Treaties in Canada Education Guide

Note to Educators In helping students determine the historical significance of a given event, refer to the criteria provided by The Historical Thinking Project.

Historical significance: TIMELINE ACTIVITY

1.

Each of the events selected for the timeline is important for exploring the significance of treaties in Canada. Select 5 events from the timeline that you feel are central in representing the legacy of treaties in Canada. Rank the events you selected, with the most significant event at the top. In your notes, create a chart like the one below to explain the significance and legacy of the top 5 events you selected. Identify any changes on the timeline that are intended to improve the enduring legacy of Indigenous treaties. Look at the changes you identified. Which change do you feel is most significant? For whom?

Students can review the timeline, choose 5–10 difficult words, and write their own definitions. Next, have students pick 3 entries from the timeline and rewrite them in their own words. Ask them to explain why they think these events are important in the history of treaties. // MODIFICATIONS

The Two Row Wampum ( Kaswentha ) records the agreement made in 1613 between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch. Both sides agreed to respect each other’s cultures and to never interfere in each other’s affairs (courtesy of Six Nations Legacy Consortium and Six Nations Public Library vitacollections.ca/ sixnationsarchive/ 2687087/data?n=3).

2.

3.

4.

Identify two perspectives or events that should be included on the timeline and justify your choices.

EVENT

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED

DEPTH OF IMPACT How significant was this event? How deeply has it affected the people involved?

DURATION OF IMPACT How long has the impact of this event lasted?

Treaty 11 1921

TREATY RESEARCH ACTIVITY

1.

Select a treaty (consider your local area if you live in a treaty territory). Working in a group, conduct some research and identify 3 people or events from the time of the treaty’s negotiation that might have had an impact on its creation. What was going on in the area that might have had an impact on the treaty-making process? Use the research you did in Question 1 to think about what motivated your particular treaty. What was the process of making the treaty? It is often said, “We are all treaty people.” Have a class discussion. Ask: How universal is this statement? What makes you a treaty person today? Who benefits from the treaty you are researching, and how?

2.

Treaty 8 1899

Treaty 5 1908

Treaty 10 1906

Douglas Treaties

3.

Treaty 6 1889

Treaty 6 1876

Douglas Treaties

Treaty 5 1875

Treaty 7 1877

Douglas Treaties

Treaty 2 1871

Treaty 4 1874

Treaty 3 1873

// MODIFICATIONS

Treaty 1 1871

Place students in strategic groups for peer support, and have them write short point-form paragraphs explaining the key points of the treaty they have selected. Have them fill out a 5Ws chart to assist with reading comprehension.

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