Treaty Relations

TREATY RELATIONS COMMISION OF MANITOBA TREATY BASICS: There are over 70 Treaties in existence across Canada, most dealing with peace and friendship The 11 numbered Treaties primarily dealt with land issues and were signed by First Nations leaders and the Crown/Canadian Government between 1871 and 1921 First Nations leaders negotiated the numbered Treaties to protect their cultures, land and languages; the Crown negotiated to gain access to land for settlement The making of the numbered Treaty agreements prevented the western provinces from becoming part of the United States Numbered Treaties played a fundamental role in the coastto-coast unification of Canada ��� 4 trcm.ca DAVE CHELL (LEFT) AND MICHAEL SAJ TALK TO STUDENTS AT ST. MARY���S ACADEMY ABOUT TREATIES. Photo by Darcy Finley for the Winnipeg Free Press TREATY LEARNING BRINGS NEW PERSPECTIVE TO ST. MARY���S By Holli Moncrieff for the Free Press A simple class project turned into something much bigger for a group of Grade 11 students from St. Mary���s��Academy. ���In the summer of 2010, the Archbishop of Winnipeg made an apology to aboriginal people on behalf of the church because of the residential schools and some of the wrongs that had been done,��� recalled Dave Chell, a world issues and theology instructor at St. Mary���s Academy. ���He approached the school and asked if aboriginal issues could be more of a focus for that year.��� Chell and his colleague, history teacher Michael Saj, thought the topic would be a perfect fit for the school���s 2011 Heritage Fair. ���The Heritage Fair is like a science fair for history. Students choose a historical topic, create a backboard and write an essay that is then judged by an impartial panel. We bring in impartial judges from all over the city,��� Chell said. ���That year, we had over 200 students in Grade 11 doing intensive studies on aboriginal rights and the Indian Act for over a month. We added pieces to the curriculum that focused specifically on the Indian Act.��� The results were eye-opening, he said. Participating in the project provided the St. Mary���s Academy students with a completely different perspective on aboriginal issues. ���Our students learned this wasn���t a black-and-white issue. It wasn���t about aboriginal versus non-aboriginal. There are different opinions among the First Nations as well. This project taught our students that history is complex with many layers. They learned a lot.��� During the fall of 2010, Chell and Saj brought in several guest speakers to help students at the all-girls school learn more about the Treaties in an engaging way. ���Treaty Relations Commissioner James Wilson made quite an impression as he communicated the key issues First Nations communities are facing,��� said Chell.

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