Description
Nous sommes tous des gens issus de traités is the French translation of We Are All Treaty People, the 34-page illustrated history produced by the Union of Ontario Indians to promote the understanding of treaties among all people in Ontario. Written by Maurice Switzer with coloured drawings by Charley Hebert the book offers students a brief look at history from the Anishinabek perspective. This French language edition is translated by Denyse De Bernardi. The Anishinabek Nation includes the Algonquin, Delaware, Mississauga, Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi. The book begins with a brief overview of Anishinabek cultural history and worldview. A prediction about the newcomers comes to pass as the people assist these newcomers with food, medicines, and survival techniques. The story continues as the period of peaceful co-existence comes to an end when competition between the French and English is decided during the Seven Year's War. As the chronological history is explained, readers are introduced to Pontiac, the Royal Proclamation, the Treaty of Niagara, the significance of treaty wampum belts such as the Covenant Chain and the Twenty-four Nations Belts, Tecumseh, the American Revolution, Indian Territory, the Treaty of Grenville, the War of 1812, and the Robinson Huron and Robinson Superior Treaties. Interspersed throughout these sections are maps, reproductions of treaties, and illustrations of wampum belts. The text moves on to the creation of reserves, land rights issues, the spirit and intent of treaties, the development of legislation called the Indian Act, the creation of residential schools, the 1969 White Paper, the growth of First Nations leadership, and the creation of the Assembly of First Nations. The final pages discuss the three crucial events in the 1990s: Oka, Gustafsen Lake, and Ipperwash. The result of these events was the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the Ipperwash Inquiry. Their recommendations reference the importance of the treaty relationship that includes First Nations and all Canadian citizens. This book's concise retelling of First Nations history makes it an excellent resource for all schools and libraries. Highly recommended.