History of Aboriginals and Treaties

Aboriginals Treaty’s and relations Page Canada in the Making website http://www.canadiana.ca/citm/themes/aboriginals/aboriginals2_e.html accessed December 1, 2014

History of Relationship between European Settlers and Aboriginals Before Treaties

Before the European settlers arrived the Aboriginal people lived all across Canada. They formed spoken treaties with different tribes when there was a land dispute. These spoken treaties often accompanied inter tribal marriages to cement the agreement.

When the settlers arrived they brought their own ways of life and began to try and conform the aboriginals to their beliefs.

Aboriginal people in Canada page Wikipedia Website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_peoples_in_Canada accessed December 1, 2014

Fur Trade and Interactions between Aboriginals and Europeans

The beginning of the fur trade, before treaties, proved very profitable for Aboriginal people and the Aboriginals and Europeans interacted with diplomacy during their trades. They facilitated the process by adopting practices and protocols from each other. (2)

Furs, such as beaver pelts, were traded for tools such as knives and iron pots as early as 1600. The competition between tribes to trade furs with the Europeans caused fighting and almost caused the fur trade to come to a stop. (3)

A History of Treaty Making in Canada page Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Website

https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1314977704533/1314977734895 accessed on December 1, 2014Exploration the Fur Trade page on the Canadiana Website

http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/hist/hist7_e.html accessed on December 1, 2014

HBC

Our History Page HBC Website http://www2.hbc.com/hbc/history/ accessed on December 1, 2014

Fur Trade and HBC

On May 6, 1670 the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was formed by Prince Rupert who was given a Charter from the King allowing him a monopoly on the fur trade in what was then known as Rupert’s Land. The Natives delivered furs to the trading posts of the HBC and there was no competition so it was very profitable for the HBC. This relationship continued until the formation of the North West Company was formed out of Montreal and the HBC finally had some competition.

Exploration the Fur Trade page on the Canadiana Website http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/hist/hist7_e.html accessed on December 1, 2014

NWC

Northwest Company page on the Wikipedia Website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_West_Company accessed December 1, 2014

Fur Trade and NWC

The North West Company was formed in 1783 by fur traders in Montreal. This caused the NWC and the HBC to both be in competition for the same furs provided by the Aboriginals. The companies began exploring further west to find other supplies of furs. The NWC used the St. Lawrence seaway to transport furs that were collected by the aboriginals and transported from the Pacific Northwest.

Exploration the Fur Trade page on the Canadiana Website http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/hist/hist7_e.html accessed on December 1, 2014

The Voyageurs

They were the contracted employees that bundled the furs and transported them for trade for the HBC and NWC. They would travel overland and by canoe, whatever was required to ensure they delivered their furs. There were two types of voyageurs, the ones that came from Montreal “Montreal Men” or the ones from the north “North men”. The Montreal Men paddled from Montreal to Grand Portage and back. While the North men wintered in the interior and then brought their furs down to Grand Portage.

The Voyageurs page McGill University Website http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/nwc/history/08.htm accessed on December 1, 2014

The Voyageurs

Voyageurs page Wikipedia Website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyageurs#mediaviewer/File:Charles_Deas_-_Voyageurs.jpg accessed on December 1, 2014

The Indian Act

The Indian Act of 1876 was an attempt to consolidate all legislation that covered the relationship between Canada and Aboriginal people. It was supposed to protect the land that the First Nations people still possessed but in the wording of the Act the title of the land still belonged to the Crown. The goal of the Crown was to assimilate the First Nations People and have them adopt the lifestyle of the Europeans. This Act virtually eliminated all of the powers of the First Nations People. It outlined how they would live, including how their children would be educated, how they would run their governments and even what would happen to their estates when they died.

Legislation concerning Canada’s First Peoples Page Canada’s First Peoples Websitehttp://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_treaties/john_fp33_indianact.html accessed December 1, 2014

Residential Schools

Aboriginal leaders agreed to the Residential Schools because they hoped that their children would be educated and be able to learn the skills that would assist them in becoming a part of the society of the newcomers to Canada. The goal of the Europeans was to fully integrate the children of the First Nations People and assimilate them into European culture, virtually eliminating the cultures of the First Nations Peoples. These were custodial schools where the Children were sent there and lived there without returning to their families. They were taught English and French and were forced to live in a Christian community. The children were punished for speaking their native language and were often without proper food or clothing. While there were instances of children being content, or even happy, in the schools, the majority of them were not and it caused many ongoing issues in their lives.

Residential Schools Page Canadian Encyclopedia websitehttp://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools/ accessed December 1, 2014

Residential Schools

Residential Schools Page Canadian Encyclopedia websitehttp://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools/ accessed December 1, 2014

Historical Imperialism page on the Rocky mountain AB websitehttp://moodle2.rockyview.ab.ca/mod/book/view.php?id=57332&chapterid=32433 accessed December 1, 2014

Treaty Number Six

Treaty Number Six was first signed in August of 1876 with adhesions signed in 1898. The treaty was signed by the Plain and Wood Cree, the Assiniboine and the Indians of the Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt and Battle River. The area of the treaty was what is currently Saskatchewan and Alberta with the 1898 adhesion adding a portion of Manitoba. The Natives signed the treaty because their traditional food of Buffalo was getting scarce and they were scared of starvation. They were also beginning to be infected by the small pox epidemic. The First Nations signed over most of their land to the Crown. They managed to retain some portions of land as “reserves” which could only be taken or sold by the Crown with approval of the First Nations People.

Treaty Number 6 page Wikipedia Websitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_6 accessed December 1, 2014

Treaty Number Six

Each family received 4.45 sq. miles of land that they could keep or sell back to the government for compensation as well as receiving money. Each person received $12 and an additional $5 per year. The chief received a salary of $25 per year along with a horse and harness and two carts or one wagon. The people would also get $1500 for ammunition and fishing net twine each year as well as families receiving agricultural tools. The First Nations People were also promised $1000 per year for the first 3 years after a reserve was surveyed at the Indian Agent’s discretion.

Treaty Number 6 page Wikipedia Websitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_6 accessed December 1, 2014

Treaty Number Six

Other selling points of the treaty were that the Indian Agent would keep a Medicine Chest at his home for the use of the people, and the government guaranteed assistance for relief of famine and pestilence.

Most of these promises by the government were not kept leaving the first Nations people mostly reliant on government support and relatively helpless.

Treaty Number 6 page Wikipedia Websitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_6 accessed December 1, 2014

Treaty Number Six

Search of Images for Treaty 6 Google search http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/cantreaty/treaty6map.html accessed on December 1, 2014

Saviours or Scam Artists

The question of whether or not those people that negotiated treaties with Aboriginals were Saviours or Scam artists is not quite so black and white. I believe that those people that negotiated with First Nations people believed that what they were doing was the right thing. They believed that they were helping the Aboriginals and providing them what they needed to survive. They didn’t consider that what they were promising would permanently damage the Indians way of life.

The Government took the lands that the Aboriginals promised them and did what they felt they had a right to do with the lands, unfortunately they did not fulfill their promises to the Indians. The First Nations People, while they may have suffered without signing the treaties, they suffered after they signed them as well. However, the government made the decisions and they weren’t necessarily made by the men that signed the treaties on their behalf. The men signing the treaties likely believed that the Indians would get what they were promised.

The government is the body of people that were the Scam Artists at this time. The men that signed the treaties on behalf of the government believed they were saviours. In the end I believe that the only way the First Nations People would have continued to prosper in Canada would be for the Europeans to never settle in Canada to begin with.