CHAPTER XII.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE TREATIES—TIIE HALF-BREEDS—
THE FUTURE OF THE INDIAN TRIBES.
HAVING placed before my readers, a history of the treaties
of Canada with the Indian tribes, of Manitoba, the North-
West Territories and Kee-watin, I now proceed, in conclusion,
to deal with the administration of these treaties and to consider the future of these
interesting aboriginal races. I remark
in the first place that the provisions of these treaties must be
carried out with the utmost good faith and the nicest exactness.
The Indians of Canada have, owing to the manner in which
they were dealt with for generations by the Hudson's Bay Company, the former rulers
of these vast territories, an abiding confidence in the Government of the Queen, or
the Great Mother,
as they style her. This must not, at all hazards, be shaken. It
can be easily and fully maintained. The treaties are all based
upon the models of that made at the Stone Fort in 1871 and
the one made in 1873 at the north-west angle of the Lake of
the Woods with the Chippewa tribes, and these again are based,
in many material features, on those made by the Hon. W. B.
Robinson with the Chippewas dwelling on the shores of Lakes
Huron and Superior in 1860.
These may be summarized thus :
1. A relinquishment, in all the great region from Lake
Superior to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, of all their right
and title to the lands covered by the treaties, saving certain
reservations for their own use, and
2. In return for such relinquishment, permission to the In
286 The Treaties of Canada with the Indians.
dians to hunt over the ceded territory and to fish in the waters
thereof, excepting such portions of the territory as pass from
the Crown into the occupation of individuals or otherwise.
3. The perpetual payment of annuities of five dollars per
head to each Indian—man, woman and child. The payment
of an annual salary of twenty-five dollars to each Chief, and of
fifteen dollars to each Councillor, or head man, of a Chief (thus
making them in a sense officers of the Crown), and in addition,
suits of official clothing for the Chiefs and head men, British
flags for the Chiefs, and silver medals. These last are given
both in the United States and in Canada, in conformity with
an ancient custom, and are much prized and cherished by the
Chiefs and their families. Frequently the Indians have exhibited to me with pride,
old medals issued, with the likeness
of the King before the American war of Independence, and
which have passed down as heirlooms of their families. On one
occasion a young Chief, who had come of age and aspired to be
recognized as a Chief, was decorated in my presence with the
old King George silver medal, by one of the band, to whom it
had been entrusted for safe keeping by the young man's father,
who was a Chief, with the charge that on the boy's coming of
age, it would be delivered over to him. The Chieftainships
were at first partly hereditary, partly won by deeds of daring and of leadership against
the foe. They are now generally elective, though the tendency to hereditary succession
still largely exists. The power of the Chiefs has been much
broken of late, and I am of opinion that it is of importance to
strengthen the hands of the Chiefs and Councillors by a due
recognition of their offices and respect being shewn them.
They should be strongly impressed with the belief that they
are officers of the Crown, and that it is their duty to see that
the Indians of their tribes obey the provisions of the treaties.
The importance of upholding the Chiefs, may be illustrated by
an incident which occurred near Fort Ellice, after the making
of the treaty. A party composed of three men and the wife
The Administration of the Treaties. 287
of one of them, were travelling as freighters ; two of the men
were Half-breeds, the other a Canadian. One night, one of
the Half-breeds shot the Canadian, and attempted to kill the
other Half-breed, who fled to an Indian camp in the vicinity.
The Chief of the band was there, and he at once took his
young men with him, proceeded to the scene of the murder,
and after making the offender a prisoner, took him to the
nearest police station and delivered him to the authorities.
The culprit was subsequently tried in Manitoba, convicted of
murder and hanged. For this action the Chief received the
thanks of His Excellency the Earl of Dufferin, then Governor-
General of Canada. This case affords an illustration of the
value of the recognition of the Chiefs of the various bands,
and shews of how much advantage, it is to the Crown to possess
so large a number of Indian officials, duly recognized as such,
and who can be inspired with a proper sense of their responsibility to the Government
and to their bands, as well as to
others. In all the negotiations for treaties, the Chiefs took a
controlling part, and generally exhibited great common sense
and excellent judgment. It is therefore of the utmost importance to retain their confidence
and cause their office to be
recognized and respected by both whites and Indians.
4. The allotment of lands to the Indians, to be set aside
as reserves for them for homes and agricultural purposes, and
which cannot be sold or alienated without their consent, and
then only for their benefit; the extent of lands thus set apart
being generally one section for each family of five. I regard
this system as of great value. It at once secures to the Indian tribes tracts of land,
which cannot be interfered with, by
the rush of immigration, and affords the means of inducing
them to establish homes and learn the arts of agriculture. I
regard the Canadian system of allotting reserves to one or
more bands together, in the localities in which they have had
the habit of living, as far preferable to the American system
of placing whole tribes, in large reserves, which eventually
288 The Treaties of Canada with the Indians.
become the object of cupidity to the whites, and the breaking
up of which, has so often led to Indian wars and great discontent even if warfare
did not result. The Indians, have a
strong attachment to the localities, in which they and their
fathers have been accustomed to dwell, and it is desirable to
to cultivate this home feeling of attachment to the soil. Moreover, the Canadian system
of band reserves has a tendency to
diminish the offensive strength of the Indian tribes, should
they ever become restless, a remote contingency, if the treaties
are carefully observed. Besides, the fact of the reserves being
scattered throughout the territories, will enable the Indians to
obtain markets among the white settlers, for any surplus produce they may eventually
have to dispose of. It will be found
desirable, to assign to each family parts of the reserve for their
own use, so as to give them a sense of property in it, but all
power of sale or alienation of such lands should be rigidly prohibited. Any premature
enfranchisement of the Indians, or
power given them to part with their lands, would inevitably
lead to the speedy breaking up of the reserves, and the
return of the Indians to their wandering mode of life, and
thereby to the re-creation of a difficulty which the assignment
of reserves was calculated to obviate. There is no parallel
between the condition of the North-Western Indians, and that
of the Indians who have so long been under the fostering care
of the Government in the older Provinces of Ontario and
Quebec.
5. A very important feature of all the treaties, is the giving
to the Indian bands, agricultural implements, oxen, cattle (to
form the nuclei of herds), and seed grain.
The Indians are fully aware that their old mode of life is passing away. They are
not " unconscious of their destiny ;" on the
contrary, they are harassed with fears as to the future of their
children and the hard present of their own lives. They are
tractable, docile, and willing to learn. ' They recognize the fact
that they must seek part of their living from "the mother
The Administration of the Treaties. 289
earth," to use their own phraseology. A Chief at Fort Pitt
said to me,—"I got a plough from Mr. Christie of the Company twelve years ago. I have
no cattle ; I put myself and
my young men in front of it in the spring, and drag it through
the ground. I have no hoes; I make them out of the roots
of trees. Surely, when the Great Mother hears of our needs,
she will come to our help."
* Such a disposition as this should
be encouraged. Induce the Indians to erect houses on their
farms, and plant their " gardens " as they call them, and then
while away on their hunts, their wives and children will have
houses to dwell in, and will care for their patches of corn and
grain and potatoes. Then, too, the cattle given them will expand into herds. It is
true that the number assigned to each
band is comparatively limited, and the Government are not
bound to extend the number. This was done advisedly, by the
successive Governments of Canada, and the Commissioners,
acting under their instructions; for it was felt, that it was
an experiment to entrust them with cattle, owing to their inexperience with regard
to housing them and providing fodder
for them in winter, and owing, moreover, to the danger of
their using them for food, if short of buffalo meat or game.
Besides, it was felt, that as the Indian is, and naturally so,
always asking, it was better, that if the Government saw their
way safely to increase the number of cattle given to any band,
it should be, not as a matter of right, but of grace and favor,
and as a reward for exertion in the care of them, and as an incentive to industry.
Already, the prospect of many of the
bands turning their attention to raising food from the soil is
very hopeful. In the reserve of St. Peter's, in Manitoba, the
Church of England has for many years had a church and mission, and long before the
advent of Canada as ruler of the
lands, the Indians of the Indian settlement had their houses and
gardens, the produce of which, went to supplement the results of
290 The Treaties of Canada with the Indians.
fishing and hunting. And so on the shores and islands of the
Lake of the Woods and on Rainy Lake, the Indians had their
gardens. Since the treaties, the Indians are turning their
attention much more to cultivating the soil. The Indian district agent in the Qu'Appelle
region, reported in November,
1878, that of the twenty-four bands in this treaty, eleven are
gradually turning their attention to farming, and of these
Chief Cote, of Swan River, is the most advanced, having harvested that year two hundred
and eighty bushels of barley, over
three thousand bushels of potatoes, and a large quantity of
other vegetables. The increase from the four cows he received
two years since is eleven head. This may appear large, but
such is the fact.
Lieut.-Gov. Laird reported in 1877, "That some of the bands
within the limits of Treaties Numbers Four and Six sowed
grain and potatoes with good results that year, one band having
about one hundred acres under cultivation." He also states
that the Indians are very desirous of farming, and that he has
hopes that a much larger quantity of seed will be sown next
year (1879). He also states that the band at White Fish
Lake, raised enough that year to maintain themselves without
going to hunt. The Superintendent also reported that in the
Manitoba superintendency "a general desire to be taught
farming, building and other civilized arts exists, and some of
the Indians in Treaty Number Three, living in the vicinity of
Fort Francis, are said to evince enterprise and progress in
their farming operations." At Lac Seule, also in this treaty,
the progress of the Indians is quite marked. They have
established two villages in order to have the benefit of schools.
The Indian agent in the Lake Manitoba district makes a similar statement. One band
has eighteen small farms of one
hundred acres in all, on which they raise potatoes, Indian corn
and garden vegetables. They have twenty-nine houses, twenty-
four horses, and thirty-six head of cattle, of their own. Another
built during the year a good school-house, nineteen new houses,
The Administration of the Treaties. 291
and had one hundred and twenty-five acres under cultivation.
Another had just begun farming, built six houses, two stables
and a barn, and possess seven head of cattle. Still another
had twenty-three houses and one hundred and fifty acres under
tillage, raising barley, wheat, potatoes and vegetables, and
having thirty-six head of cattle. It is unnecessary to multiply
instances, of the aptitude, the Indians are exhibiting, within so
recent a period after the completion of the treaties, to avail
themselves of obtaining their subsistence from the soil. Their
desire to do so, should be cultivated to the fullest extent.
They are, of course, generally ignorant of the proper mode of
farming. In the year 1876, I reported to the Minister of the
Interior, the Hon. David Mills, after my return from the
negotiation of the treaties at Forts Carlton and Pitt, "that
measures ought to be taken to instruct the Indians in farming
and building."
I said "that their present mode of living is passing away;
the Indians are tractable, docile and willing to learn. I think
that advantage should be taken of this disposition to teach
them to become self-supporting, which can best be accomplished
by the aid of a few practical farmers and carpenters to instruct
them in farming and house-building."
This view was corroborated by my successor, Lieutenant-
Governor Laird, who in 1878 reported from Battleford "that
if it were possible to employ a few good, practical men to aid
and instruct the Indians at seed time, I am of opinion that
most of the bands on the Saskatchewan would soon be able to
raise sufficient crops to meet their most pressing wants."
It is satisfactory to know, that the Government of Canada,
decided to act on these suggestions, at least in part, and have
during the past summer sent farm instructors into the Plain
country. It is to be hoped, that this step may prove as fruitful of good results,
as the earnest desire of the Indians to farm
would lead us to believe it may be.
292
The Treaties of Canada with the Indians.
SCHOOLS.
6. The treaties provide for the establishment of schools, on
the reserves, for the instruction of the Indian children. This
is a very important feature, and is deserving of being pressed
with the utmost energy. The new generation can be trained
in the habits and ways of civilized life—prepared to encounter
the difficulties with which they will be surrounded, by the
influx of settlers, and fitted for maintaining themselves as
tillers of the soil. The erection of a school-house on a reserve
will be attended with slight expense, and the Indians would
often give their labour towards its construction.
7. The treaties all provide for the exclusion of the sale of
spirits, or "fire-water," on the reserves. The Indians themselves know their weakness.
Their wise men say, "If it is
there we will use it, give us a strong law against it." A
general prohibitory liquor law, originally enacted by the North-
West Council and re-enacted by the Parliament of Canada, is
in force in the North-West Territories and has been productive
of much benefit, but will, in the near future, be difficult of
enforcement owing to the vast extent of the territory.
Such are the main features of the treaties between Canada
and the Indians, and, few as they are, they comprehend the
whole future of the Indians and of their relations to the
Dominion.
MACHINERY OF GOVERNMENT.
To carry them out, the treaty area has been divided into
two Superintendencies, that of Manitoba, including Treaties
Numbers One, Two Three and Four; and that of the North-
West Territories, including Treaties Numbers Five, Six and
Seven. Mr. Dewdney, late a Member of the House of Commons from British Columbia, has
recently been appointed to
the latter Superintendeney as Chief Superintendent, and has
spent the summer among the Indian tribes. He has had large
The Half-breeds. 293
experience among Indians, and will prove, I have no doubt,
an efficient and able officer. His residence will be in his
Superintendency, and he will be able to meet the Indians and
supervise his deputies. Under the Superintendents are agents
having charge of particular districts and the bands within
them, who reside among them. The Chief Superintendents
and agents are officers of the Department of the Interior, and
are directed by and report to the Deputy Superintendent of
Indian Affairs at Ottawa, Lawrence Vankoughnet, Esq., who
has had long experience of Indian management in the older
Provinces, and his superior, Col. Dennis, Deputy Minister of
the Interior, who had a large practical acquaintance with the
North-West, and the head of the Department, now the Premier
of the Dominion, the Right Hon. Sir John Macdonald. The
system of management is thus a complete one, and doubtless, day
by day, its mode of management, will be perfected and adapted
to the growing exigencies and wants of the native population.
THE HALF-BREEDS.
Ere passing from the subject, I cannot refrain from alluding
to the Half-breed population of the North-West Territories.
Those people are mainly of French Canadian descent, though
there are a few of Scotch blood in the territories. Their influence with the Indian
population is extensive. In Manitoba
there is a large population of French Metis and Scotch Half-
breeds, and they are proud of their mixed blood. This race is
an important factor with regard to all North-West questions.
His Excellency the Earl of Dufferin, with his keen appreciation of men and facts,
astutely seized the position and thus
referred to them in his speech at a banquet in his honor, given
by the citizens of the whilome hamlet, and new city of Winnipeg, on the occasion of
his visit to the Province of Manitoba
in the year 1877.
"There is no doubt that a great deal of the good feeling
294 The Treaties of Canada with the Indians.
thus subsisting between the red men and ourselves is due to
the influence and interposition of that invaluable class of men
the Half-breed settlers and pioneers of Manitoba, who, combining as they do the hardihood,
the endurance and love of
enterprise generated by the strain of Indian blood within their
viens, with the civilization, the instruction, and the intellectual power derived
from their fathers, have preached the
Gospel of peace and good will, and mutual respect, with
equally beneficent results to the Indian Chieftain in his lodge
and to the British settler in the shanty. They have been
the ambassadors between the east and the west ; the interpreters of civilization and
its exigencies to the dwellers on the
prairie as well as the exponents to the white men of the consideration justly due
to the susceptibilities, the sensitive self-
respect, the prejudices, the innate craving for justice, of the
Indian race. In fact they have done for the colony what
otherwise would have been left unaccomplished, and have introduced between the white
population and the red man a
traditional feeling of amity and friendship which but for them
it might have been impossible to establish."
For my own part, I can frankly say, that I always had the
confidence, support and active co-operation of the Half-breeds of
all origins, in my negotiations with the Indian tribes, and I owe
them this full acknowledgment thereof. The Half-breeds in
the territories are of three classes—1st, those who, as at St.
Laurent, near Prince Albert, the Qu'Appelle Lakes and Edmonton, have their farms and
homes ; 2nd, those who are entirely
identified with the Indians, living with them, and speaking their
language ; 3rd, those who do not farm, but live after the habits
of the Indians, by the pursuit of the buffalo and the chase.
As to the first class, the question is an easy one. They will,
of course, be recognized as possessors of the soil, and confirmed by the Government
in their holdings, and will continue
to make their living by farming and trading.
The Future of the Indians. 295
The second class have been recognized as Indians, and have
passed into the bands among whom they reside. .
The position of the third class is more difficult. The loss
of the means of livelihood by the destruction of the buffalo,
presses upon them, as upon our Indian tribes ; and with regard
to them I reported in 1876, and I have seen no reason to
change my views, as follows :
" There is another class of the population in the North-West
whose position I desire to bring under the notice of the Privy
Council. I refer to the wandering Half-breeds of the plains, who
are chiefly of French descent and live the life of the Indians.
There are a few who are identified with the Indians, but there
is a large class of Metis who live by the hunt of the buffalo, and
have no settled homes. I think that a census of the numbers
of these should be procured, and while I would not be disposed
to recommend their being brought under the treaties, I would
suggest that land should be assigned to them, and that on their
settling down, if after an examination into their circumstances,
it should be found necessary and expedient, some assistance
should be given them to enable them to enter upon agricultural
operations."
FUTURE OF THE INDIANS.
And now I come, to a very important question, What is to
be the future of the Indian population. of the North-West. I
believe it to be a hopeful one. I have every confidence in the
desire and ability of the present administration, as of any succeeding one, to carry
out the provisions of the treaties, and to
extend a helping hand to this helpless population. That, conceded, with the machinery
at their disposal, with a judicious
selection of agents and farm instructors, and the additional aid
of well-selected carpenters, and efficient school teachers, I look
forward to seeing the Indians, faithful allies of the Crown, while
they can gradually be made an increasing and self-supporting
population.
296 The Treaties of Canada with the Indians.
They are wards of Canada, let us do our duty by them, and
repeat in the North-west, the success which has attended our
dealings with them in old Canada, for the last hundred years.
But the Churches too have their duties to fulfil. There is a
common ground between the Christian Churches and the Indians, as they all believe
as we do, in a Great Spirit. The
transition thence to the Christian's God is an easy one.
Many of them appeal for missionaries, and utter the Macedonian cry, "come over and
help us." The Churches have
already done and are doing much. The Church of Rome has
its bishops and clergy, who haVe long been laboring assiduously
and actively. The Church of England has its bishops and
clergy on the shores of the Hudson's Bay, in the cold region of
the Mackenzie and the dioceses of Rupert's Land and Saskatchewan. The Methodist Church
has its missions on Lake
\Vinnipeg, in the Saskatchewan Valley, and on the slopes of
the Rocky Mountains. The Presbyterians have lately commenced a work among the Chippewas
and Sioux. There is
room enough and to spare, for all, and the Churches should
expand and maintain their work. Already many of the missionaries have made records
which will live in history: among
those of recent times, Archbishop Tache, Bishop Grandin, Pere
Lacombe, and many others of the Catholic Church; Bishops
Machray, Bompas, Archdeacons Cochran and Cowley of the
Church of England; Revs. Messrs. Macdougall of the Wesleyan and Nisbet of the Presbyterian
Churches, have lived and
labored, and though some of them have gone to their rest, they
have left and will leave behind them a record of self-denial, untiring zeal, and many
good results. Let the Churches persevere
and prosper.
And now I close. Let us have Christianity and civilization
to leaven the mass of he-athenism and paganism among the
Indian tribes; let us have a wise and paternal Government
faithfully carrying out the provisions of our treaties, and doing
The Future of the Indians. 297
its utmost to help and elevate the Indian population, who have
been cast upon our care, and we will have peace, progress, and
concord among them in the North-West ; and instead of the
Indian melting away, as one of them in older Canada, tersely
put it, "as snow before the sun," we will see our Indian population, loyal subjects
of the Crown, happy, prosperous and self-
sustaining, and Canada will be enabled to feel, that in a truly
patriotic spirit, our country has done its duty by the red men
of the North-West, and thereby to herself. So may it be.
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