Treaty education is an incredibly important part of education but also seems to be one of the the least explored areas. From a personal perspective, I grew up with little to no education besides slightly going over residential schools but not even to great detail. The significance of treaty education is found in understanding the past and using this information to pave a better future. I have heard from many people “why do we have to learn this?” or “why do they keep bringing this up, get over it already” but the ignorance of these people don’t see the impact the past has on the present. I believe Claire said it best when she explains that treaty education isn’t intended for first nation students, but for the settlers of Canada. The problem lies with the settlers because we are the ones who truly don’t see the daily battles first nations face in light of the past. This means treaty education needs to be apart of the classroom regardless of the race of the students in the classroom because the education is imperative to all, not just the first nations students.

The reason this is so important for all students is because we truly are all treaty people. This phrase is often misinterpreted as people believe because the laws of the treaty aren’t applicable to them, they cannot be  a treaty person. The truth is we reside on treaty territory, land that was shared by the first nations people long ago who graciously came to an agreement allowing settlers to prosper on the lands alongside the first nations people. We are all Canadian, just as we are all treaty people because the country we all share is also land we share, therefore we all share the responsibility of being educated properly about how we have arrived here today. Being a treaty person may not always carry a positive annotation but, understanding the meaning of it can truly invoke critical thinking about why it is significant we understand how and why we are all treaty people.