The Royal Proclamation as interpreted when read with the Treaty at Niagara. Foundational document for building Nation to Nation relationships

1. The Royal
Proclamation
& The Treaty
of Niagara
INVESTIGATING A
NATION TO NATION
RELATIONSHIP

2. THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION OF 1763
A significant
document in
Canadian History
An Early Recognition
of Aboriginal Rights
Supported by the
Treaty of Niagara

3. SOME NEW WORDS
Aboriginal title: right
to the possession of
land, based on
continuous use and
occupation
Ceded: to surrender
possession of

4. THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION’S PURPOSE
 organize Great
Britain's new North
American empire
 recognize a change
in relationships…
most First Nations
had been allied with
New France

5. ON THIS CHANGING RELATIONSHIP
“Engl ishman, al though you have conquered the French you have not
yet conquered us! We are not your slaves. These lakes, these woods
and mountains, were lef t to us by our ancestors. They are our
i n h e r i t a n c e ; a n d we w i l l p a r t w i t h t h em to n o n e… Yo u h av e v e n t u r e d
your l i fe among us, in the expectat ion that we should not molest
you. You do not come armed, wi th an intent ion to make war, you
c ome i n p e a c e , to t r a d e w i t h u s…
We shal l regard you therefore as a brother ; and you may sleep
t ranqui l ly, wi thout fear of the Chipeways. As a token of our
f r i e n d s h i p we p r e s e n t yo u w i t h t h i s p i p e to smo ke . ”
 Oj ibwa chief Minivavana speaking af ter the defeat of the French
 Find the ideas of peace, co-existence, abor iginal t i t le, and
independence.

6. THE PROCLAMATION:
A CONTINUING RELATIONSHIP
 Aboriginal & Colonial alliances had a long history
in North America. Treaties between the French,
English and Dutch traders and explorers had been
in place for hundreds of years.
 They were commercial, economic, and military in
nature.
 Aboriginal people were active participants in
negotiating terms…. Why does that matter?

7. WHAT IT SAYS
In the Royal Proclamation
“A n d w h e r e a s i t i s j u s t a n d
reasonable, and essent ial to our
Interest , and the secur i ty of our
Colonies, the several Nat ions or
t r ibes of Indians wi th whom we are
connected, and who l ive under our
Protect ion, should not be molested
or disturbed in the possession of
such par ts of our Dominions and
Ter r i tor ies as, not having been
ceded to or purchased by Us, are
reser ved to them, or any of them,
a s t h e i r H u n t i n g G r o u n d s . ”
 Abor iginal t i t le existed before
the Proclamation, and
cont inues af ter.
 Al l land would be considered
Abor iginal land unt i l ceded by
t reaty.
 Set t lers are forbidden f rom
purchasing land from
Abor iginals.
 Westward expansion is l imi ted

8. SO WHAT?
The Proclamation echoes the ideas of non-interference
that Minivavana speaks of.
 aboriginal perspectives exist in the
Proclamation, which makes it more of a
treaty.
 That we don’t view it that way speaks to the
ways that European understandings of
treaties have overshadowed indigenous ones.

9. ABORIGINAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF
TREATY
Two Row Wampum
http://www.cbc.ca/pl
ayer/Shows/Shows/D
oc+Zone/8th+Fire/ID
/2185362433/?page
=3
Peace
Respect
Non-Interference
Binding Agreement

10. TREATY OF NIAGARA, 1764
The Proclamation and
Treaty at Niagara
were a renewal and
extension of a nation
to nation relationship.
What is the teaching
of the Two-Row
Wampum?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne
AXg-KxjjQ

11. THE IMPACT
The Proclamation
supports Aboriginal
self-government.
 It gives instructions
on how to make
treaties… that were
NOT followed in
most of British
Columbia

12. SO WHY DOES THIS MATTER TO US?
BECAUSE WE ARE ALL TREATY PEOPLE
“Who are the treaty people? We are. We are all treaty
people because treaties are assented to by two sides.
They were assented to by the Aboriginals and they
were assented to by the other side. The other side?
French representatives, British representatives,
Canadian representatives. In the early days the assent
took the form of an oral commitment. Later on, it took
the form of a classic European-style legal document.”
- John Ralston Saul

13. FINALLY…
The Royal Proclamation and
the Treaty at Niagara of fer
a framework on which we
can build new relationships
moving forward.

14. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
Use your notes on the videos and the hand out to
answer the following questions… you wi l l be handing this in.
What guidelines for relationships are set out in these
documents? Quote the language that supports your
ideas.
 Have these ideas been respected? In what ways?
Which of these documents is given more power? Why?