Module 3 - Treaties Flashcards
Why is treaty education important?
Treaties are foundational to Canada’s development, legitimize settlement, and are constitutionally protected as living agreements shaping relationships between First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples.
What is a common misunderstanding about treaties?
Many view treaties as outdated documents favoring one group, rather than living agreements with mutual benefits for all Canadians.
What are treaties?
Nation-to-nation agreements that establish relationships and mutual obligations, often focusing on land use, resources, and coexistence.
What were the three main types of treaties in Canadian history?
Economic treaties – for trade.
Peace and friendship treaties – to form alliances.
Land acquisition treaties – to secure territory.
What is the significance of the Two-Row Wampum Treaty?
It symbolizes mutual respect, representing two separate groups traveling parallel paths without interfering in each other’s way of life.
What is the Royal Proclamation of 1763?
A British policy that recognized First Nations’ land rights and required land acquisition through formal agreements with the Crown.
What were the key components of the Robinson Treaties (1850)?
Reserve lands set aside.
Annual cash payments (annuities).
Hunting and fishing rights on unoccupied Crown lands.
Why were the numbered treaties (1871-1921) negotiated?
To enable western expansion and establish Canadian sovereignty while addressing First Nations’ rights and needs for economic adaptation.
What were the provisions for First Nations in the numbered treaties?
Reserve lands.
Annual payments.
Schools, farming aid, and technical support.
Protection of hunting, fishing, and trapping rights.
What benefits did non-First Nations gain from treaties?
Access to land for settlement and economic development, particularly through revenues generated from natural resources.
What are some sources of conflict in treaty interpretation?
Differing perspectives on land surrender and treaty intent.
Unfulfilled oral promises.
Government’s focus on written texts, ignoring oral understandings.
How did First Nations view the treaties?
As sacred agreements involving reciprocity, kinship, and shared access to land, intended to support cultural survival and economic adaptation.
What did the government view treaties as during negotiation?
Tools to secure Indian lands for settlement, with the belief that First Nations would eventually assimilate into Canadian society.
What did First Nations emphasize during treaty negotiations?
Aid for farming, education, and health care, while maintaining their way of life and addressing economic difficulties caused by buffalo depletion.
What is the phrase “we are all treaty people” meant to convey?
That all Canadians benefit from the treaties and share the responsibility of living in peaceful coexistence.
