From
Treaties to Reserves
The
Federal Government and Native Peoples
in Territorial Alberta, 1870-1905
in Territorial Alberta, 1870-1905
D.J.
HALL
How divergent understandings of treaties contributed to a heritage
of distrust.
Though some believe that the Indian treaties of the 1870s achieved
a unity of purpose between the Canadian government and First Nations, in From Treaties to Reserves
D.J. Hall asserts that - as a result of profound cultural differences - each
side interpreted the negotiations differently, leading to conflict and an acute
sense of betrayal when neither group accomplished what the other had
asked.
Hall explores the original intentions behind the government's
policies, illustrates their attempts at cooperation, and clarifies their
actions. While the government believed that the Aboriginal peoples of what is
now southern and central Alberta desired rapid change, the First Nations, in
contrast, believed that the government was committed to supporting the preservation
of their culture while they adapted to change. Government policies
intended to motivate backfired, leading instead to poverty, starvation, and
cultural restriction. Many policies were also culturally insensitive, revealing
misconceptions of Aboriginal people as lazy and over-dependent on government
rations. Yet the first two decades of reserve life still witnessed most First
Nations people participating in reserve economies, many of the first generation
of reserve-born children graduated from schools with some improved ability to
cope with reserve life, and there was also more positive cooperation between
government and First Nations people than is commonly acknowledged.
D.J. Hall
is professor emeritus of Canadian history at the University of
Alberta.
