US Treaties With Natives

Title: Treaties

Treaties are agreements between nations, tribes, political groups or sovereign entities to determine rules for their communities or set rules for care, membership or other agreements with entities. European settlers had made alliances with native Indian tribes and nations. The treaties, even those formed out of spoken words, were sacred to American Indians and were to be honoured generation after generation as the details were passed down through mnemonic devices (TreatiesMatter). The US government entered into several treaties with American Indians after and during the War of Independence. They were used to acquire land and tools for diplomacy. The people of Ojibwa and Dakota were key players in US treaties with natives (Minnesota Humanities Center).

For US Citizens, treaties in the 1800s have little relevance in their lives today. The US government nearly broke or violated every treaty out of the 500 it entered into with native tribes. (Egan). The reason why treaties are not respected today is because there is now no power balance between the native people and the US government. Since tribes require some form of power to enforce an agreement, there is no one to enforce them today. The consequences of not honouring treaties are not perceived to be of any threat.

The Natives viewed the treaties as being about friendship, peace, and the preservation of their tribal homelands. One famous treaty in this regard was between the Sioux Nation of Indians and the US, which came to be known as the ‘For Laramie Treaty 1868’ (Geoffrey C. Ward). Today, violating terms of treaties still leads to disagreements and protests, such as the prominent one in Wisconsin between resort owners and fishers during spawning season, when a court ruled in favour of the Ojibwa tribal government’s right to fish and hunt in their former territories (Commission). The ‘Dakota Access Pipeline’ route protests also broke out as protestors claimed Lands under the ‘Fort Laramie Treaty’ (KFYR). Similarly, due to these disagreements and oppositions, the native Chippewa Indians in Wisconsin have been struggling to revive their spearfishing tradition in the land (Osawa).

The treaties, however, are still intact and continue to affirm the sovereignty of tribal governments and their relationship with the US on a nation-to-nation basis. For them, it is vital to protect their people and manage their resources, lands, and economies to secure the future of their generations.

Works Cited

After the Storm. Dir. GLIFWC Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Prod. Patricia Ann Loew. 2009. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiCUYJT-t0>.

Egan, Timothy. The Nation; Mending a Trail of Broken Treaties. 25 June 2000. 4 April 2018. <https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/25/weekinreview/the-nation-mending-a-trail-of-broken-treaties.html>.

Geoffrey C. Ward. Archives of the West: Fort Laramie Treaty, 1868. 2001. The West Film Project. 4 April 2018. <https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/four/ftlaram.htm>.

KFYR. DAPL protesters reference 1851 Treaty as justification for Front Line Camp. 28 October 2016. 4 April 2018. <http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/DAPL-protesters-reference-1851-Treaty-as-justification-for-Front-Line-camp-399099721.html>.

Lighting the 7th Fire: How the Chippewa Indians of Northern Wisconsin have struggled to restore spearfishing. Dir. Sandra Sunrising Osawa. PBS, 1995. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEpC-D2Ppug>.

Minnesota Humanities Center. Relationships: Dakota and Ojibwe Treaties. n.d. 4 April 2018. <http://treatiesmatter.org/treaties>.

Treaties matter. Treaty Making in America. n.d. Minnesota Humanities Centre. 4 April 2018. <http://treatiesmatter.org/exhibit/welcome/treaty-making-in-america/>.