Treaties in Canada have always been an integral part of the history of settlement, used to define the rights of the Aboriginal peoples of this land and the right of the Canadian government to use those aforementioned lands. However, a number of arrangements between the government and the First Nations peoples they negotiated with often seemed one-sided and unfairly biased towards the former whilst subjugating the latter. Most prominent among these were the 11 Numbered Treaties, a series of contracts made between the Aboriginal peoples of the Prairies and the newly established Government of the Dominion of Canada. Although it might not seem like it now, both sides had many reasons that influenced their decisions to sign, for they all wanted the best possible deal for their futures. The Government of Canada thought that that was the ownership of the vast majority …show more content…
In order for these goods to benefit the general population, settlements had to be made in the Prairie lands, in what is now known as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Many government officials viewed European homesteads on Aboriginal lands as “God’s intent”. Unfortunately for them, European settlement of the prairies could not begin until treaties were created and signed by the Aboriginal peoples that possessed the land at the time. The negotiations the two groups had over the terms of the arrangement resulted in the government accumulating the lion's share of the land, with only a little left to the peoples who had previously lived there. The acres of land given to the First Nations peoples as reserve seemed like a small price to pay for relative peace in the west, and would let Canada prevent war, which would potentially cost them over 20 million dollars per year. In this way, the numbered treaties would expand Canada’s economy, eliminate the Aboriginal people’s right to land and reduce their power, and allow Europeans to settle the
The indigenous population in the geographical location of western Canada had their land officially taken over in 1869. (Daschuk 79) From then on, even with multiple treaties signed, the aboriginal people in this area and on the plains were ravaged with disease, fighting, famine and theft of land from the Canadian government. In this paper, I will first present a summary of James Daschuk’s two chapters outlining the issues stated above, and then an internal critique of the chapters, and, finally, an external critique of the chapters, comparing and contrasting it to Sidney Harring’s ““There Seemed to Be No Recognized Law”: Canadian Law and the Prairie First Nations’. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight and analysis on the aboriginal issues raised by Daschuk.
For this essay, I will be primarily focusing on the Williams treaty(ies) of 1923. The treaties outlined within the Williams agreements primarily affected these communities which; Alderville, Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Scugog, Georgina Island, Beausoleil, Mnjikaning, and the Mississauga’s of the New Credit First Nation (Switzer, 2012). The Treaty focused and affected Indigenous nations right to the land for hunting and fishing, which can be directly related to the health and eating habits of the nations. The Williams treaty was signed in 1923 and was originally made to rectify disagreements and discrepancies that were caused by the numbered treaties, The Williams treaties include and encompasses parts of treaty twenty. Overall the Williams treaties
The Confederation movement was gaining popularity as Canada progressed towards the end of 19th century and John Macdonald’s government was looking to acquire Rupert’s Land from Hudson’s Bay Company in order to create the Dominion of Canada. The reasoning given behind this acquisition was that Canada wished to create an amalgamation of British North American territories in order to establish a Canadian Confederation. Although the government publicly expressed only the political reasoning behind their interest in acquiring Rupert’s land, on a deeper analysis it can be understood that the political action of acquiring this land has infact been fuelled by economic motivations. In this essay, I will show that the economic significance of Rupert’s
After all these decades, they are still in the first half of the process, and this isn 't something that keeps the nation patient. Land claims are a long process, and it will still take decades, before there is a final resolution. These land claims relate to globalization by the Innu nation wanting the Canadian government to give them their rights. This cause two nations to come together and form a reasonable solution. The Innu needs as much support that they can receive to help fund research.
In the 1880s, there were only about one thousand non-indigenous people living in the North west. By the mid 1890s, the resources brought in many settlers from the United States, Europe and other parts of Canada. In 1901, the population was raised up to seventy-three-thousand(2), but some people in the government argued that the population wasn’t high enough to build provinces(1). The argument was over by 1905 , and by the time the two provinces were built, there was three-hundred-and-seventy-three-thousand
Essay Outline The human race that inhabited the lands earlier than anyone else, Aboriginals in Canada had conquered many obstacles which got them to what they are today. In the past, Canadian Aboriginals have dealt with many gruesome issues that primarily involved the Canadians opposing them or treating them like ‘‘wards.’’ The Indian Act is a written law which controls the Indian’s lives and it is often amended several times to make Indian lives either peaceful or cruel but especially, cruel. Aboriginals found the Indian Act a massive problem in their lives due to it completely controlling them and how they lived on their reserve.
(pg. 686) As America expanded westward to pursue a “special ‘destiny’ to settle, develop, and dominate the entire continent,” they invaded the territory promised to Native Americans. (pg. 680, pg. 686) Promises made to Indians that they would keep and own their land in the West without worrying about trespassers were consistently broken by “buffalo hunters, miners, ranchers, farmers, railroad surveyors, and horse soldiers.”
“Britain obtained Newfoundland, Acadia, and the Hudson Bay region of northern Canada from France...” (Henretta, Jarnes A; Edwards, Rebecca; Self, Robert O; 2012) With Britain now in control of Acadia Consequences arose for the most of them. The British wanted them to sign an unconditional oath of loyalty, forcing them to be loyal to Britain. The Acadians were opposed to being loyal to Britain and wanted to maintain their neutrality and alliance to the Mi’kmaqs. Instead, they “negotiated a conditional oath that promised neutrality with the Nova Scotia Governor Richard Philipps to the Board of trade of London in 1720.”
By providing land as well as the ability run their reservation. Native Americans are in some ways not subject to some of the laws that most others are. I still believe that even with all of those attempted fixes this community will never be the same. With all that is offered, I still believe that it continues and furthers the separation from this country as they must have felt for the things that they suffered. Because of that identity they suffer in ways would not imagine, they are cared for in all aspects by their own and if that is not available it appears that they fall through the crack of life, that is not good for
More conflict arose because the government didn’t stop coal miners from entering and mining on the sacred and sustainable lands of the indians, disregarding the treaty. Although the government attempted to buy the lands, the Sioux were reluctant in giving sacred lands to greedy miners moving westward. Rather than keeping peace as the treaties were intended to, they caused more conflict amongst the settlers and
In 1871, the first treaty was signed in Fort Garry, Manitoba. This treaty set the tone for the rest of the treaties that the Crown made with the First Nations People. Although the treaties were written documents there was a vastly different understanding with what the First Nations understood and what the Crown understood. The First Nations people had a vastly different understanding of what the treaties they signed actually said and what they thought they said. To the First Nations people they were agreements to secure their recognition of their tenure in a time of tumultuous change, secure new relationships between nations, and to gain a new trade partner.
Institutional and historical analysis often portray the motives of governments, especially in the cases of Quebec separatism and Aboriginal mistreatment. History describes attempts at compromise to rectify the problems by altering political institutions to provide more autonomy to the provinces, witness in various accords and the methods described previously. However, in regards to Aboriginals a historical relationship of exploitation and eradication sheds on the systemic issues that Aboriginals cope with and the institutions that caused them. As scholars of Canadian politics, it is important to consider historical and institutional analyses when looking at any issue, as it reveals the underlying motives of actors in regards to the cleavages that comprise a state.
First of all, Native Americans were settled on a hotbed of natural resources which included oil and precious metals such as silver and gold. There was also much fertile land that would entice farmers and frontiersmen to move out west. On this land there was so much potential economic opportunity for farmers, cattle drivers, miners and many other occupations. The government developed the popular public misconception that the indians were misusing the land and that Americans had the right to take advantage of the opportunities that lie in the west. These ideas led to the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 which authorized encroachment of Indian lands by the US government in order to divide up reservations and control Indian activity.
By doing this, colonial Canadians assumed that aboriginal cultural and spiritual beliefs were invalid in relation to European beliefs (244). The problem with ridding the First Nations Peoples of their languages, as Williston points out is to “deprive them of the sense of place that has defined them for thousands of years” (245). The private schooling system was an attack on First Nations identities, and their identity is rooted in “a respect for nature and its processes” (245).
Indigenous people are restricted to small lands without the establishment of a plan, infrastructure, or economy. The destruction of the traditional way of life, combined with the lack of organization, the establishment of reserves lead to poor people to prepare. Many indigenous people died due to the lack of housing, food, health care, and money. In order to make the problem worse, the Canadian government put forward strict restrictions on the relief efforts of the reserve, resulting in a higher level of