Guides: Indigenous Resources: Treaties Recognition: Williams Treaties

What is treaties recognition week and why does it matter?

Treaties Recognition Week is a time for us to focus on learning more about Indigenous treaties and the history of treaty agreements among Indigenous peoples. Indigenous rights over land are governed by treaties between the government and Indigenous nations. The Royal Proclamation recognized Indigenous peoples as the original peoples of Canada and established the creation and negotiation of treaties, requiring Indigenous consent for settler access to land. Land that has not been negotiated by a treaty is considered Aboriginal title. Treaties cover all people who live in a treaty area. If you live on land governed by a treaty, you are a treaty person.

During this particular Treaties Recognition Week, we explore the impact the Williams First Nations Treaties has had on local Mississauga and Anishinaabe peoples. In this guide you will find Indigenous resources to help further educate and learn about treaties and the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada. We encourage you to take some time to explore the original treaty maps and documents that relate to where you were born, watch videos and listen to Indigenous voices. Through learning about Indigenous treaties and listening to Indigenous voices, we can help spread awareness and recognition of the role that treaties can play in building respectful relationships, now and in the future.

Land Acknowledgements

A land acknowledgement should be done at the beginning of any gathering to begin in a good way. Examples of such gatherings are meetings, webinars, convocation, training sessions, sporting events and special events.

To ensure this acknowledgement does not become a checklist item, we need to commit to action, education, meaningful dialogue and change. Along with the acknowledgement, we must engage our communities in education about Indigenous history, treaties and the rich culture and traditions of Indigenous peoples. Remembering always, “nothing about us without us”.

Royal Proclamation

The Royal Proclamation, issued by King George III in 1763, set out guidelines for European settlement of Aboriginal territories in North America. The Royal Proclamation set the constitutional structure for the negotiation of treaties with the Indigenous inhabitants of large sections of Canada.

Keeping Promises by Terry Fenge; Jim Aldridge
Marking the 250th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation, Keeping Promises shows how central the application of the Proclamation is to the many treaties that followed it and the settlement and development of Canada. Promises have been made to Aboriginal peoples in historic treaties from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries in Ontario, the Prairies, and the Mackenzie Valley, and in modern treaties from the 1970s onward, primarily in the North. In this collection, essays by historians, lawyers, treaty negotiators, and Aboriginal leaders explore how and how well these treaties are executed.

Williams Treaties

Treaties Resources

The Grandfather of all Treaties
The Grandfather of All Treaties or the Two Row Wampum, is considered the most important diplomatic instrument in First Nation’s history. Wampum belts were among the first documented agreements between First Nations and European settlers. This documentary examines the Indigenous mobilization that is happening across North America and these grassroots movements’ ability to affect real change in the world. Though the face of these issues may be the protection of Indigenous rights – it is the recognition of them that may actually determine the fate of the planet.
Treaties Recognition Playlist
A selection of documentaries covering residential schools, treaties, interviews with elders and scholars on indigenous rights and traditions, and the impact of colonialism in Canada.
Department of Indian Affairs : treaties, surrenders and agreements
Primary documents including treaties, surrenders and agreements. Documents include land sales, conveyances, and deeds
First Nations and Treaties (Ontario Map)
Indigenous voices on treaties (Videos, Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Affairs)
Indigenous speakers share their knowledge about the importance of treaties, treaty relationships and rights in Ontario.
Aboriginal Worldviews and Education (Coursera)
Treaty Talks with Tomorrows Leaders (November 1-5, 2021)

Treaty Maps

Whose Land interactive map tool
Discover treaties in your area and areas around with you with this interactive map. Identify Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada.
Native Land interactive map tool
Native Land Digital is Indigenous-led, with an Indigenous Executive Director and Board of Directors who oversee and direct the organization.

Government Treaty Resources

Government of Ontario Treaties
Learn more about the treaties, treaty relationships and treaty rights that shape Ontario.
Williams Treaties First Nations Settlement Agreement
Government of Canada infographic.
Statement of Apology for the Impacts of the 1923 Williams Treaties
Map of Ontario Treaties and Reserves
Primary documents, transcripts and images of treaties, and mapping.
Upper Canada Land Surrenders and the Williams Treaties (1764-1862/1923)
Treaties Texts
Read transcripts of the treaties dating from the mid 1700's to the early 1900's. The treaty texts have been formatted and clearly typed, instead of their original format, for easy reading and printing. Please note that not all treaties have been transcribed due to the absence of the original source document.
Indigenous Voices on Treaties
Watch these videos to hear Indigenous speakers share their knowledge about the importance of treaties, treaty relationships and rights in Ontario.

Library Research Resources

Browse "Williams Treaties" resources in the Library's collection

Drawing Out Law by John Borrows
Publication Date: 2010
The Anishinabek Nation's legal traditions are deeply embedded in many aspects of customary life. In Drawing Out Law, John Borrows (Kegedonce) skillfully juxtaposes Canadian legal policy and practice with the more broadly defined Anishinabek perception of law as it applies to community life, nature, and individuals.
Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism by John Borrows
Publication Date: 2016
Demonstrating how Canada's constitutional structures marginalize Indigenous peoples' ability to exercise power in the real world, John Borrows uses Ojibwe law, stories, and principles to suggest alternative ways in which Indigenous peoples can work to enhance freedom.
Canada's Indigenous Constitution by John Borrows
Publication Date: 2010
Canada's Indigenous Constitution reflects on the nature and sources of law in Canada, beginning with the conviction that the Canadian legal system has helped to engender the high level of wealth and security enjoyed by people across the country. However, longstanding disputes about the origins, legitimacy, and applicability of certain aspects of the legal system have led John Borrows to argue that Canada's constitution is incomplete without a broader acceptance of Indigenous legal traditions.
Ojibway Ceremonies by Basil Johnston
Call Number: PS8569.O44 O44 1987
Publication Date: 1987
Ojibway Ceremonies provides a unique and fascinating glimpse of Ojibway culture before its disruption by European civilization. It is the story of the Ojibway told through the ceremonies which dominated the most important occasions and stages of their existence. As a young boy grows up, we see him develop through his involvement in the many rituals so important to the Ojibway way of life. From the Naming Ceremony and the Vision Quest to the War Path, from the Marriage Ceremony to the Ritual of the Dead, we see the attitudes and beliefs of the Ojibway people come alive.
A Knock on the Door by Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2015
"It can start with a knock on the door one morning. It is the local Indian agent, or the parish priest, or, perhaps, a Mounted Police officer." So began the school experience of many Indigenous children in Canada for more than a hundred years, and so begins the history of residential schools prepared by the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). Between 2008 and 2015, the TRC provided opportunities for individuals, families, and communities to share their experiences of residential schools and released several reports based on 7000 survivor statements and five million documents from government, churches, and schools, as well as a solid grounding in secondary sources.
Song of Rita Joe by Rita Joe
Call Number: PS8569 .O38 Z53 1996b
Publication Date: 1996
Song of Rita Joe is the story of Joe's remarkable life: her education in an Indian residential school, her turbulent marriage, and the daily struggles within her family and community. It is the story of how Joe's battles with racism, sexism, poverty, and personal demons became the catalyst for her first poems and allowed her to reclaim her aboriginal heritage. Today, her story continues: as she moves into old age, Joe writes that her lifelong spiritual quest is ever deepening.
Tales of the Anishinaubaek by Basil Johnston; Maxine Noel (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 1994
Mermaids and medicine women, spirits of the wind, water, and woods inhabit this book of Ojibwa myths, exquisitely illustrated by Maxine Noel, a member of Oglala Sioux.
As Long As This Land Shall Last: : A History of Treaty 8 and Treaty 11, 1870-1939 by Rene Fumoleau; Joanne Barnaby (Epilogue by)
Publication Date: 2004
A historically accurate study that takes no sides, this book is the first complete document of Treaties 8 and 11 between the Canadian government and the Native people at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Disinherited Generations by Nellie Carlson; Kathleen Steinhauer; Linda Goyette (As told to); Maria Campbell (Foreword by)
Publication Date: 2013
This oral autobiography of two remarkable Cree women tells their life stories against a backdrop of government discrimination, First Nations activism, and the resurgence of First Nations communities. Nellie Carlson and Kathleen Steinhauer, who helped to organize the Indian Rights for Indian Women movement in western Canada in the 1960s, fought the Canadian government's interpretation of treaty and Indigenous Rights, the Indian Act, and the male power structure in their own communities in pursuit of equal rights for Indigenous women and children.