True Spirit and Original Intent of Treaty 7 PDF

by Treaty 7 Elders

Part of the McGill-Queen's Indigenous and Northern Studies series

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Description

The True Spirit and Original Intent of Treaty 7 is based on the testimony of over 80 elders from the five First Nations involved in Treaty 7 - the Bloods, Peigans, Siksika, Stoney, and Tsuu T'ina.

Their recollections highlight the grave misconceptions and misrepresentations between the two sides, due in part to inadequate interpretation and/or deliberate attempts to mislead.

The elders consistently report that the treaty as they understood it was a peace treaty, not a surrender of land, and that they had agreed to "share" the land with the white newcomers in exchange for resources to establish new economies - education, medical assistance, and annuity payments.

The book provides both a historical overview of Treaty 7 and an analysis of the literature on treaties generally and Treaty 7 specifically.

It makes clear that different agendas, different languages, and different world views affected each side's interpretation of events.

This review of the events and interpretations surrounding Treaty 7 takes place at a time when aboriginal and indigenous peoples all over the world are re-evaluating their relationships with imperial powers.

It was undertaken in good faith in hopes that it will begin a dialogue that can alter the dominant discourse of Euro-Canadian society, which has been so damaging to aboriginal people.