JavaScript disabled or chat unavailable.
Covers Indigenous arts and culture with especial focus on traditional ecological knowledge.
News website dedicated to covering Indigenous news in Atlantic Canada.
Windspeaker one of the oldest Indigenous newspapers in Alberta. Founded in 1983, it's a national outlet that also publishes several other Indigenous newspapers.
"For as long as the sun shines, the grasses grow and the rivers flow..."
The art and phrase symbolise that the intent and provisions of the treaties do not end. Hence, treaty promises were made to last as long as nature itself.
Art by Andrew Workman
Elder's Treaty 6 Testimony
“When we finally agreed to the treaty, the Commissioner took the promises in his hand and raised them to the skies, placing the treaties in the hands of the Great Spirit.”
Art by Carl Ray (Communication, 1982)
MHC Librarians designed this guide with two goals in mind:
Reconciliation through education: First, we act on the fact that our willingness to learn from the past determines our present, and our present carves out our future. Therefore, throughout this guide we provide access to sources that raise awareness of Canada’s dark history of abuse in residential schools, and its impact on contemporary communities. As said by former Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) Chair, The Honourable Murray Sinclair, “Education is what got us into this mess and education is key to getting us out of it.”
Identifying contemporary Indigenous voices: Second, what it’s like to live as an Indigenous person in Canada today? In order to answer that question, we included Indigenous knowledges and scholarship in the form of written and audiovisual accounts that chronicle the experience of Indigenous men and women in a variety of fields, including artists, entrepreneurs, and scholars; the sources reflect the diverse perspectives within Métis, Inuit and First Nations communities.
Image: Monument to aboriginal war veterans in Ottawa by Padraic Ryan licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
What is a treaty?
A treaty is a binding agreement, a pact, and a promise. In the Canadian context, most treaties were done through traditional Indigenous ceremonies. Treaties have the aim to allow for mutual coexistence and reciprocity between the Government of Canada, Indigenous groups, settlers in provinces and territories, as well as newcomers. Treaties outline benefits and obligations on all sides (Government of Canada, 2020).
The Numbered Treaties:
In Canada there are eleven numbered treaties that were made between the British Crown (later Canada) and First Nations from 1871 to 1921, with Treaties 6, 7 and 8 encompassing most of Alberta (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2016).
Image: The map outlines Canada's numbered treaties courtesy of Canada's History
We Are All Treaty People:
(Gakina Gidagwi’igoomin Anishinaabewiyang). Understanding the spirit and intent of theTreaties matters to all of us. Settler colonialism has left scars through time: to this day, there are misconceptions that push some non-Indigenous people to believe that only Indigenous peoples are part of treaties, but in reality, both parties are part of a treaty. All people in Alberta are treaty people. (Duhamel, 2018; University of Saskatchewan, n.d.).
Thus, Medicine Hat College honors and acknowledges that we are situated on Treaty 7 and Treaty 4 territory. Traditional lands of the Siksika (Blackfoot), Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Peigan), Stoney-Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina (Sarcee) as well as the Cree, Sioux, and the Saulteaux bands of the Ojibwa peoples. We also honor and acknowledge that we are on the homelands of the Métis people.