[Title: The views expressed by Treaties Recognition Week video participants are solely their own
and are not intended to reflect the position of Ontario, nor do they constitute any admission
or limit Ontario's rights in any way.
The Government of Ontario disclaims all responsibility for any errors, omissions, and inaccuracies in these videos.]
[Title: Treaties Recognition Week]
[Title: Maurice Switzer, Knowledge Keeper, Williams Treaty] Maurice Switzer >> [Maurice speaks in Ojibway]
I'm pleased to read from this little book. [Title: Grandpa What Is a Treaty Anyway?"
Dropping in for her after-school milk and cookie snack, Phoenix Eagle asked grandpa,
"What is a treaty anyway?"
"Well my child," began Migizi Eagle, “and Migizi, just so you know, which is her grandfather's
name Migizi is the Ojibway word for eagle, so his name in the book is Migizi Eagle, which
means his name is eagle eagle.”
"Treaty is a fancy word for promise.
The humans who came to these shores from far away used it when they first came here."
And when you look at some of the pages in this little storybook you'll see that the
things that take place now are in colour, and some of the things that are being talked
about that took place many years ago are depicted in black and white - so that you can tell
that it's in her grandfather's memory.
Almost all the people who came here from far away places like Europe - like England like
France.
As long as they came peacefully, they were usually greeted in very friendly ways and
they had big feasts for them.
And it looked like it was the start of a very, very good relationship.
Phoenix munched away on one of her cookies while she looked up at her wise old grandfather.
"But what were the promises about?", she asked.
You can see her grandpa's memory and you have to imagine that her grandpa is a very old
eagle because these events that are pictured on this page happened over 200 years ago.
And he, as an eagle, of course he could fly and up in the left-hand corner of this page
you can see him as a young eagle flying over the scene below.
And you can see pictures of people, they're actually government officials, one of them
is wearing a top hat, and he's shaking the hand of a First Nation’s Chief.
Fires in the background and teepees or wigwams.
And grandpa eagle remembered when he was a young bird soaring high above a big meeting.
At this treaty gathering were two groups of people.
The elderly eagles smiled recalling the dancing the drums, the flags, and smoke billowing
up into the air from many fires and pipes below.
And you can see that that Chief is holding a pipe.
And a pipe, for many First Nations people, is a very sacred object.
They put a very pure tobacco in it and it's a way that they pray and when they make agreements
with people as they did at this treaty gathering - it's like they're praying together, making
an agreement.
And they believe that when the smoke goes up from that pipe that it takes their prayers
up to God, up to the Creator.
And up in the right-hand corner, you can see grandpa eagle, Migizi eagle, in his current
dress, looking at the image of the settlers on the other side of the field.
And you can see they're starting farms and you can see someone in the background plowing
a field and this was all made possible, the settling of what we call Canada, by these
agreements called treaties.
And at the ceremonies that were pictured on the previous page and that enabled the first
settlers to come and start farms and villages and communities in what we call Canada.
Migizi remembered out loud that the newcomers wanted to share the land with the people who
had always lived here.
They promised to share it and take care of it forever -- as long as the grass grows and
the sun shines.
So, Phoenix thought for a moment and then asked “But how do promises work?” and
she washed down the last bite of her cookie with a gulp of ice-cold milk.
"Well," said her grandpa Migizi, "you and your mom and dad make promises all the time.
You do chores.
I see you help your mom dry the dishes and I see you help your dad take out the garbage.
They do some nice things for you, too, don't they?"
"Yes," Phoenix said.
"Mom makes pizza sometimes for supper and dad takes us to the movies.
I get to have my very own bedroom."
"There you go," grandpa Migizi replied, "you already have a treaty started with your mom
and dad."
So, Phoenix wipes the last remaining crumbs from her fingers, and she's heading out the
door, while her grandpa is waving goodbye to her.
And he's going to clean the few dishes from her little snack.
"Cool," she exclaimed, "I like promises - especially when they involve pizza."
And being inclusive means that you respect promises you make to anybody, regardless of
whether they're from a different culture than yourself or not.
And in this case, Canada was founded by people of different cultural backgrounds, Indigenous
peoples, then many of the people who came here later to establish governments.
So, inclusivity is part and parcel of the treaty understanding because, you know, just
because someone comes from a different background than you do doesn't mean that you can't - you
shouldn't - respect them and respect your promises to them just as much as if they were
part of your own family.
[Title: The views expressed by Treaties Recognition Week video participants are solely their own and are not intended to reflect the position of Ontario, nor do they constitute any admission or limit Ontario's rights in any way. The Government of Ontario disclaims all responsibility for any errors, omissions, and inaccuracies in these videos.]
[Title: Ontario.ca/treaties]
[Title: “Breakwall” Performed by Ansley Simpson, Gizhiiwe Records, 2017]
[Title: Archival photographs provided by Library Archives Canada]
"Grandpa, what is a treaty anyway?" is a publication by the Near North District School Board.
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