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Treaties Made in Good Faith

2011; Canadian Comparative Literature Association; Volume: 34; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

1913-9659

Sharon Venne,

Canadian Identity and History

Introduction THIS PRESENTATION is ABOUT oral understanding of Treaty Six and treaty-making in 1876 at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt, located in present-day Saskatchewan. There are no written notes for this talk, only my memory of those words spoken by Elders and Chiefs to express rich and vibrant life of our Peoples. I remember Elders stating that Treaty will last long as sun shines, waters flow, and grass grows. 1 The words the waters flow refer, not to a body of water like North Saskatchewan River, but to water that breaks when a woman gives birth. Because Treaty is supposed to last for as long as water flows when women give birth, these words tie Cree women like me to Treaty process. How that expression came about is an interesting story, but here I want to talk about oral understanding of treaty-making as I have learned it from my Elders.