Decolonization Resources

Better understanding Treaty starts with understanding the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and settler descendants here on the land of modern-day Canada. There is a storied and complicated history in this country which TREATY ROAD begins to explore, but further context is necessary. Here we will curate resources from outside sources on topics relevant to the first season of the television series. To begin, some basic definitions of interest from third party sources are provided below.

Useful Definitions

Aboriginal: A general term that collectively refers to First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in Canada, and is found in the Canadian constitution. This distinction legalized in 1982 when the Constitution Act came into being. Section 35 (2) of the Act states, “Aboriginal Peoples of Canada” includes the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. It is broad, on one hand, because it includes all Canadian groups, but specific, on the other, in that it is not widely used in international contexts.

Colonialism: The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. Colonialism is broader in that it refers to entire countries rather than an area and adding the economic exploitation factor.

Colonization: The action or process of settling among and establishing control over the Indigenous people of an area.

Decolonization: Once viewed as the formal process of handing over the instruments of government, decolonization is now recognized as a long-term process involving the bureaucratic, cultural, linguistic and psychological divesting of colonial power.

First Nations: First Nation is one of three groupings of Indigenous people in Canada, the other two being Métis and Inuit. Unlike Métis and Inuit, most First Nations hold reserve lands. Members of a First Nation may live both on and off these reserves. While the term First Nation can describe a large ethnic grouping (e.g. the Cree Nation), in other cases it is synonymous with the term band. The term band was originally chosen by the federal government and used in the Indian Act. The word band describes smaller communities. Many First Nations prefer the term First Nation over band.

Indigenous: An umbrella term for First Nations (status and non-status), Métis and Inuit in Canada. Indigenous refers to all of these groups, either collectively or separately, and is the term used in international contexts. It is the accepted term for the first human inhabitants of this land (pre-colonial/pre-settler).

Inuit: Inuit — Inuktitut for “the people” — are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region.

Métis: Métis are one of the three recognized Indigenous peoples in Canada. To be designated Métis citizenship you must not only have a mix of Indigenous and European ancestry but specific ancestry of descendants of people who in the 19th century constituted the so-called Métis nation in the areas around the Red and Saskatchewan rivers and/or whose European ancestors came to Canada from France in the 17th or 18th century.

Treaty: The Anishinaabeg word used to explain Treaty is agowidiwinan, which means “bringing things together.” In Cree, kichi-asotamâtowin, “sacred promises to one another,” also describes the Treaty relationship. Treaty relationships were and remain an integral part of Indigenous peoples’ cultures, ways of life, and being…When European newcomers first came to what is now Canada, these Treaty relationships continued. First Nations entered into Treaty agreements — sacred promises — with Europeans as they expanded across Turtle Island…First Nations and the Crown had, and continue to have, differing interpretations of Treaties. In the past, when the Treaties were first signed, the Crown regarded Treaties as land sales or surrenders, where Indigenous peoples viewed them as agreements to share the land with newcomers and to preserve their cultures and livelihoods. From the latter’s view, Treaties were oral agreements that remain both evergreen and sacred. The written aspect of Treaties only captures one perspective: that of the Crown’s.

Other Topics & Resources of Interest

Image details: Red River Settlement 1848 by Paul Kane. Image courtesy of University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections. Retrieved from Manitoba Historical Maps.