Governmental Policy in regards to the First Nations peoples

NUMBERED TREATIES

WHAT ARE THE NUMBERED TREATIES?

Eleven agreements between the Government of
Canada and First Nations peoples
Signed between 1871 and 1921
Covered

Northern Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
Parts of British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest
Territories

WHY DID THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT NEED THESE TREATIES?

Planning for Euro-Canadian settlement in the

West
First Nations peoples occupied the best
agricultural land
Needed peaceful relations between the EuroCanadian settlers and the First Nations
Afraid that they would end up in the position
of the United States

WHAT DID THEY PROMISE THE FIRST NATIONS?

Payment for signing the treaty: 3-12 dollars per
First Nations person
Annual payment of 3-5 dollars per First Nations
person
Reserve land
Creation of schools on each reserve
Hunting and fishing rights
Agricultural equipment and animals
Other various provisions

PROMISES TO THE CHIEFS

New suit of clothing every three years
Payment of $25 per year
A medal
A flag

WHAT DID THEY GET?

65 hectares of land per family of five (0.65
km2)
Schools but not on their terms
Poor quality livestock and equipment
Not enough of anything to go around
Land and animals remained property of the
government

THE STORY OF TREATY ONE

Negotiated between July 17 and August 3,
1871 at Lower Fort Garry
Between new Indian commissioner and
various First Nations communities
Simpson tells First Nations peoples that the
Queen wants to deal fairly with them
Hands down terms to the First Nations

THE STORY OF TREATY ONE (CTD.)

First Nations representatives return with their

terms
Need

more land to be self sufficient and continue

their ways

Ultimatum from the government

Immigrants

are coming either way

Recommendation that the First Nations settle
now before they are outnumbered
Treaty must be on their terms

SOME CONCESSIONS MADE

Agricultural equipment
Schools
Possibility of more land if needed
HOWEVER

The

written treaty did not include many of the

concessions made during negotiation

WHY DID THE FIRST NATIONS SIGN?

Thought treaties would protect their way of
life and traditions
Imminent extinction of the bison

Treaties

may be a way to survive through

farming

Death from smallpox

Still had better conditions than the Native
Americans in the West

RESERVES

Created by the Canadian government to

assimilate First Nations people into EuroCanadian culture

PROBLEMS WITH THE TREATIES

Too small to continue traditional ways of life
Poor land for agriculture
Oral promises not always upheld

By

European tradition, only written terms were

considered binding

Failure to enforce treaty rights

Different understandings of the terms