Discussion Provocation #1
“We are all treaty people”. I have heard this more than once throughout the 13 years of schooling. I never really understood what it meant until I talked to some relatives. On my fathers side there is a long line of Metis peoples, my siblings and I are apart of the long history. I have come to learn that when one says ‘we are all treaty people’ it has multiple meanings for different people. The thing that made most sense to me was that when people say that they are stating that in attempt to emphasize that everyone has Treaty rights and responsibilities. What this means is that everyone has the responsibilities that Indigenous / Treaty people have. Whether that be passing on knowledge, sharing oral stories an Elder or another Treaty person told them and sharing their knowledge on past traditions in attempt to keep those traditions alive. Since we all live on some parts of sacred land we should be respecting it and education ourselves more. Some people find this saying to be offensive or controversial due to it ignoring the social, political and economical devastation that Indigenous peoples and communities went through.
When it comes to understanding myself as a Treaty person, I believe that it is important to do research. However, while doing this research I would use the internet as my last resort. I would try to speak with Elders, or if I was able to, try to talk to chiefs as well. After that i would talk to any Indigenous / Treaty individual that could give me insight on their past so I can better understand mine.
Hi Kacie! I really liked what you said about everyone having Treaty rights and responsibilities. It’s so important that we all do what we can to keep those traditions alive that you mentioned, especially storytelling. I also thought it was interesting that you’ve heard “we are all Treaty people,” more than once during your years of schooling. It made me reflect and think of my own experiences, and unfortunately I can’t recall hearing that up until my graduation ceremony in 2017. In regards to what you said in the last sentence of your first paragraph, I think that brings up an important conversation too of whether or not White Settlers should be calling themselves Treaty people. What are your thoughts on this? For me, on one hand I think it’s a good thing that White Settlers are now recognizing that we do live on Treaty land and we benefit from the things that come with it. On the other hand however, you bring up the point that they also might be forgetting/not educating themselves on the trauma and devastations Indigenous people have and continue to go through. I also think it’s great that you want to delve deeper into understanding yourself as a Treaty person by speaking with Indigenous people. At the same time I remember from the TedTalk we watched last week with Lori Campbell, she mentions that it is good to do our own research without asking Indigenous people to educate us themselves since the resources we need already exist, but I totally understand wanting to reach out to Elders as I’m sure they have countless stories to tell! That’s definitely a grey area that I have a hard time identifying.
You have some really provoking thoughts! My question is, that when you state, “everyone has the responsibilities that Indigenous / Treaty people have” do you think that people who don’t culturally identify as indigenous person, have the same responsibility as the first nations people, or do we as settlers that came after them, have the responsibility of upholding the promises and the treaty rights of these people and not discriminating their beliefs and there treaties? I definitely believe that we can learn lots of great things from the indigenous people as you stated like learning how to story tell and pass on our tradition as they do (any I even think it is important to tell our children about indigenous stories) that can better our society, but I think most importantly, our main responsibilities as Canadians is to acknowledge the treaty rights and uphold and honor these people. Personally, I believe that we are all treaty people in the way that THEY were the first to settle on this land and the first to make a life here, and therefor since I was born in Canada, no matter what race, culture, or gender I am, that I can be identified as a treaty person! I think that once we can all understand why we are all treaty people, we will all begin to come together and understand each other which is super super important to helping our country heal and reconcile for the past. I love the line you wrote ” Since we all live on some parts of sacred land we should be respecting it and education ourselves more”. This also brings up a great point you made that we as settlers moved onto treaty land, and that we were not the first to claim it, it is treaty land and therefor if we live on treaty land, I can say that I am treaty person and I respect the land.
I was amazed by your treaty people identity. You mentioned that “‘we are all treaty people’ it has multiple meanings for different people.”, It’s a good description I think, it make sense for the multi-culture in Canada.I think it is indeed more effective that you mentioned when you do research, the Internet is not your first choice, but try to talk with elders or chiefs. Especially, when there are some truths clouded by some groups. In this case, the information passed down from generation to generation may be more convincing and accurate. Perhaps you can add some details to the “social, political and economic damage experienced by indigenous peoples and communities”. Thank you for your opinion, I enjoyed this writing very much.