Remember First Nations during Canada 150
This week Canadians are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of our nation. The myth continues that Canada was built on two founding nations — a myth that needs to be destroyed if we expect to be the inclusive country we are selling to the world.
Canada was built on three founding nations: the French, the British and the First Nations. The First Nations’ role in the development and settlement of Canada has been overlooked and ignored in schools and public perception. To many Canadians, Canada was an empty land ripe for settlement.
First Nations played an important role in the nation’s survival. The fur trade opened the northwest as the company of adventurers received a grant to trade in the territory that drained into Hudson’s Bay, a territory far greater than they realized at the time.
The Iroquois confederacy sided with the British in the American War of Independence, which forced them north into southern Ontario. Once he defeated the British, George Washington turned his attention to removing the Mohawk nation from the Mohawk valley that extended west from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario.
Gradually over the years, the Americans attacked the member nations of the Iroquois confederacy and one by one they moved north to the British colonies.
When the War of 1812 began, First Nations played an important role in the success of the British forces. Chiefs like the Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, saw the aggression American forces brought against other nations and sided with the British.
An overwhelming majority of First Nations fought on the side of the British and historical accounts from the British commanders recognize the important battles were won because of the participation of First Nations warriors.
In the U.S., the First Nations were pushed aside for expansion and settlement; in Canada, the fur trade developed the first European commerce. The fur trade relied on good relations with First Nations, so a different mindset developed in First Nations relations north of the border.
The fur trade and the subsequent westward expansion were made possible largely because of the First Nations’ infrastructure of trails, canoe routes and villages that already existed. Canada was not discovered by European explorers; rather, they were introduced to the new land by the original inhabitants.
Following their civil war, Americans turned their attention to westward expansion. Their policy of manifest destiny gave them license to attack the Native American tribes and kill off the buffalo. It was their plan to claim the entire west to the 55th parallel. Canada had to move fast to gain sovereignty over the Great Plains and Western Canada.
The numbered treaties with the First Nations of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were negotiated starting in 1872 and continued throughout the decade. The First Nations agreed to share the land with the newcomers, and negotiators representing Canada agreed First Nations would receive education, health care and other commitments. At first there was no pressure to select reserve land. Each chief received a treaty medal with the likeness of Queen Victoria on one side. The treaty medal assured the British flag would fly on the Great Plains and chiefs were representatives of the Crown.
The treaties allowed Canada to claim sovereignty over Western Canada and the border was set at the 49th parallel. Once sovereignty was achieved, the First Nations were encouraged to settle on reserves and the old lifestyle was gone forever.
The importance of the fur trade waned and settlement became the vehicle of western expansion. At this point the treaties became repressive, and forced assimilation became Indian Affairs policy. In spite of the overbearing colonialism of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald and subsequent federal governments, our people remained loyal to the Crown and went on to fight in two world wars and Korea.
The descendants of the two founding European nations have defined the country and the original inhabitants from their perspective. In reality, the First Nations played a pivotal role in the creation of Canada. It’s a fact that must be recognized as we move forward.