Land Lessons · Treaties and citizenship

Treaty relationships

Promises that continue in Saskatchewan

Explore Treaty as an ongoing relationship, compare written and First Nations accounts, and begin with the place where you live.

Start the story Create a lesson →

About 6 minutes · Read together or independently

Illustration on white: Comparing distinct treaty records. — Illustration • Comparing distinct treaty records. Conceptual illustration of eleven distinct treaty histories. Folders are props, not reproductions of treaty documents or evidence of their terms.

A question to carry
as you read

What does it mean to live in a Treaty relationship today?

Words along the way

Treaty: An agreement between peoples or nations that establishes commitments and a relationship.
Crown: The governing authority represented by the monarch and, in Canada, governments acting in that authority.
Signatory: A party that enters an agreement.
Spirit and intent: The underlying purpose and understanding of an agreement, beyond its written words.

01 · Saskatchewan

Start with where you are

Saskatchewan includes areas associated with Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10. These agreements have different histories and signatories. A numbered Treaty area is not the same thing as a reserve. Start your learning by identifying your community and the Treaty history connected to it, then learn from the First Nations involved.

Read the sources: Treaty Education Outcomes and Indicators (2013)

02 · More than a document

Treaty is a relationship

The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations describes Treaty as a relationship between sovereign nations, based on peaceful coexistence and consent. In this account, First Nations did not give up their nationhood or the right to determine their futures. Learning Treaty therefore requires attention to First Nations’ laws, histories and explanations.

Read the sources: Fundamental Treaty Principles

03 · A specific example

Look closely at Treaty Six

The Crown’s written Treaty Six record dates its main 1876 agreements to Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt. It includes provisions about reserve lands, schools, annual payments and hunting and fishing, alongside farming assistance. Medicine-chest and famine-assistance provisions also appear. These details belong to Treaty Six; do not assume every Treaty contains identical promises.

Read the sources: Treaty Texts: Treaty No. 6

04 · Read with care

Words and understandings can differ

The Crown’s written text uses land-surrender language. The Confederacy’s principles emphasize continuing nationhood, peaceful coexistence and consent. Set these accounts beside one another instead of treating one as the complete story. Ask who made each account, whose understanding it expresses, and what oral histories and knowledge keepers add.

Read the sources: Treaty Texts: Treaty No. 6 · Fundamental Treaty Principles

05 · Keep ideas clear

Treaty and the Indian Act are different

Treaties are agreements establishing relationships and commitments. The Indian Act is federal legislation, first enacted in 1876, that imposed rules affecting First Nations. Learning about the Act’s history does not replace learning the Treaty relationship. Keep the agreement, the law and government policy distinct when exploring how promises have been honoured or broken.

Read the sources: Fundamental Treaty Principles · Background on Indian registration

06 · Today

Learning is one part of responsibility

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner supports Treaty education and discussions between Saskatchewan First Nations and Canada, with Saskatchewan participating as an observer. It connects understanding history with reconciliation. A useful next step is local: learn one promise, listen to the Nation’s explanation, and investigate what fulfilling that promise involves today.

Read the sources: Education

Follow the dates

The story through time.

1876
Treaty Six agreements
The written record identifies agreements at Fort Carlton in August and Fort Pitt in September; later adhesions followed.
Read the sources: Treaty Texts: Treaty No. 6
Today
A continuing relationship
First Nations continue to affirm Treaty principles, and Treaty education and implementation remain active work.
Read the sources: Fundamental Treaty Principles · Education

Your turn

One place, one promise, two accounts

With a teacher, locate your community on an authoritative Treaty map. Identify the relevant Treaty and nearby First Nations.
Choose one provision from that Treaty’s written record. Do not substitute Treaty Six if your community is elsewhere.
Read or listen to a public account from a First Nation connected to that Treaty. Name both sources.
Explain the promise, whose responsibilities it concerns, and one question about how it is fulfilled today.

Show what you learned. An annotated location, a short comparison of two accounts and a question supported by evidence.

Optional classroom notesFor teachers: Saskatchewan connections

These are suggested connections to specific outcomes. Use the linked curriculum and the scope notes to plan the rest of the learning.

Grade 4 · Social Studies

DR4.3

Consider what the Treaty relationship means for Saskatchewan.

Relevant indicators

a Locate Treaty areas and reserves relevant to the school.
c Research provisions together with Treaty spirit and intent.
d Consider Treaty benefits for Saskatchewan people.

Classroom activity: Locate the school’s Treaty area with an authoritative map. Investigate one local promise using the written Treaty and a public First Nation account; explain an intended benefit and a present-day question.
Evidence of learning: An annotated map, named sources, and an explanation that distinguishes a written provision from interpretations and evidence of its implementation.
Scope of this connection: Treaty Six is the reading’s example, not a substitute for every local Treaty. A map and local Nation sources must be added. The page does not fully investigate negotiating conditions or assess all benefits.

Suggested connection · Source checked 2026-09-27

The evidence behind the story

Sources & further reading.

Sources checked 2026-09-27.

Fundamental Treaty PrinciplesConfederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations
First Nations account of continuing sovereignty, consent and Treaty relationships; attributed to its authors.
Treaty Texts: Treaty No. 6Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Crown written record. Read alongside First Nations accounts and oral histories, not as the only account of Treaty.
EducationOffice of the Treaty Commissioner
Current explanation of Treaty education and the OTC bilateral mandate in Saskatchewan.
Treaty Education Outcomes and Indicators (2013)Saskatchewan Ministry of Education
Ministry-authored document, accessible hosted copy. Current curriculum portal continues to link Treaty Education. Used for Saskatchewan Treaty numbers, not as a substitute for Nations’ histories.
Background on Indian registrationCrown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Government history of the Indian Act and registration rules; legislation and Treaty are different forms of instrument.

Introductory public-source account. It does not resolve legal interpretations or represent all First Nations. Local Treaty texts, Nation-specific accounts and evidence about implementation must be added for a complete local inquiry. No Ministry approval or community endorsement is claimed.

Illustration note. Illustration • Comparing distinct treaty records. Conceptual illustration of eleven distinct treaty histories. Folders are props, not reproductions of treaty documents or evidence of their terms.