5 Signed, Sealed and Delivered 1871

Before the British left Canada, they signed a treaty with the First Nations. It was called Treaty 1 because it was the first time the two had written an agreement on paper.

The First Nations say they came from Asia many thousands of years ago. By the time the British came to Canada, First Nations were living all over North America. They had a strong culture. They believed that God freely gave them all the land, the animals, the trees, and foods to use. They did not understand why the British wanted to keep these things for Britain only. The First Nations had many fights with the British about land and who could live where.

Canada has three groups of native people:

The Inuit(see 1922),which means“the people.”They live in the north.At one time, Canadians called these people Eskimos which meant “raw meat eater.” The Inuit do not like this name, though. About 4% of native Canadians are Inuit.

The Métis (see 1885), which are people with a mix of both native and European ancestors. Almost 30% of the native people of Canada are Métis.

The First Nations(see 1999).These people were once called Indians because when Christopher Columbus found Canada he thought he had found India. This group is all the native people who are not Inuit or Métis. They like to be called First Nations, not Indians. This group makes up about 65% of the native people living in Canada.

When the British first came to Canada, the First Nations people welcomed them. This is their culture. The British were looking for land, furs, gold, and other things they could use back home. They did not want to share the land with the First Nations and soon the British pushed them off the land into areas called reserves. Even so, the First Nations people liked the British more than the Americans. Many crossed the border from the USA and came to live in Canada.

Although sometimes the British and the First Nations would argue, they also helped each other. The First Nations fought on the British side against the Americans. They also traded with the British. Only the First Nations were given the right to trade along the Saint Lawrence River. The First Nations found a way to put the ropes onto the tall British sailing ships. They also helped to bring British tourists to Canada who were interested in the First Nations culture.

THE BRITISH AND FIRST NATIONS SIGNING TREATY 1

Before Treaty 1 was signed, there had been other treaties between Britain and North America. These had mostly been about who had the right to live on certain parts of the land. These agreements were to be honoured by the government of Canada for all time. It made the British responsible for the health, and education of the First Nations. It made the British responsible for the rights to land and other laws. When Canada became a free country, the new government took over the responsibilities of these treaties.

Treaty 1 was the first of 11 that the British and the First Nations signed. It was signed after Canada became the Dominion of Canada(see 1867).It was an agreement signed with the Queen of Britain and two First Nations' groups called the Chippewa and the Cree Indians of Manitoba.

Some First Nations people did not want to sign the treaties. They thought that many more British would come to Canada and try to get land. They thought there might be more fighting. However, the First Nations had many problems at that time. Many were dying from illnesses that they had caught from the Europeans. Many were poor and dying from hunger. The Europeans were killing too many animals and it was hard for the First Nations to hunt for food. There had been much fighting with the Europeans and many of the natives had died in battle. The numbers of Chippewa and Cree had lessened from 1,000 to only 300.

The ones who wanted the treaty thought that the British would help them if they signed a treaty. They thought the British would give them food. They wanted the British to help them with education because they were beginning to lose their culture. Their children needed to learn. In the end, the native leaders agreed to sign.

Treaty 1 said that both sides wanted peace and good will between them. The treaty said that certain First Nations leaders, called chiefs, would have the power to make and sign agreements with the Queen in the future.

The First Nations agreed to give some of the land in Manitoba to the British. They agreed to leave this land and live on small areas of land in Manitoba called reserves. The First Nations were not to try to live on British land. They agreed not to hurt any of the British people living near them. Finally, the First Nations agreed not to bring or sell alcohol on these reserves.

The Queen agreed to support a school on each of the reserves where these groups would live in the future. She agreed that these reserve lands were not to be taken away from the native people. The Queen also agreed to give money to every person who was from these two First Nations' groups. She agreed to count the number of people living on the reserves and give each family of five some more money every July forever. The treaty said that the Queen could give blankets, clothing, fabric, rope, or animal traps instead of money if she wanted.

Once the treaty was signed, the last of the British soldiers left Canada.

Today, many First Nations people are angry at the Canadian government. They think the British did not tell them the meaning of the words in the treaty so they could fully understand. They think the government of Canada does not look after them well. They think that white people lied to them when they said: “You will always be cared for, all the time, as long as the sun walks.”