Treaties 6 and 7 in Alberta: Historical Agreements and Enduring Relationships

Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 represent two of the historic Numbered Treaties that form the legal foundation for relationships between First Nations and the Crown in what is now Alberta. These treaties continue to influence governance, rights, and cultural relations in the province today, though their interpretation remains contested between Indigenous and government perspectives.

Treaty 6: Background and Territory

Treaty 6 was negotiated and signed at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt in August and September 1876 between the Crown and bands of Cree, Assiniboine, and Ojibwe First Nations812. The territory covered by Treaty 6 encompasses central portions of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan, covering approximately 121,000 square miles (309,760 km²)1. In Alberta specifically, the Treaty 6 area is situated between the Athabasca and South Saskatchewan Rivers, east of the mountains1.

Key Crown representatives in the negotiations included Alexander Morris (Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and The North-West Territories), James McKay (Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba), and William J. Christie (chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company). Chiefs Mistawasis and Ahtahkakoop led the negotiations for the Carlton Cree8.

Key Provisions of Treaty 6

The written terms of Treaty 6 included several standard elements found in earlier numbered treaties:

Surrender of Indian land rights (from the Crown's perspective)1
Provision of reserves, equivalent to one square mile per family of five1
Assistance in transitioning to an agricultural economy1
Establishing schools on reserves1
Annuities of $5 per person (with higher amounts for chiefs and headmen)1

However, Treaty 6 contained three unique provisions that distinguished it from other treaties:

Medicine Chest Clause: A stipulation that a "medicine chest" be kept at the Indian agent's house for the benefit of each band, often interpreted today as a promise of universal healthcare1 10 12
Famine and Pestilence Clause: A guarantee that if the First Nations were "overtaken by any pestilence, or by a general famine," relief would be provided1 12
Enhanced Agricultural Assistance: Significantly increased agricultural support in the form of animals and supplies compared to other treaties, as well as a supplement of $1000 per year for the first three years to assist in land cultivation1 3

Treaty 6 First Nations in Alberta

Treaty 6 encompasses 17 First Nations in central Alberta, including the Dene Suliné (Chipewyan), Cree, Nakota Sioux, and Saulteaux peoples4. Following the initial signing, many additional bands joined through adhesions over time, including at Fort Edmonton (1877), Blackfoot Crossing (1877), and as late as Rocky Mountain House (1944 and 1950)12.

Treaty 7: Background and Territory

Treaty 7 was signed on September 22, 1877, at Blackfoot Crossing of the Bow River (present-day Siksika Nation reserve), with a secondary signing on December 4, 1877, at Fort Macleod9. It represents the last of the Numbered Treaties made with Plains First Nations and covers the southern portion of what is now Alberta1011.

Context and Signatories

Five First Nations signed Treaty 7: the Siksika (Blackfoot), Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Peigan), Nakoda (Stoney), and Tsuu T'ina (Sarcee)2 911. Chief Crowfoot was one of the prominent signatories, and approximately 4,000 First Nations people were present to witness the negotiations and signing2.

The historical context for Treaty 7 included:

Devastating smallpox epidemics affecting Indigenous communities2
Rapid decline of buffalo populations due to overhunting by Cree and Métis hunters, and deliberate slaughter by non-Indigenous groups to clear land for railroads and settlement2
Increasing settler encroachment on traditional territories

Key Provisions of Treaty 7

Like Treaty 6, Treaty 7 established a framework for the relationship between First Nations and the Crown, but with some notable differences:

In exchange for what the Crown considered cession of rights to traditional territory, the First Nations received defined reserve lands, annual payments, and continued hunting and trapping rights on surrendered lands9
Unlike Treaty 6, Treaty 7 did not include the medicine chest clause, the famine clause, or the agricultural assistance clause2
Treaty 7 signatories focused their agricultural efforts primarily on ranching rather than farming, leading the treaty commissioners to reduce agricultural implements and seed stock in exchange for increased cattle allocations2 3
Instead of promising schools on reserves, Treaty 7 only guaranteed that the government would pay teachers' salaries3

Different Interpretations and Ongoing Issues

A fundamental tension exists between the Crown and First Nations' understanding of these treaties:

Crown Perspective

From the government's perspective, the treaties represented the surrender of large parcels of land to the Crown with small parcels set aside as reserves4.

First Nations Perspective

First Nations signatories understood they were agreeing to share the land and its resources, rather than completely surrendering it412. For Treaty 7 nations specifically, many understood the agreement primarily as a peace treaty to allow settlement and promote peaceful cohabitation, not as a land surrender11.

These divergent interpretations stem from:

Linguistic and cultural differences leading to misinterpretation of treaty terms12
Inadequate translation during negotiations (for example, Jerry Potts, one of the Treaty 7 interpreters, has been accused of having limited fluency in both Indigenous languages and English legal terminology)11
Different cultural concepts of land ownership (Indigenous signatories were unfamiliar with European concepts of exclusive land ownership)5

Contemporary Significance

Today, these treaties remain living documents with ongoing legal and cultural significance:

The Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations (created in 1993) represents band governments under Treaty 6, protecting treaty rights and supporting Indigenous self-government12
Treaty First Nations have protected their rights through land claims and lawsuits, such as the Beaver Lake Cree Nation's 2008 lawsuit against provincial and federal governments over resource development threats to hunting and fishing rights12
In 2013, the City of Edmonton created Treaty No. 6 Recognition Day to commemorate the signing12
Land acknowledgments at public institutions like the University of Alberta recognize the treaty territories and ongoing relationships5

Conclusion

Treaties 6 and 7 in Alberta represent foundational agreements that continue to shape relationships between First Nations and the Crown. While their written provisions outlined specific rights and obligations, their deeper significance lies in establishing nation-to-nation relationships intended to last "as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and rivers flow"6. The ongoing dialogue about their interpretation and implementation remains central to reconciliation efforts in Alberta and across Canada.

Citations:

Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share

Alberta West News

CanadianPlanet

Welcome To Alberta West Online News

Blog Archive

About Me

Thursday, March 20, 2025