The eleven Numbered Treaties are a series of documents made between 1871 and 1921. These treaties were between the Canadian government and the Indigenous People of Canada. The treaties gave the government the land for industrial development and settlements, while giving the Indigenous special rights to hunting, fishing, treaty lands, cash payments, supplies and things to help increase the quality of life. These treaties were made both orally and in written pen and paper, meaning that not all of the negotiations were understood and some were misinterpreted by both the indigenous people and the Canadian government. These treaties took place in Canada from Northern Ontario, to Southern Manitoba and from The Rocky Mountains to north of Yukon and …show more content…
the northwest territories. The first of the 11 numbered treaties was signed on August 3rd 1871 between the Anishinabek, Swampy Cree of southern Manitoba and the Canadian government. The second treaty followed right after on August 21 1871 between Anishinabek of southern Manitoba and Canadian government. For Canadian officials, this treaty was a way to facilitate settlements and the assimilation of indigenous people. For aboriginal people the treaties were used to protect their traditional lands and livelihoods. These two treaties left a load of unresolved issues due to miss-communication and different understandings leading into the following treaties. The third treaty in the 11 numbered treaties was signed on October 3rd 1873, two years after any prior treaties. This treaty was between the Saulteaux tribe of the Ojibwa peoples and the Canadian government. Treaty 11 took place in northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba. The treaty gave the Ojibwa various goods and rights to hunting, fishing, and natural resources on reserve lands and gave the Canadian government access to Saulteaux lands. The Government needed this access to the land as they were making a road and waterway system that stretched out between Lower fort Garry in Manitoba all the way to northwestern Ontario by thunder bay. This system was planned to go right through Saulteaux territory and was needed by the Canadian government. The terms and conditions of this treaty set standards for the next nine numbered treaties. Treaty four was signed at Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan on September 15th 1874. The indigenous people included the Cree, bands of the Ojibwa peoples and the Assiniboine. This treaty was an exchange of payments, provisions and rights to certain reserved lands, it was such a harsh treaty that it caused the indigenous involved to practically give up. This treaty was the first that was brought to the government by indigenous people rather than the government bringing it to the indigenous people. This was because of the disappearance of the buffalo and the western settlement threatened the ingenious people in western Canada but since the government had already gotten what they wanted, the treaty didn’t turn out good for the indigenous people. Treaty five was signed in 1875 by the federal government, Ojibwa and the swampy Cree of lake Winnipeg. This treaty had terms that had an ongoing legal and socioeconomic effect on these communities. The communities had heard about other indigenous nations receiving economic assistance, provision of tools and protection. The government did have an interest in opening up Lake Winnipeg region for future development but it wasn’t enough to make it worthwhile to the Canadian government. Treaty 6 was signed by the Crown and representatives of Cree, Assiniboine and Ojibwa leaders. It took place at Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan on August 23rd 1876 and at fort Pitt, Saskatchewan on September 9th 1876. This treaty was signed as Indigenous people expressed interest in negotiating a treaty that gave their land protection from the settlement of outsiders on their lands, and also the concern of starvation as the buffalo were diminishing. Treaty 7 was signed on September 22nd 1877 by Five Nations: The siksika, kainai, piikani, stoney-nakoda, tsuut’ina. The treaty was put into place as the government needed to construct the railway and future settlements so the government considered it needed to release the aboriginal title to the land. Treaty 8 was finished on the 21st of June, 1899 by the first nations of lesser slave lake area and the Crown.
This treaty covered roughly 841,487 km2 of what was known as north-west territories and British Columbia. This treaty is now on land that which includes Alberta and Saskatchewan making it the largest treaty by area. This treaty was mainly brought to light because of the Klondike gold rush, where the Canadian government took it under their control.
Treaty 9 is the one of the 11 post –Confederation numbered treaties. It covers present day Ontario north of Lake superior. The reason for treaty 9 was to purchase the interests of resident Cree and Ojibwa peoples to make way for settlement and resource development. This treaty like many others had cash treaty payments, the creation of reserves, education and hunting, fishing and trapping rights.
Treaty 10 covers nearly 220,000 km2 of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Treaties have already covered portions of these provinces so therefore the government was reluctant to claim land that wasn’t needed by them, even though there had been several requests from indigenous communities for a treaty. It wasn’t until 1905 that the government felt forced to act, and until 1906-1907 that it actually was signed. When they did sign it, it was because the government needed to create the provinces of Alberta and
Saskatchewan. Treaty 11 is the last of the numbered treaties and took place in 1921. This treaty covered over more than 950,000 km2 of current day Yukon, northwest territories and Nunavut. The conditions of this treaty still have legal and socioeconomic impacts on Indigenous people. The Canadian government again would only sign off on the treaty when it was very much so in their favor, once gas and oil from the Mackenzie region sparked the governments interest they hastily negotiated with weak terms. These weak terms led to disagreement between the parties because of what had not been fulfilled. These 11 numbered treaties have overall, had a negative effect on the indigenous communities. These treaties have been very bad for the communities but I don’t think they would be better off not signing them. The Canadian government would of took what they wanted anyways. Now that the Canadian government knows what they did wrong and have the resources to fix it, they should. Supporting clean running water, proper housing to live in and anything else needed for a decent quality of life.
The Meech Lake accord was a set of constitutional amendments that were designed to persuade Quebec Province to accept the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 (Brooks 152). This accord derives its name from the Meech Lake, where these negotiations were held by Mulroney Brian, the Canadian Prime Minister, and the ten premiers of the ten Canadian Provinces (Brooks 211). By the time the Canadian constitution was being implemented, Quebec was the only province that had not consented to it. Somehow, the partition of the constitution in 1982 was carried out without Quebec’s agreement, but it was still bound by the same law. Attempts were made to persuade this province to sign the constitution, which it agreed to do but only after its five demands are fulfilled by the Canadian government. Unfortunately, these demands were not met and this accord failed in 1990, when two provincial premiers failed to approve it. This paper answers the question whether Quebec asked for too much during the Meech Lake Accord negotiations.
America had a newfound fervor for land already occupied by the Indians. Although the Treaty of Paris ended the war, in the west, war continued. In the treaty the British gave up all claims to the lands, but declared the Indians still owned their lands. America thought the Indians had no real claims to the land so they made treaties to legitimize American expansion.
The journey for the Aboriginals to receive the right to keep and negotiate land claims with the Canadian government was long but prosperous. Before the 1970's the federal government chose not to preform their responsibilities involving Aboriginal issues, this created an extremely inefficient way for the Aboriginals to deal with their land right problems. The land claims created by the Canadian government benefited the aboriginals as shown through the Calder Case, the creation of the Office of Native Claims and the policy of Outstanding Business.
To begin Sprague argues that the Canadian Government disingenuously mismanaged Metis land organization. Sprague states that evidence of this can be seen in the Canadian government not allowing the Lieutenant Governor Adams G. Archibald to make changes to Section 31 and 32 of the Manitoba Act. Archibald proposed the government grant outlined in Section 31 should allocate each person of Aboriginal ancestry an allotment of “140 acres” (pg.75) of land. Archibald also suggested that the location of these allotments be in close proximity so as to “not disperse families throughout the province” (Pg. 75). Lastly Archibald proposed a suggestion in carrying out Section 32 which insured that land owned was not jeopardized during the process of confederacy. He recommended that Manitoba be recognized as an independent province such that affairs including land ownership would be dealt with on a provincial level. Therefore as Sprague argues Archibald’s words were not taken into consideration by both the governments of John A. Macdonald and Alexa...
The terms of the Treaty included the acknowledgement of Indian tribes’ asking for forgiveness and the English dominating Indian trade and commerce. There were other terms that included the English being able to use Indian land for recreational use and any “remedy or redress” (Calloway 174) being brought to justice based on English laws. Overall, the terms and language used in the treaty is used to place blame of past hostilities on the Indians. The English completely twisted the language in the treaty to favor the English and shows the Indian people as rebellious savages that were begging for forgiveness for King George and the English.
To start off, I’ll be writing about the life of people in British North America and its significance towards unifying Canada, as well as background knowledge of conflicts that existed. Life in British North America was changing at an alarming rate. New technology and services were being introduced such as railways and steamships. Industries such as building, producing and farming were being introduced. This was in part due to the many immigrants from Britain and France who’d settled. This was dreadful for the First Nations as their land had been taken away even more so than before. More resources were needed for the growing crowd so trade agreements were made. As more people came, the First Nations were even more distanced from the Europeans. Meanwhile, the French and the British wanted the other’s culture to be erased from the
The year 1907 marked the beginning of treaty making in Canada. The British Crown claims to negotiate treaties in pursuance of peaceful relations between Aboriginal peoples and non-Aboriginals (Canada, p. 3, 2011). Treaties started as agreements for peace and military purposes but later transformed into land entitlements (Egan, 2012, p. 400). The Royal Proclamation of 1763, which recognizes Indian sovereignty and its entitlement to land, became the benchmark for treaty making in Canada (Epp, 2008, p. 133; Isaac & Annis, p. 47, 48; Leeson, 2008, p. 226). There are currently 70 recognized treaties in Canada, encompassing 50 percent of Canadian land mass and representing over 600,000 First Nations people (Canada, 2013). These treaties usually have monetary provisions along with some financial benefits given by the Crown, in exchange for lands and its resources (Egan, 2012, p. 409). Its purpose should be an equal sharing of wealth that is beneficial for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginals (Egan, 2012, p. 414).
The most powerful tool an American citizen have is their power to vote. The ability to vote allows a citizen to be heard and allows them to make a change in the government. By, casting your vote you are electing a person to stand up for you and your values and speak on your behalf. This ability to vote came from the 15th amendment which states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The amendment was designed to protect the rights of the newly freed slaves after, the Civil War. Unfortunately, this amendment failed in different ways that lead to the oppression of minorities in America for almost 100
In this paper, I will analyze the amount of progress that has been made in the Native American condition in relation to U.S. government cooperation with the First Nations, with a specific focus on the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. I will begin with a brief, but comprehensive history of U.S.-Native American relations, with a focus on U.S. government policy. Next, I will conduct a case study of the Pacific Northwest, specifically dealing with how the global pressure of the Decade has impacted treaty negotiations and multi-lateral cooperation in the fishing industry, forest service, and tribal gaming. I will then discuss parallels that can be drawn from the cooperation of Maori tribes with the government of New Zealand in the last decade. Finally, I will discuss the unmet needs for the improvement of the indigenous condition, and conclude with an evaluation of the relative progress the Decade has had specifically in the United States, and more generally in the global community.
Despite the fact that these agreements were a clear violation of existing British law, they were used later to justify the American takeover of the region. The Shawnee also claimed these lands but, of course, were never consulted. With the Iroquois selling the Shawnee lands north of the Ohio, and the Cherokee selling the Shawnee lands south, where could they go? Not surprisingly, the Shawnee stayed and fought the Americans for 40 years. Both the Cherokee and Iroquois were fully aware of the problem they were creating. After he had signed, a Cherokee chief reputedly took Daniel Boone aside to say, "We have sold you much fine land, but I am afraid you will have trouble if you try to live there."
The government took several steps to prepare for immigrants in the west, for the size of a population that they wanted, a certain infrastructure was needed. In 1870 they begin buying rights to the land from the Hudson Bay Company, at the same time Britain handed the rights to much of the land to the colony. Between 1871 and 1877 the government negotiated several treaties (called the Numbered Treaties, 1-7) with the aboriginal and Métis peoples who populated the area. They created an infrastructure of laws and created the RCMP to police the area. In 1872 with the Dominion Lands Act, colonists could buy 160 acres for 10$, of which they retained full possession if they occupied the land for 3 years. They also kept some of the territories to sell at full price or use for other projects; for example, when Canadian Pacific built the railroad in 1885, the government gave them 10.4 million hectares, on top of paying them 63 500 000$ for their work and lending the company 35 000 000$.
The Indian Act was an attempt by the Canadian government to assimilate the aboriginals into the Canadian society through means such as Enfranchisement, the creation of elective band councils, the banning of aboriginals seeking legal help, and through the process of providing the Superintendent General of the Indian Affairs extreme control over the aboriginals, such as allowing the Superintendent to decide who receives certain benefits, during the earlier stages of the Canadian-Indigenous' political interaction. The failure of the Indian Act though only led to more confusion regarding the interaction of Canada and the aboriginals, giving birth to the failed White Paper and the unconstitutional Bill C-31, and the conflict still is left unresolved until this day.
Consequently, Quebecers often refer to the events of that evening as the “night of the long knives.” Ultimately, with the exception of Quebec, the provinces all agreed to a package of constitutional reforms, consisting of the patriation of the Constitution with an amending formula and a charter of rights, a commitment to equalization, the strengthening of provincial controls over natural resources, and the recognition and affirmation of the existing rights of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples.
The lives and prosperity of millions of people depend on peace and, in turn, peace depends on treaties - fragile documents that must do more than end wars. Negotiations and peace treaties may lead to decades of cooperation during which disputes between nations are resolved without military action and economic cost, or may prolong or even intensify the grievances which provoked conflict in the first place. In 1996, as Canada and the United States celebrated their mutual boundary as the longest undefended border in the world, Greece and Turkey nearly came to blows over a rocky island so small it scarcely had space for a flagpole.1 Both territorial questions had been raised as issues in peace treaties. The Treaty of Ghent in 1815 set the framework for the resolution of Canadian-American territorial questions. The Treaty of Sevres in 1920, between the Sultan and the victorious Allies of World War I, dismantled the remnants of the Ottoman Empire and distributed its territories. Examination of the terms and consequences of the two treaties clearly establishes that a successful treaty must provide more than the absence of war.
The Treaty of Waitangi is a very important document to New Zealand. It is an agreement that was drawn up by representatives of the British Crown and Maori Hapu and Iwi. It was first signed at the Bay of Islands on February 6th, 1840. There has been a lot of debate over the years about the translation of words between the English and Te Reo Maori versions of the text and the differences in the word meaning over the who languages. In this assignment I am going to cover the rights and responsibilities that the treaty contains and an explanation of the differences in wordings and I am also going to contextualise my understanding of the differences of wording against the Maori Worldview and the Declaration of Independence.