B1. Treaties and Land Claim Agreements
Specific Expectations
B1.1
identify the areas of Canada that are covered by historical treaties and land claim agreements that date from prior to 1980 between various Indigenous peoples and colonial, federal, and/or provincial/territorial governments
B1.2
analyse the spirit and intent of, and processes involved in, key historical treaties between First Nations and colonial/federal governments in Canada (e.g., the Covenant Chain, the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and wampum, the Robinson-Superior and Robinson-Huron treaties of 1850, the Treaty of 1752, the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1760, the Treaty of Niagara, the Numbered Treaties)
- What was the general intent of First Nations in entering into historical treaties with the colonial or federal government? Did their intent differ from that of the governments with which they negotiated?
- Who were the legal partners negotiating the Numbered Treaties?
- How were historical treaty negotiations recorded? Which of the treaties were oral agreements? What are some ways in which the essence of the oral agreement changed when written texts of the treaty were produced?
- What are some significant differences among the historical treaties, such as the Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the Numbered Treaties, with respect to their spirit and/or intent? How might you account for these differences?
B1.3
explain the force and scope of key historical treaties between First Nations and colonial/federal governments, with reference to both their legal and cultural implications (e.g., the legal limitations placed on both First Nations and colonial/federal governments by these treaties; differences in approaches to land distribution and ownership between First Nations and colonial/federal governments, and their implications for the negotiation and enforcement of treaties; differences between early and later treaties in their impact on the lives of First Nations individuals and communities)
- Why might First Nations and colonial/federal governments have different ideas about the force and scope of a treaty?
- What implications did different views about land use/ownership have for treaty enforcement?
- What rights did First Nations surrender under the Numbered Treaties? What rights did they maintain? How did limitations on rights affect traditional ways of life?
- What was the impact of the exclusion of the Métis as a collective from most treaties?
B1.4
explain the intent, scope, and processes associated with land claim agreements prior to 1982 (e.g., with reference to the federal government’s 1973 land claims policy; the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of 1977; the Northeastern Quebec Agreement of 1978; early negotiations towards the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement)
- What was the significance of the federal government’s 1973 land claims policy and its distinction between specific and comprehensive land claims?
- What were some factors that led to the initiation of research and negotiations that ultimately resulted in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement?
