What is the meaning of Treaty ?

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The language in Treaty Number 6, signed in 1876 by the Plains and Woods Cree, is quite revealing as to the paternalistic attitude of the Crown. Treaty Number 6 is the only numbered treaty with a health-care clause.

It states “That in the event hereafter of the Indians comprised within this treaty being overtaken by any pestilence, or by a general famine, the Queen, on being satisfied and certified thereof by Her Indian Agent or Agents, will grant to the Indians assistance of such character and to such extent as Her Chief Superintendent of Indian Affairs shall deem necessary and sufficient to relieve the Indians from the calamity that shall have befallen them.

"And further, Her Majesty agrees to maintain schools for instruction in such reserves hereby made as to Her Government of the Dominion of Canada may seem advisable, whenever the Indians of the reserve shall desire it."

"Provided, however, that Her Majesty reserves the right to deal with any settlers within the bounds of any lands reserved for any Band as She shall deem fit, and also that the aforesaid reserves of land, or any interest therein, may be sold or otherwise disposed of by Her Majesty's Government for the use and benefit of the said Indians entitled thereto, with their consent first had and obtained.

with a view to show the satisfaction of Her Majesty with the behaviour and good conduct of Her Indians, She hereby, through Her Commissioners, makes them a present of twelve dollars for each man, woman and child belonging to the Bands here represented, in extinguishment of all claims heretofore preferred.

"Her Majesty further agrees with Her said Indians that within the boundary of Indian reserves, until otherwise determined by Her Government of the Dominion of Canada, no intoxicating liquor shall be allowed to be introduced or sold, and all laws now in force, or hereafter to be enacted, to preserve Her Indian subjects inhabiting the reserves or living elsewhere within Her North-west Territories from the evil influence of the use of intoxicating liquors, shall be strictly enforced."

The first Nation to Nation treaty was signed on August 4, 1701. The “Great Peace of Montreal” was a peace treaty between New France and 40 First Nations of North America. The Great Peace of Montreal was made between Louis-Hector de Callière, Governor of New France, and 1300 representatives of 40 Aboriginal nations

Many of the early treaties are described by the First Nations as “Peace and Friendship Treaties”

Many of the early treaties are described by the First Nations as “Peace and Friendship Treaties”

Between 1760 and 1923, the British Crown signed 56 land treaties with Aboriginal Peoples

As Aboriginal Peoples were strictly an oral tradition they were unable to read over the documents they signed; there may also have been a language barrier between the Agents of the Crown and the First Nation

While the Europeans recorded the agreements in documents, the First Nations recorded the details in beaded wampum belts

No two treaties are the same

Early treaties were very simple whereas modern treaties can be 1,000 pages, including appendices

While much of the central corridor of Canada is covered in historic and Numbered Treaties (1 – 11), not all First Nations have signed treaties. For instance, of the 200 bands in BC, 160 do not have treaties

Ontario is covered by 46 treaties (and other agreements such as land purchases by the Crown) signed between 1781 and 1930 .

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #94 is an adjustment to the Oath of Citizenship to include treaties:

Treaties are negotiated agreements that define the rights, responsibilities and relationships between Aboriginal groups and federal and provincial governments. The treaty system was a means by which the Crown gained sovereignty, without military intervention, over the west in order to open it up for settlers.

In return for pledging allegiance to the Crown the chiefs and their communities received promises (each Treaty is different) in exchange for the majority of their land. The Constitution Act 1982 reaffirmed and upheld all historic treaties made between 1701 and 1923, as well as modern land claim settlements.

The language in Treaty Number 6, signed in 1876 by the Plains and Woods Cree, is quite revealing as to the paternalistic attitude of the Crown. Treaty Number 6 is the only numbered treaty with a health-care clause.

The Treaty of Paris of 1783 formally ended the American Revolutionary War. American statesmen Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay negotiated the peace treaty with Great Britain. In the Treaty of Paris, the British Crown formally recognized American independence and ceded most of its territory east of the Mississippi River to the United States, doubling the size of the new nation and paving the way for westward expansion.

It states “That in the event hereafter of the Indians comprised within this treaty being overtaken by any pestilence, or by a general famine, the Queen, on being satisfied and certified thereof by Her Indian Agent or Agents, will grant to the Indians assistance of such character and to such extent as Her Chief Superintendent of Indian Affairs shall deem necessary and sufficient to relieve the Indians from the calamity that shall have befallen them.”

In the fall of 1781, American and British troops fought the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War in Yorktown, Virginia.

A combined American and French force, led by George Washington and French General Comte de Rochambeau, completely surrounded and captured British General Charles Cornwallis and about 9,000 British troops during the Siege of Yorktown.