all created by the same
ancestor that continue to govern our sacred country through the land, water
and sky. They have a strong spiritual connection to the land; so much so that
you could say that they are intertwined with the land. The well-being of the
land and water is crucial to their culture. The first nations have connected
with the land as their mother. They do not think of the natural world as their
property but rather their home and as something they should protect including
the animal's rocks and plants. For long over millennia had first nations begin their
sacred ties to the land which sustained them. They feel as if they have a
responsibility to the land and that is more of a mental or even emotional
obligation.
☆ Describe the ways First Nations people used the land and nature to meet their
needs, and explain how they showed respect to the environment
○
The first nations would tell oral stories about how they were all here because
of the creator and how people should live in harmony with the natural world.
Stories such as this would be passed down from generation to generation. They
were told about how everything is a gift and must be valued. They treated
everything in nature with respect whether it was alive or not living. Along with
that, they would hold many festivals to celebrate what they had and some
tribes even had rituals to thank the creator for what they had.
○
For food, most of the tribes would sing to animals before they killed them and
thank them for providing food for him and his family. The first nations would
make sure that every part of that animal was used.
○
For clothes, the majority of the first nation's clothes were made out of animal
skins, mostly light animal skins such as buffalo, deer, elk or antelope. The
women of the tribes would prepare the skin in a smoke tanning process to
preserve the hides. Bone needles were used to sew the garments together and
during the winter they would usually wear heavy robes. In other tribes, the
clothes were made out of shredded bark which produces a soft fibre.
○
Because of the common way of life for the first nations which was occupying land
for an average of 10 years until the land became worn out(not many animals
left or many trees cut down) the homes or the first nations were, majority of
the time: portable with some exceptions with some tribes. Most of the tribe's
houses were called tipi's; they were built from materials usually always found in
a certain environment. The tipis were a framework of poles covered with bark,
woven rush mats or caribou skin. The average tip consists of 12 buffalo hides
with an inner of animal skins to provide ventilation and protect them from
drafts. Tribes that did not move often lived in longhouses.
○
For transportation, the first nations generally used dogs to carry household
items and used canoes made out of birch bark to travel.
○
☆ Choose one First Nations group in North America and research the form of
governance and decision-making that was traditional in that tribe.
○ I chose the Iroquois confederacy or more commonly known as the Haudenosaunee
Confederacy; they can also be known as the 6 nations. They are part of the
Grand Council of the Six Nations and were first discovered during the colonial
period for the french and were known as the iroquois confederacy by the french
however they called themselves the Haudenosaunee which translates to people
of the longhouse. They have a grand council of chiefs which is composed of 50
chiefs. The chiefs each represent one of the 6 houses. Debates in council are
expressed in a civil manner, The chiefs of the Onondaga tribe are responsible for
hearing the matters expressed by the other chiefs. Each issue must be
unanimously agreed upon by the Grand Council.THe Onondaga chiefs begin the
council by welcoming other members and giving thanks to the World and the
Creator and then announce the issue to the council. The system of policy
discussion continues with the Seneca and Mohawk tribes. If a decision has been
made, it is tossed through the flames to the Oneida and Cayuga tribes for
negotiation. When the Oneida and Cayuga make their conclusion, they return
the conversation to the Seneca and Mohawk tribe for clarification. The matter
is then directed to Onondagas, who shall make a definitive decision in the event
of a dispute between the Younger brothers and the Elder brothers or, whether
they consent, approve of the decisions.
☆ Research the importance of ceremonies and traditions in the First Nations
group you have selected (eg., ceremonies, celebrations, gatherings, trading,
seasonal migration, or family traditions)
○ The Iroquois celebrate a total of 13 ceremonies a year, one for each of the
moons. Most ceremonies are a means of expressing gratitude to individuals, to
the natural world, to the spirit world and the creator. It is hoped that this
would continue to preserve the welfare and well-being of nations. Each
procedure involves the opening and closing of the prayer accompanied by dances
and songs. Many different tales unique to the Haudenosaunee are told to
continue traditional teachings. These ceremonies also occur at different times
of the year after seasonal changes.
☆ Many First Nations people were nomadic people with a special relationship to the
land. Everything they needed to survive was found in their surroundings,
sometimes in different places in each season. For First Nations groups living on
the prairies, the buffalo were most important. Describe how buffalo
contributed to the survival of First Nations prairie groups. Describe the impact
of treaties on First Nations. What were the events that led to the reduction
of the numbers of buffalo on the prairies of North America?
○
The buffalo contributed food, material for clothing and shelter. The buffalo
would be used to make food for the first nations, one buffalo can feed many
first nations, it’s skin also can produce clothing for the first nations. It’s hides
also provide ventilation for their homes. Most of the treaties signed by the first
nations were misinterpreted on their part. To make themselves known, the
British also used a vocabulary that was very distinct from the text used in
the documents of the Treaty, which may be very confusing. Most First Nations
people claimed that the treaties signed during 1877 and 1921 between the
Dominion Government and their First Nations Chiefs were rushed and poorly
organized, restricted to the indigenous way of life, and ultimately had poor
results attributable to unaccomplished promises. In a matter of days, the
treaties were mostly discussed in English, with translators who were not always
up to the job. They were signed by Aboriginal chiefs who were not typically able to
read English and who were not properly advised by somebody. Nor do they grasp
the notion of permanently surrendering the rights of their territories. The
European settlers began to over hunt which would cause a great decrease in
the numbers of the bison which were at the time the primary food source for
the first nations. Sir John A Macdonald, although did not cause the famine did
greatly use it to his advantage. white settlers have told that they've seen up
to 1,000 first nations so hungry during that time they even had trouble walking.
The black foot tribe who lived in the prairies of what today is Calgary were even
left with no choice but to eat grass for their means of survival. Around 12,000
plains first nations died from 1880 to 1885. That would mean 2,400 first nations
dying a year out of starvation.
○
☆ Detail the ways in which First Nations peoples supported the survival of early
European newcomers to Canada.
○ They helped the european settlers adjust to the harsh winter conditions of
canada They introduced the settlers to medicinal plants and new types of food.
They taught them how to make shelters and how to hunt for their food. They
taught them how to survive Canada’s harsh winters. They introduced the
settlers to new lands which allowed them to search for fur, which at the time
was a very popular form of trade. They helped them learn how to sap trees, to
make garments, to canoe, to make medicine, to grow crops. With this new
knowledge, more settlers came to the land now known as Canada with the
promise of a better life with rich opportunities. Soon Canada was established
Links
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/people/reference/aboriginal-australians/
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1307460755710/1536862806124
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1307460755710/1536862806124#chp2
http://mckayhamilton.weebly.com/grade-5---first-nations-andeuropeans.html#:~:text=Positive%20Impacts%20for%20the%20European%20Explorers&te
xt=Aboriginal%20peoples%20introduced%20Europeans%20to%20medicinal%20plants%20and%2
0new%20foods,of%20European%20settlements%20throughout%20Canada.
https://mcwebtranscript.s3.amazonaws.com/LM0008.pdf
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/people/reference/aboriginal-australians/
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/indigenous-australians-aboriginal-and-torres-straitislander-people
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-53436225
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Indigenous_Australians
https://cpb-ca-c1.wpmucdn.com/edublog.amdsb.ca/dist/4/3095/files/2016/06/First-Nationsand-early-settlers-2-2e5im68.pdf
Key
Bold Words Questions
○ = Answers
☆ = Questions
☆ jhJhgdfhd = Facts
☆ jhJhgdfhd = Conclusion
☆ jhJhgdfhd = Points
☆ jhJhgdfhd = Terms
☆ jhJhgdfhd = Information