Lesson 12 — Activity 2 (B): Further Consequences of Imperialism
Lesson 12 — Activity 2 (B): Further Consequences of Imperialism
The Land
Indigenous peoples and the Europeans had differing ideas about the use and possession of land. The Europeans regarded the land in Canada as all open and could therefore be occupied. Indigenous peoples often wished to discuss sharing access to lands and resources. Over time, attempts to solve these differences were done first with alliances and then with treaties, and finally with legislation.
Treaties
Treaties began with the signing of peace and friendship treaties. These first treaties were not about land, they were regarding cooperation. In 1850, land and surrender treaties began to be negotiated in Upper Canada. From 1871 through 1921, numbered treaties 1 through 11 were signed across western Canada and in parts of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The comprehensive land claims (treaty) process began in 1975.
The treaties were agreements that set out promises between the government and Indigenous peoples. Most of the agreements described exchanges where Indigenous groups agreed to share some of their interests in lands in return for various payments and promises.
The major treaties affecting Alberta were as follows:
Treaty 6 (1876) — This treaty gave each family land, annual payments, famine and disease assistance, education, and a medicine box.
Treaty 7 (1877) — This treaty covered education, hunting and fishing rights, reserves and tribes, farming rights, and annual payments.
Treaty 8 (1899) — This treaty was similar to Treaty 6 and Treaty 7, but the land that was covered was much larger.
Treaty 6 (1876) — This treaty gave each family land, annual payments, famine and disease assistance, education, and a medicine box.
Treaty 7 (1877) — This treaty covered education, hunting and fishing rights, reserves and tribes, farming rights, and annual payments.
Treaty 8 (1899) — This treaty was similar to Treaty 6 and Treaty 7, but the land that was covered was much larger.
When the Canadian government signed these treaties, they believed that it was securing the transfer of lands from Indigenous peoples to the government.
In exchange for giving up their title to the land and other rights, Indigenous peoples would be given money and other benefits in return. These treaties promised reserve lands, hunting and fishing rights, money, annual payments, and assistance with education, medical care, and agricultural machinery to the Indigenous people. However, not all of the promises made by the government were respected.
The Indigenous view of the treaties was very different. They believed what the government representatives told them — that the marks scratched on parchment were what they had talked about. They were angered and dismayed to discover later that what had been pledged in words, leader to leader, was not recorded accurately.
They accepted the government as a protector who could be called on to safeguard their interests and enforce treaty agreements. They had no notion of giving up their land, a concept foreign to Indigenous cultures.
"In my language, there is no word for 'surrender.' There is no word. I cannot describe 'surrender' to you in my language, so how do you expect my people to [have] put their X on 'surrender'?" – Chief Francois Paulette, Treaty 8 Tribal Council, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Source: People to People, Nation to Nation: Highlights from the Report of the Royal Commission on Indigenous Peoples. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2007, and courtesy of the Privy Council Office.(Adapted from K&E Studio)
There were many harmful affects on Indigenous peoples after the signing of these treaties, including:
- They were forced to move to reserve lands, often the poorest areas for agriculture.
- Freedom of movement was restricted, and the people were confined to reserves rather than being free to follow their traditional migratory lifestyle.
- People designated as Indigenous peoples by the government did not having voting rights or participation in government.
- Relations with the North West Mounted Police deteriorated as a result of conflicts regarding treaties.
- The railroad, increase in immigrant population, and farms eroded hunting habitats and made it less possible to survive on hunting and fishing.
Legislation
The Indian Act was established in 1876. It covered three main areas: land, membership, and local government. It:
• combined all previous Indian legislation
• defined Indian status
• gave the superintendent general control of Indian affairs.
The Indian Act was changed over the years, often to restrict what
Indigenous peoples could and could not do. For example:
• in 1884, the Indian Act was changed to outlaw cultural
and religious ceremonies, such as the potlatch
• in 1927, the Canadian Parliament changed the Indian Act
to make it illegal for Indigenous peoples to pay lawyers to
prosecute a claim without the consent of the government
Finally, on June 28, 1985, the Canadian Parliament passed Bill C-31,
an amendment to the Indian Act. This bill gave Indigenous peoples the same rights and freedoms as other Canadians, as described in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This bill brought about four major changes:
• removal of discrimination
• restoration of status and membership rights
• more control for Indian bands over their own affairs
• status to Indian women and their minor children who had married non-Indians