GAINING CONTROL OF ABORIGINAL LANDS THROUGH TREATIES Main

GAINING CONTROL OF ABORIGINAL LANDS THROUGH TREATIES

Main Ideas � The Canadian government made treaties: � To obtain land to build the railway � To get land to sell to settlers � The First Nations made treaties: � Freely gave up their land � Because they had no other choice

What’s the situation? � � � More and more settlers are coming to Canada Aboriginals are stopping Europeans from settling Europeans settlers are bringing diseases (smallpox, tuberculosis, measles) Bison hunt has stopped People are starving

� � � First Nations peoples are trying to stop the settlers and fighting against them But as more settlers arrive, it is becoming difficult They realize they are not powerful enough

What Should They Do?

Government’s Offer � � � The Canadian government offers to take care of them if they give up their land live on reserves They would build schools on the reserves. They would give them farming tools, seeds, and animals. The First Nations would be able to hunt and fish on the reserves. They would give them money every year.

Cree Chief Star Blanket Can we stop the power of the white man from spreading over the land like the grasshoppers that cloud the sky and then fall to consume every blade of grass and every leaf on the trees in their path? I think not.

Cree Chief Big Bear Our big game[animals] is no more. You now own millions of acres… We have no food… We cannot work. We are tired. Feed us until we recoup our wasted bodies… We are hungry.

Treaties 1 -7 1871 -1908

Treaties 1 -7 First nations sign treaties and promise: - To give up land forever - Live on reserves - To obey laws and remain peaceful

Treaties 1 -7 Canada promised the First Nations: - To give money to each First Nations person every year - Land on the reserve to live on - They could hunt and fish on reserve land - To give them farming tools, seeds, and farm animals - To build a school on the reserve

Treaties 1 -7 The government benefitted from the treaties since: - It gave them land to build the railway - It allowed them to create farmland for settlers - It allowed them to claim and use natural resources found in the land

What is something that makes you who you are?

The Indian “Problem” � � The First Nations were a barrier to settlement of the West The government wanted to assimilate the First Nations peoples They wanted them to forget their culture, language and traditions They wanted them to live the British way of life

Indian Act 1876 � � � The government gained control over the lives of all First Nations peoples The government defined who was an Indian These people were given Indian Status Only “full-blooded” First Nations could have Indian Status Metis did not have Indian Status Those with Indian Status were not allowed to be Canadian Citizens

Effects Lost Land - The reserves were often the poorest areas for farming - The Aboriginals were not taught how to use the farm equipment - The government took back more land as time passed

Effects Wards of the State - The First Nations became the property of the government - The government sent an Indian Agent to make all their decisions and tell them what to do

Effects Residential Schools - The Canadian government and the Church ran these schools - The children were given new names - They could not speak their own language or follow Aboriginal traditions

Reflection Question The Indian Act is considered to be the worst thing ever done by the government. Agree or Disagree. Why?