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1500
Pre Contact
18000 BC - 1500 AD. Indegenous Nations had treaties and agreements with both the land and each other. Treaties are made between diverse Indigenous nations long before the first settlers arrive. Some nations’ foundational treaties are with the land and the creatures we share the land with, such as the Anishinaabeg. Others (e.g., the Haudenosaunee) use treaties to bind nations in a confederacy. -
1534
EARLY TRADE RELATIONS
1534 - 1600. Pre-contact First Nations establish local trade relationships with Europeans through gift exchange systems -
Two Row Wampum
This is among the first well-recorded treaties. The Haudenosaunee extend the Two Row Wampum to the Dutch. The treaty binds them together in respect for autonomy, peace and friendship. -
Covenant Chain
Late 1600's. Expanding their influence among European powers, the
Haudenosaunee bring the English into their alliance with a series of treaties collectively known as the Covenant Chain. -
The Great Peace of Montreal
Despite numerous treaties during early contact, conflict emerges. This agreement brings together 40 nations, including the Haudenosaunee and the French. -
Atlantic Peace and Friendship Treaties
1725 - 1779. This series of treaties between the English, Mi’kmaq and Maliseet peoples seeks to end long-term conflict. The
treaties recognize Indigenous land rights, while providing
the British with limited land access. -
The Royal Proclamation
England emerges as the dominant
colonial power after France’s
defeat in the Seven Years’ War.
To encourage peace with Indigenous
nations, King George III recognizes
their sovereignty west of the
eastern British colonies and
begins a new era of treaty making. -
The Treaty of Niagara
24 First Nations accept
the Proclamation and
translate it into their
own diplomatic terms.
Others reject the treaty
and continue their
conflict with the British
in Pontiac’s War. -
Series of Unnamed Treaties
1775 - 1850. A series of unnamed (and sometimes blank) treaties is created
to secure land for settlement in Upper Canada, ultimately forcing
First Nations to move west. -
Robinson-Huron and Robinson-Superior Treaties
European settlers seek more land northwest of the
Great Lakes by negotiating treaties.
