Treaties Recognition Week 2020
The is a great time to to learn about the importance of the treaties and treaty relationships that shape Ontario.
Ontario observes an annual Treaties Recognition Week the first week in November. This is a time for all Canadians to learn about the importance of the treaties and treaty relationships that shape Ontario.
Ontario as we know it today exists because of treaties – they underpin the places where we live, work and learn. The Treaties are legal agreements signed more than a century ago that form the basis of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
While you may have heard the expression, “We are all treaty people” you may wonder what it means. First Nations people are the original occupants of the land now called Canada. They signed the Treaties in good faith as independent, self-governing nations with the expectation that the government would fulfill the promises they made to share the rich natural resources.
Unfortunately the government failed to act as a mutually respectful partner. Instead, the government targeted Indigenous peoples using colonial policies designed to exploit, assimilate and eradicate them.
The Ontario government is currently working to rebuild its fractured relationship with Indigenous peoples and to educate all Ontarians about the value the treaties hold.
Links to learn more:
- Check out an interactive map of Ontario treaties and reserves and Indigenous voices on treaties video series to learn about the treaties where you live, go to school or work, and find First Nation communities in Ontario.
- Join the conversation on social media by following @IndigenousON /AutochtonesON on Twitter and Facebook
- Check out #TreatyON
- https://www.ontario.ca/page/treaties
- Register for the virtual Living Library event “We are all Treaty People” on November 6, 2020 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. here
Related books in our collection:
- This is Our Territory by Gidigaa Migizi
- Surviving Canada: Indigenous Peoples Celebrate 150 Years of Betrayal by Kiera Ladner
- Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn
- Kanatsiohareke: Traditional Mohawk Indians Return to Their Ancestral Homeland by Tom Porter
- Oka: A Political Crisis and its Legacy by Harry Swain
- #Idlenmore and the Remaking of Canada by Ken Coates
- Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson
Futher resources to learn more about Treaties Recognition Week:
- Treaties Recognition Week (Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Affairs) - Resources to support learning about treaties, treaty relationships, and treaty rights that shape Ontario.
- Video series: Indigenous Voices on Treaties – Indigenous speakers share knowledge about treaties, treaty relationships and rights in Ontario.
- Map of Ontario Treaties and Reserves – Helps students identify the treaty land where they live and go to school.
- Printable resources including - A word-search, crossword puzzle and a treaties in Ontario map colouring page will be available to use and learn about treaties in a fun and interactive way
- NativeLand.ca and WhoseLand both have interactive maps of Indigenous Territories. You can download the NativeLand app and WhoseLand app to your smartphone.
- Treaties Book List (Six Nations Public Library) - This list features materials related to Treaties from the Six Nations Public Library collection. Please feel free to add any additional titles related to Treaties that may be missing.
- Treaty Education Resources (Anishinabek Nation) - Page with lesson plans and videos that complement a treaties-focused teaching guide.
- Robinson Huron Waawiindaamaagewin - Robinson Huron Treaty 1850 and YouTube
- Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation Official launch of the Moccasin Identifier. Watch this 2 mins video launch with Carolyn King, Moccasin Identifier founder and former Chief of MCFN.
- Historica Canada’s Treaties in Canada Portal (Historica) – Education guide to support classroom learning on treaties.
- James Bay Treaty Virtual Exhibit (Archives of Ontario)
- Thesis - Anishinaabe Treaty-Making in the 18th-and-19th-Century Northern Great Lakes: From Shared Meanings to Epistemological Chasms - by Dr. Alan Theodore Ojiig Corbiere
- Saturday November 7th: Inuit Day. 2019 Press Release, 2016 Press Release.
- Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: The National Representational Organization Protecting and Advancing the Rights and Interests of Inuit in Canada.