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Spirit and Intent
Understanding Aboriginal Treaties
e-brochure
[PDF 721 KB] Download Freeware
September 24, 2007 to March 24, 2008
9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Free admission
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
The spirit and intent of the agreements and treaties negotiated between Canada's Aboriginal peoples and the French state or British Crown, and subsequent Canadian governments, has changed over time.
The visions and values of the parties involved and the scope of the treaty terms deliberated have evolved from fur-trading partnerships, to peace and friendship accords, to strategic military alliances, to the granting of access to lands and resources, to territorial rights and land claims settlements.
The voices behind these agreements have also changed, but the treaty relationship itself has proven to be permanent.
Treaty documents and artifacts are among our most precious Canadian heritage records. Wampum, parchments, manuscripts and maps, totems, seals, signatures and stamps -- all are evidence of decisions that have shaped our country and its peoples.
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/whats-on/index-e.html
Pre-Contact Traditions
Although Aboriginal peoples and Europeans had their own distinct history of treaty making prior to contact, the two societies approached and negotiated agreements in very different ways.
Peace and Friendship Accords
Trade ties were the basis for the Aboriginal-European alliances that became prominent in the late 1600s as a result of the peace and friendship treaties. Aboriginal peoples and Europeans welcomed the strategic advantages that these treaties provided.
Commercial Compacts
Within a short time, newcomers to North America learned that they had to establish formal ties with the Indigenous peoples to acquire furs. They established commercial treaties with Aboriginal suppliers -- treaties that followed Aboriginal trade customs.
Territorial Treaties
In the late 18th century, as the pace of agricultural settlement quickened and settler society expanded, treaties concerning ownership and use of land began to replace commercial and diplomatic agreements.
Living Agreements
Although treaties were not signed in Canada between 1923 and 1975, treaty implementation issues continued to arise. Aboriginal peoples protested government failures to fulfill treaty promises and petitioned to resume the treaty-making process.
Guest Curators
Dr. John Borrows, PH.D., FRSC
Professor and Law Foundation Chair of Aboriginal Justice and Governance, University of Victoria
Professor Borrows is Anishinabe and a member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation
Dr. J.R. (Jim) Miller, PH.D., FRSC
Professor of History and Canada Research Chair in Native-Newcomer Relations, University of Saskatchewan
Reading Advisory Committee
Library and Archives Canada thanks the members of the Reading Advisory Committee for their advice and input on the exhibition texts.
Readers
Dr. Blair Stonechild, Professor of Indigenous Studies, First Nations University of Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan
Dr. Gordon Christie, Professor of Law, University of British Columbia
Dr. Nicole St-Onge, Professor of History, University of Ottawa
Library and Archives Canada also thanks the following for contributing documents and artifacts to the exhibition:
- Canadian Museum of Civilization
- Canadian War Museum
- Currency Museum
- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
- Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg
- Office of the Treaty Commissioner for Saskatchewan
Other Related Resources
Aboriginal Documentary Heritage: Historical Collections of
the Canadian Government
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/aboriginal-heritage/index-e.html
Canadian Genealogy: Aboriginal Peoples
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.003-e.html
Indian Reserves -- Western Canada
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/indian-reserves/index-e.html
Orders-in-Council
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/orders/index-e.html
Treaty 8: 1899-1999
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/treaty8/index-e.html
"An exhibition of the sacred Treaties between First Nations and the Crown is significant for it reinforces the salient point that First Nations have a unique/distinct place in Canada that is enshrined into the Constitution of Canada."
Ryan Rice, Chair, Aboriginal Curatorial Collective
