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Treaty 8 | The Canadian Encyclopedia
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Portage, 1899","source":"(courtesy Glenbow Archives\/NA-949-87\/Wikimedia CC)","creator":"","caption":"Left to right, seated: H.B. Round, transportation manager; David Laird, commissioner; Harrison Young, secretary. Left to right, standing: Pierre d'Eschambault, interpreter; two NWMP constables; Henry McKay, camp manager; and Lafrance, cook."},{"filename":"596e3481-425c-41d1-8798-87043a9cf32d","title":"Treaty 8","alt":"Treaty 8","source":"(courtesy Glenbow Museum \/ Wikimedia CC)","creator":"","caption":"Honourable David Laird explaining terms of Treaty 8 at Fort Vermilion in 1899."},{"filename":"4913942c-18ec-4c1c-be27-6d74ec04cfbe","title":"Treaty Medals","alt":"Treaty Medals","source":"(courtesy Library and Archives Canada, 1986-79-1638\/Wikimedia CC)","creator":"","caption":"Both sides of a commemorative coin, Chiefs Medal, presented to commemorate Treaties 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7."},{"filename":"00019b96-4c2b-4fb8-9d1b-58ccf46ec3ae","title":"M\u00e9tis land scrip","alt":"M\u00e9tis land scrip","source":"(courtesy Library and Archives Canada \/ Wikimedia CC)","creator":"","caption":"M\u00e9tis scrip issued for the purchase of dominion lands, 1905."}]"> <main class="main-grid"> <article class="article main-grid__content"> <input type="hidden" id="isUserLogin" name="loginuser" value=""> <aside id="articlewidgets" class="article-widgets"> <input type="checkbox" class="menu-open" name="menu-open" id="menu-open"/> <label class="widget-open-button" for="menu-open"> <span class="dot--1"></span> <span class="dot--2"></span> <span class="dot--3"></span> </label> <button data-target="popup-citation" data-toggle="modal" class="widget-item articleNavPopupEvent"> <div class="widget-item__icon--citation"></div> <span class="widget-item__title">Citation</span> </button> <button data-toggle="modal" class="widget-item articleNavPopupEvent js-edit-submit"> <div class="widget-item__icon--edit"></div> <span class="widget-item__title">Suggest an Edit</span> </button> <button data-target="popup-translation" data-toggle="modal" class="widget-item articleNavPopupEvent js-translation"> <div class="widget-item__icon--translate"></div> <span class="widget-item__title">Request Translation</span> </button> <button id="popup-translation__original" class="widget-item hide-widget"> <div class="widget-item__icon--revert"></div> <span class="widget-item__title">Revert to original</span> </button> </aside> <div id="popup-edit" class="modal"> <div class="popup-wrapper"> <div class="popup-content"> <div class="popup-title"> <div>Suggest an Edit</div> <div> <a class="popup-close" data-dismiss="modal"></a> </div> </div> <div class="popup-body"> <div class="contact-form edit-form"> <div class="form-error-list"> <ul></ul> </div> <form method="POST" action="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/submitArticle" accept-charset="UTF-8" class="form form-submit-edit form-main"><input name="_token" type="hidden" value="HxQIvKLR7GyZSEhHTus4oJWXIMdb3ANpFfLsSycs"> <input name="aid" type="hidden" value="90957"> <input name="edit" type="hidden" value="true"> <div class="input-group "> <label for="description">Enter your suggested edit(s) to this article in the form field below</label> <textarea id="text-editor" class="form-control input input-fullSpan" placeholder="Write your message here..." name="description" cols="50" rows="10"></textarea> </div> <div class="btn-container"> <div> <input class="disabled js-submitedit-submit b b-md b-invert" type="submit" value="Submit"> </div> <div> <a href="#" data-dismiss="modal" class="js-popup-close b-link">Cancel</a> </div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="popup-citation" class="modal"> <div class="popup-wrapper"> <div class="popup-content"> <div class="popup-title"> <div> Citation </div> <div> <a class="popup-close" data-dismiss="modal"></a> </div> </div> <div class="popup-body"> <ul class="list"> <li> <ul class="citation-reference"> <input id="copy1" type="text" value="MLA 8TH EDITION | Tesar, Alex. 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The treaty covers roughly 841,487.137 km2 of what was formerly the North-West Territories and British Columbia, and now includes northern Alberta, northwest Saskatchewan, and portions of the modern Northwest Territories and BC, making it the largest treaty by area in the history of Canada. The terms and implementation of Treaty 8 differ importantly from those of previous Numbered Treaties, with long-lasting consequences for the governance and peoples of that area. </div> <div class="article-content-body"> <div id="article-content-def"> <p> <strong></strong></p> <p> </p> <figure> <iframe src="https://native-land.ca/api/embed/embed.html?maps=treaties&name=treaty-8" width="580" height="400"> </iframe> <p> </p> <figcaption align="center"><font size="3">Treaty 8 lands.<br> (courtesy Native Land Digital / Native-Land.ca)</font></figcaption> </figure> <p> Treaty 8 was signed on 21 June 1899 by the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/crown/">Crown</a> and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-nations/">First Nations</a> of the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lesser-slave-lake/">Lesser Slave Lake</a> area. The treaty covers roughly 841,487.137 km<sup>2</sup> of what was formerly the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/north-west-territories-1870-1905/">North-West Territories</a> and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/british-columbia/">British Columbia</a>, and now includes northern <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alberta/">Alberta</a>, northwest <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/saskatchewan/">Saskatchewan</a>, and portions of the modern <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/northwest-territories/">Northwest Territories</a> and BC, making it the largest <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-treaties/">treaty</a> by area in the history of Canada.</p> <p> Prompted by the discovery of valuable resources in Canada’s north, particularly the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/klondike-gold-rush-feature/">Klondike gold rush</a>, the treaty involved First Nations whose social organization was different than those of the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-people/">Indigenous peoples</a> the government had previously encountered in <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/numbered-treaties/">Numbered Treaties</a> negotiations. As a result of this and other factors endemic to the North, the terms and implementation of Treaty 8 differ importantly from those of previous Numbered Treaties, with long-lasting consequences for the governance and peoples of that area.</p> <h3> <strong>Historical Context</strong></h3> <p> During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Canadian government negotiated treaties with Indigenous peoples as a means of “extinguishing” (surrendering) Aboriginal title to <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-territory/">traditional territories</a>. The government wanted these lands for use in settlement and development projects. Certain parts of Canada, however, such as vast portions of the North, were not considered as valuable as other regions, namely the Plains, because they were not generally suitable for farming or settlement. The government was therefore reluctant to make treaties with northern Indigenous groups. As Superintendent General of Indian Affairs Thomas White remarked in 1887, “Within this vast region the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian/">Indians</a> are not very numerous… the parts that have been explored are reported to be for the most part unsuitable for agriculture.”</p> <p> Indigenous people of this area were faced with periods of starvation in the 19th century, and consequently some groups expressed interest in negotiating a treaty with the government that would protect their people and livelihood. Despite requests for assistance from local <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/missions-and-missionaries/">missionaries</a>, representatives of the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hudsons-bay-company/">Hudson’s Bay Company</a> (HBC), and the Indigenous people themselves, the government refused to enter into treaty negotiations. Limited assistance was offered starting in 1888, as ammunition, fishing supplies and rations were distributed through the HBC and missions using government funds. By 1891, after exploration had revealed potential oil reserves and other minerals throughout the Athabasca-Mackenzie area, the government had begun to plan seriously for a treaty. However, nothing came of it then; it is possible that the political instability following <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-john-alexander-macdonald/">John A. Macdonald</a>’s death in June 1891 prevented the government from reaching a decision about making another treaty.</p> <p> In 1897, the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/klondike-gold-rush-feature/">Klondike gold rush</a> — and the influx of white people into the North — prompted renewed interest in a treaty. There were also reports of <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gold/">gold</a> around the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-slave-lake/">Great Slave Lake</a> region. Accounts of miners stealing and treating Indigenous people with violence and contempt proliferated, raising concerns of reprisals against travellers and demonstrating the necessity of bringing order to the region. It is also possible that the government was motivated to sign treaties before the Indigenous peoples discovered the monetary value of their land. As retired Indian agent James Walker wrote to <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-clifford-sifton/">Clifford Sifton</a>, superintendent general of Indian Affairs, in November 1897, “They will be more easily dealt with now than they would be when their country is overrun with prospectors and valuable mines be discovered. They would then place a higher value on their rights.” The Department of Indian Affairs was additionally concerned that, if they waited too long, contact between the northern and southern <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cree/">Cree</a>-speaking peoples and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metis/">Métis</a> would lead to the northern peoples’ understanding that what was promised orally was not necessarily embodied in the written text.</p> <p> After much discussion about the virtues of annual payments versus lump sums and what kind of <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-reserves/">reserves</a> would be appropriate for northerners, who tended to live in small family groups rather than communally in large tribes, a party of treaty commissioners consisting of former lieutenant governor <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/david-laird/">David Laird</a>, civil servant James Andrew Joseph McKenna and politician <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-hamilton-ross/">James Hamilton Ross</a> set out in the summer of 1899 to negotiate Treaty 8 with the Cree, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chipewyan/">Denesuline</a> (Chipewyan), <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/beaver-native-group/">Dane-zaa</a> (Beaver) and other inhabitants of the territory.</p> <h3> <strong>Negotiations and Signings, 1899</strong></h3> <p> <strong></strong></p> <div class="slider"> <div class="bxslider"> <div><img src="https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/875acf12-5aea-4b3e-8636-c204915d5a17.jpg" title="Treaty 8 Commission at Pelican Portage, 1899" alt="Treaty 8 Commission at Pelican Portage, 1899"> <figcaption>Left to right, seated: H.B. Round, transportation manager; David Laird, commissioner; Harrison Young, secretary. Left to right, standing: Pierre d'Eschambault, interpreter; two NWMP constables; Henry McKay, camp manager; and Lafrance, cook.</figcaption> </div> <div><img src="https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/596e3481-425c-41d1-8798-87043a9cf32d.jpg" title="Treaty 8" alt="Treaty 8"> <figcaption>Honourable David Laird explaining terms of Treaty 8 at Fort Vermilion in 1899.</figcaption> </div> </div> <div class="bxslider-controls"><a href="#" class="bx-prev">Previous</a><a href="#" class="bx-next">Next</a></div> </div> <p> <span data-redactor="verified" style="background-color: initial;">The three treaty commissioners left </span><a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/athabasca-landing/" style="background-color: initial;">Athabasca Landing</a> <span data-redactor="verified" style="background-color: initial;"> on 3 June 1899 for a territory that was not well-known to settlers. The first signing of Treaty 8 occurred at Lesser Slave Lake on 21 June 1899, and included representatives of the Cree.</span> </p> <p> The commissioners believed that it would be easy to sign other groups once some had already joined, and missionaries — including <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/albert-lacombe/">Father Lacombe</a>, an influential priest who travelled with the treaty party itself — encouraged Indigenous people to sign. However, the initial negotiations did not go well, according to one observer: “The treaty, as presented by the Commissioners to the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian/">Indians</a>…did not contain many things that they held to be of vital importance to their future existence as hunters and trappers and fishermen… They refused to sign the treaty as read to them.” A long discussion ensued; the commissioners had little experience with the ways of life of northern people, and were mocked for using the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/prairie/">Prairie</a> nations as a reference.</p> <p> Eventually, the signatories agreed to the treaty based on a number of oral promises, including that the old and poor would be taken care of, that medical care would be provided as needed and — most importantly — that nothing would be done to interfere with their way of life. The need to guarantee that the Indigenous people would be able to hunt, trap and fish as they had always done emerged at every location that the commissioners visited.</p> <p> Following Lesser Slave Lake, the commissioners split up in order to cover more ground. James Ross and James McKenna arrived at <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-chipewyan/">Fort Chipewyan</a> on 13 July, where similar issues arose; according to Pierre Mercredi, an interpreter for the Denesuline, the treaty that he read to them and that they signed did not include a clause on hunting regulations, which he maintained was added later.</p> <p> David Laird proceeded that summer to <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/peace-river-alta/">Peace River</a> Landing, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-vermilion/">Fort Vermilion</a> and Fond du Lac. Ross and McKenna also went to <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/historic-dunvegan/">Fort Dunvegan</a>, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-smith/">Fort Smith</a>, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-mcmurray/">Fort McMurray</a> and Wabasca. At these locations, representatives of the Denesuline, Cree and Dane-zaa adhered to the Lesser Slave Lake treaty.</p> <p> The commissioners reported that their trip was successful, though there were groups they had not been able to reach. Some of these would be included starting in 1900.</p> <h3> <strong>Terms of the Treaty </strong></h3> <p> <strong></strong></p> <div><img src="https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/4913942c-18ec-4c1c-be27-6d74ec04cfbe.jpg" title="Treaty Medals" alt="Treaty Medals"> <figcaption>Both sides of a commemorative coin, Indian Chiefs Medal, presented to commemorate Treaty Numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.</figcaption> </div> <p> The eventual boundaries of the proposed treaty were based on mining areas, the presence of prospectors, transportation corridors to the Klondike and the need to create peace between the few existing settlers and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-nations/">First Nations</a>. The terms were drawn up prior to the actual negotiations, but finalized during negotiations at Lesser Slave Lake, and were similar to those written down in previous <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/numbered-treaties/">treaties</a>, in that they provided <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-reserves/">reserves</a>, annual cash payments (annuities), and other promises in exchange for the surrender of the land. The written terms also included the right to pursue hunting, trapping and fishing, subject to certain regulations, and excluding tracts that might be required for settlement, mining, lumbering, trading or other initiatives.</p> <p> Reserves were to be granted based on the arithmetic of one square mile (about 2.6 km<sup>2</sup>) for each family of five, and in that proportion for larger or smaller families. However, in an acknowledgement that the social structures of the northern peoples were different, and that, in general, they preferred to live in smaller groups, families or individuals could also be granted 160 acres of land “in severalty” (separately), on which they could live apart from the reserves.</p> <p> Immediate cash payments for everyone were to be followed by smaller annual payments, with larger amounts going to chiefs and headmen. Initial payments were set at $32 for chiefs, $22 for headmen and $12 for others, while annuities were set at $25 for chiefs, $15 for headmen and $5 for others. Salaries for teachers to instruct the children were also included in the treaty terms.</p> <p> Agricultural implements and livestock for groups that took reserves and were interested in cultivating the land were to be provided; extra cattle could be acquired by those who wanted to ranch. For groups that wanted to continue hunting and fishing, they were annually to receive ammunition and fishing twine to equal the value of $1 per head of each family.</p> <h3> <strong>Adhesions, Post-1899</strong></h3> <p> Further adhesions to the treaty (additional signings) took place after 1899. It is important to note, however, that inconsistent and false reports of the commissioners have led to a muddled understanding of Treaty 8 adhesions and admittances. As a result, gaps in the knowledge may exist.</p> <p> In February 1900, Indian Affairs Department inspector J.A. Macrae was appointed to obtain the adhesions of the Indigenous peoples at <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-st-john/">Fort St. John</a> and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-resolution/">Fort Resolution</a>. He then signed these adhesions with part of the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/beaver-native-group/">Dane-zaa</a> band at Fort St. John (more members of the band joined the treaty in later years), the Fort Resolution bands (made up of the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tlicho-dogrib/">Tlicho</a>, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yellowknives-band/">T’atsaot’ine</a>, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chipewyan/">Denesuline</a> and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/slavey-slave/">Deh Cho</a>), the Sturgeon Lake <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cree/">Cree</a> and the Upper <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hay-river/">Hay River</a> Deh Cho. He also included some Denesuline (from east of Smith’s Landing on Great Slave River) to the treaty, as part of the band from Smith’s Landing.</p> <p> In December 1909, commissioner H.A. Conroy was appointed to negotiate an adhesion by the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-nelson/">Fort Nelson</a> bands, made up mostly of Deh Cho and some Tsek’ehne (Sekani). After the elections of representatives, the Indigenous peoples signed the adhesion on 15 August 1910.</p> <p> Harold Laird, clerk and Indian agent assistant, revisited the Fort Nelson bands in May 1911 to gain the adhesions of those who did not sign the year prior. After much discussion and debate over leadership, 98 Tsek’ehne people signed the treaty on 4 August 1911.</p> <p> In 1913, government officials noted that there were more bands that had not signed the treaty, including people at Fort Grahame, Moberly Lake, Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope. In the summer of 1914, the peoples at Moberly Lake were brought into treaty. Evidence suggests that Indigenous peoples who were previously entitled to enter the treaty but hadn’t done so were admitted around this time, including those at Hudson’s Hope.</p> <p> In 1915, one person from Whitefish Lake entered treaty; there were further entries from Whitefish Lake peoples in subsequent years.</p> <p> Several <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metis/">Métis</a> were also admitted to treaty in the 1930s, including 42 Métis from Fort Resolution (1930).</p> <p> Some bands within the Treaty 8 boundaries in <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/british-columbia/">British Columbia</a> did not sign adhesions, including the bands of <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/liard-river/">Liard River</a>, Fort Grahame and Finlay River. Bands in other provinces were also passed over by the commissioners, including those in Lubicon Lake in <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alberta/">Alberta</a>.</p> <p> In 2000, the Tsek’ehne of McLeod Lake were officially brought into Treaty 8.</p> <h3><strong>Scrip Commission</strong></h3> <p> <strong></strong></p> <div><img src="https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/00019b96-4c2b-4fb8-9d1b-58ccf46ec3ae.jpg" title="Métis land scrip" alt="Métis land scrip"> <figcaption>Métis scrip issued for the purchase of dominion lands, 15 September 1905.</figcaption> </div> <p> Negotiations for Treaty 8 occurred concurrently with the activities of a Scrip Commission, headed by Major <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-walker/">James Walker</a>, formerly of the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/north-west-mounted-police/">North-West Mounted Police</a>, and J.A. Coté of the Land Department. The commission was tasked with extinguishing <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metis/">Métis</a> title. There were concerns that the Métis, who were relatively numerous in the North, would agitate against the government’s activities and discourage First Nations from signing the treaty if their needs were not also addressed. Métis had the option of being treated as <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian/">Indians</a> and joining the treaty process. The remaining Métis were offered scrip (certificates given to individual Métis people by the government that extinguished Aboriginal title in exchange for land or one-time cash payments) in the amount of $240 or 240 acres of land. The government had previously considered making this scrip non-transferable in order to prevent speculators from purchasing the scrip off of the Métis, as had frequently happened in <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/manitoba/">Manitoba</a>. In the end, however, they decided not to — largely due to the objections of the Métis themselves — and many Métis did in fact sell their scrip to speculators.</p> <p> Commissioners investigated Métis claims at locations including Lesser Slave Lake, Peace River Crossing, Fort Dunvegan, Wolverine Point, Fort Vermilion, Fort Chipewyan, Smith’s Landing, Fort McMurray, Wabasca, Pelican Portage, Grand Rapids, Calling River Portage, Athabasca Landing and Wapiscan.</p> <p> In <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alberta/">Alberta</a>, the scrip option was removed in 1912 for the boundaries of Treaty 8; Métis claims were subsequently dealt with by admission to treaty.</p> <p> In total, 1,195 money scrips (a value of $286,800) and 48 land scrips (covering an area of 4461.97 hectares) were issued throughout the Treaty 8 lands in 1899, more than half of which went to the Lesser Slave Lake Métis.</p> <h3> <strong>Problems Administering the Treaty</strong></h3> <p> Almost immediately, issues arose with the treaty. Although money and supplies were supposed to be delivered every summer, the government fell behind on payments, and owed money to some groups for several years. Many of the promises that the Indigenous people insisted were made, such as medical care, were also not honoured. Most problematically, however, a series of laws was passed that regulated hunting and trapping, including the 1916 <em>Migratory Birds Act</em> and the 1917 <em>Game Act</em>. This eventually led to acts of political resistance: for example, there was a boycott of the treaty at <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fort-resolution/">Fort Resolution</a> in 1920 where First Nations refused to take their annual payments.</p> <h3> <strong>Interpretations and Implications</strong></h3> <p> As is the case with other treaties, the nations involved have disputed the extent to which the terms were either communicated or mentioned at all. It is agreed that none of them would have signed had they known that it would result in restrictions on their traditional way of life. The transfer of responsibility for natural resources to the western provinces after 1930 also led to conflicts, as honouring the treaties was a federal rather than provincial responsibility. <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/supreme-court-of-canada/">Supreme Court</a> decisions have since placed limits on the provinces’ abilities to make decisions that affect treaty signatories.</p> <p> Particularly in what is now the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/northwest-territories/">Northwest Territories</a>, outstanding issues of land have long gone unresolved. While some nations have settled their claims, many more — including the Akaitcho Dene First Nations and the Dehcho First Nations (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dene-nation/">Dene Nation</a>) — are still in the process of negotiating land, resources, and self-government agreements. The government’s failure to resolve these claims has made it difficult in some cases for it to develop resources. Some treaty signatories in northeastern <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/british-columbia/">British Columbia</a> have also opposed the development of oil, gas and hydroelectric projects, saying that it violates their treaty rights (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-rights/">Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a>).</p> </div> </div> <div id="def" class="article-content-body hide"></div> </div> <div id="article-definitions"> <definitions route="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/json/define" id="treaty-8"></definitions> </div> <div class="article-widget widget-adsense"> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:468px;height:60px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3964766461879185" data-ad-slot="1946780682"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> <h3 class="article-widget-title">Treaties: Key Terms</h3> <div class="article-stats"><h3 class="title">Cede (Cession)</h3><div><p>To cede land (the act of cession) is to give up or surrender the authority to control and own that land.</p></div><h3 class="title">Adhesion</h3><div><p>By signing an adhesion to a treaty, Indigenous peoples who could not attend or were not initially included in treaty negotiations were able to enter into the terms of that treaty.</p></div><h3 class="title">Land Title</h3><div><p>Land title refers to specific rights to a territory. In Canada, Aboriginal title describes the rights of Indigenous peoples to land based on long-standing land use and occupancy. It is the unique collective right to use of, and jurisdiction over, ancestral territory and is separate from the rights of non-Aboriginal Canadian citizens under common law.</p></div><h3 class="title">Annuity</h3><div><p>The treaty annuities are annual cash payments distributed by the Government of Canada to the descendants of the Indigenous peoples who signed the Robinson–Superior and Robinson–Huron treaties and the Numbered Treaties.</p></div></div> </article> </main> <div id="modal-overlay" class="overlay"></div> <div id="article-image" class="article-img-modal" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="article-modal-title"> <button class="article-img-modal__close" aria-label="close image modal"></button> <div id="js-article-modal-image" class="article-img-modal__container"> <div class="image-container"> <img class="article-img-modal__img" src="" alt=""> </div> <div class="text-container"> <span role="heading" aria-level="3" id="article-modal-title" class="article-img-modal__title"></span> <span class="article-img-modal__description"></span> <span class="article-img-modal__creator"></span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="main-grid article-related"> <div id="furtherreading" class="article-related-two-column main-grid__content--wide"> <h3 class="article-related-two-column__title">Further Reading</h3> <ul class="article-related-two-column__list"> <li class="article-related-two-column__list__item"><p> <span style="background-color: initial;">René Fumoleau, </span><em style="background-color: initial;">As Long as this Land Shall Last: A History of Treaty 8 and Treaty 11, 1870–1939</em><span style="background-color: initial;"> (2004).</span> </p> <p> Charles Mair, David W. Leonard and Brian Calliou, <em>Through the Mackenzie Basin: An Account of the Signing of Treaty No. 8 and the Scrip Commission, 1899</em> (1999). </p> <p> Richard Daniel, “The Spirit and Terms of Treaty Eight,” in <em>The Spirit of the Alberta Treaties</em>, Richard Price, ed., (1999). </p></li> </ul> </div> <div class="article-related-two-column main-grid__content--wide"> <h3 class="article-related-two-column__title">External Links</h3> <ul class="article-related-two-column__list"> <li class="article-related-two-column__list__item"><p> <span style="background-color: initial;"><a href="http://treaty8.ca/articles-of-treaty-8/"><strong>Treaty 8 Tribal Association </strong>Articles of Treaty 8</a></span> </p></li> <li class="article-related-two-column__list__item"><p> <span style="background-color: initial;"><a href="http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100028813/1100100028853"><strong>Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada </strong>A Typed Transcript of the Treaty 8 Text</a></span> </p></li> <li class="article-related-two-column__list__item"><p> <span style="background-color: initial;"><a href="http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100028809/1100100028811"><strong>Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada</strong> A Historical Interpretation of Treaty 8</a></span> </p></li> <li class="article-related-two-column__list__item"><p> <span style="background-color: initial;"><a href="http://treaty8.bc.ca/treaty-8-accord/"><strong>Treaty 8 Tribal Association </strong>Read more about this organization and about Treaty 8</a></span> </p></li> </ul> </div> <!-- Related Collections --> <!-- Related Articles --> <div class="callouts-layout main-grid__content--full"> <h3 id="recommended" class="callouts-layout__title">Recommended</h3> <div class="callouts-layout__grid"> <div class="callout-item"> <div class="callout-item__container"> <h6 class="callout-item__title"> <a class="callout-item__link" href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/comprehensive-land-claims-modern-treaties" > Comprehensive Land Claims: Modern Treaties </a> </h6> <span class="callout-item__category">Article</span> </div> <div class="image-container"> <img src="https://d14fiu1i7ba797.cloudfront.net/340x207/media/media/a79638c8-fe6a-4fd5-9892-a7cc95f76efc.jpg" class="image-container__image" alt="Nisga'a Lisims Government" loading="lazy" /> </div> </div> <div class="callout-item"> <div class="callout-item__container"> <h6 class="callout-item__title"> <a class="callout-item__link" href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/treaties-1-and-2" > Treaties 1 and 2 </a> </h6> <span class="callout-item__category">Article</span> </div> <div class="image-container"> <img src="https://d14fiu1i7ba797.cloudfront.net/340x207/media/media/21fff698-7759-4d71-b37a-63b1471359b1.jpg" class="image-container__image" alt="Medal, Treaties 1 and 2" loading="lazy" /> </div> </div> <div class="callout-item"> <div class="callout-item__container"> <h6 class="callout-item__title"> <a class="callout-item__link" href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/treaty-10" > Treaty 10 </a> </h6> <span class="callout-item__category">Article</span> </div> <div class="image-container"> <img src="https://d14fiu1i7ba797.cloudfront.net/340x207/media/media/22da8ac5-1905-4c28-ad2e-c9f55c67c7aa.jpg" class="image-container__image" alt="Medal, Treaty 10" loading="lazy" /> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <footer id="footer"> <div class="full-width footer-first-part"> <div class="wrap--narrow"> <div class="footer-information grid--col2"> <div class="divider"> <h6>Updates? 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