Treaty Fundamentals
This core concept, deeply held by First Nations, views land as a gift from the Creator to be respected and shared, rather than owned.
What is the sharing of land (or land as a gift)?
Issued in 1763, this British proclamation recognized First Nations as distinct nations with extensive land rights, prohibiting private land purchases.
what is the Royal Proclamation of 1763
In many Indigenous creation stories, this animal's shell is often used to represent Turtle Island, or North America.
What is a turtle?
This term describes vast areas of Canada that were never formally included in any treaties.
What is unceded land?
This educator from Peguis First Nation served as the guest editor for the "We Are All Treaty People" issue of Kayak magazine.
Who is Cynthia Bird?
Beyond written documents, this crucial element of treaty-making encompasses all verbal promises and understandings exchanged between parties.
What are spoken words or oral tradition?
This 1645 wampum belt treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch symbolized two distinct peoples travelling side-by-side without interference.
What is the Guswentha (or Two-Row Wampum Treaty)?
These small, tube-shaped beads, crafted from shells of water creatures, were woven into patterned belts to record and symbolize treaty agreements.
What are wampum?
The Canadian Parliament buildings are situated on the unceded traditional territory of this specific First Nation.
Who are the Algonquins of Ontario?
The fictional story "Del's Truck" draws inspiration from a landmark B.C. land rights case named after this Gitxsan Chief.
Who is Earl Muldoe Delgamuukw?
The magazine emphasizes that understanding treaties is vital for all citizens of this country to reflect on their shared history and how they have benefited.
What is Canada (or being Canadian)?
This significant 1701 agreement brought an end to years of conflict over fur trade interests between the French and approximately 40 different First Nations.
What is the Great Peace of Montreal?
This sacred ceremony, involving the sharing of a specific object, was performed to invite the Creator to witness and bless treaty promises.
What is a pipe ceremony?
In 2014, Canada's Supreme Court affirmed this British Columbia First Nation's ownership of its traditional territory because no treaty had ever been made.
Who are the Tsilhqot'in Nation?
This massive hydroelectric development in northern Quebec in the 1970s sparked a major legal battle and ultimately led to Canada's first modern treaty.
What is the James Bay Project?
These annual payments, often small sums of money, were promised to First Nations as a symbolic gift of appreciation from the Crown.
What are annuities?
These treaties, signed between 1725 and 1779 primarily in the Maritimes, secured First Nations' rights to hunt, fish, and practice spiritual beliefs without requiring land surrender.
What are the Peace and Friendship Treaties?
The "Shake on It" medal, first issued in 1873, depicted a First Nations leader shaking hands with this specific type of British official.
Who is a British officer?
These designated areas of land were set aside for First Nations through treaties, often with the understanding that they would maintain their traditional ways of life there.
What are reserves?
Signed in 1993, this comprehensive agreement is recognized as the largest land claim settlement in Canadian history, leading to the creation of a new territory.
What is the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement?
This phrase, central to the magazine's theme, encourages reflection on the interconnectedness of all people and the land within treaty relationships.
What is "We Are All Treaty People"?
Covering vast regions of Canada from 1871 to 1921, these 11 treaties were seen by the Crown as land surrenders, but by First Nations as agreements to share resources and land.
What are the numbered treaties?
The magazine notes that the symbols accompanying page numbers are these, representing an animal associated with a First Nations family group or clan.
What are totems?
Enacted in 1876, this federal policy significantly centralized control over and regulated the lives of First Nations people across Canada.
What is the Indian Act?
This Cree Chief initially resisted Treaty 6 for seven years, fearing it would destroy his people's way of life, but eventually signed due to the disappearance of bison.
Who is Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear)?