Treaty Five is a treaty between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty band governments and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin. Much of what is today central and northern Manitoba was covered by the treaty, as were a few small adjoining portions of the present-day provinces of Saskatchewan and Ontario.

The fifth of several treaties, Treaty 5 was completed in two rounds. The first was from September 1875 to September 1876. The Crown intended in 1875 to include only "the Indians [east and west] of Lake Winnipeg for the surrender of the Territory uncovered by previous treaties" including "the proposed migration of the Norway House band". Pimicikamak territory was north of the lake. It was included by accident or design of Tepastenam attending the Norway House signing. Additional peoples and groups signed on between 1908 and 1910.

Historical context

Treaties had been signed with Indigenous Peoples in most districts well suited for agriculture in central Canada before Confederation in 1867. After Confederation, the purchase of Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870 brought to light the question of Indigenous land rights in the areas prime for agriculture in these newly acquired areas. Initially, Indigenous groups in the Lake Winnipeg area were supposed to be included in either Treaties One or Two, but distance made this illogical. The treaty negotiations happened very quickly, three different negotiation sessions took place, each lasting one day. The commissioners of Treaty Five negotiated individually with each Indigenous group involved. Although the Indigenous Peoples in Northern Manitoba are covered under the same treaty as those in the Southern areas, they signed much later than those in the south and for different reasons. The reserve site proposed by Alexander Miller was located to the west of Lake Winnipeg at Fisher's River.

The next day the commissioners went north to discuss the treaty with two bands of Cree, one Christian and one not, called the Wood Band at Norway House by Nelson River. The treaty was signed by the band with little protest and Morris and McKay moved along.

  • 20 September 1875: signing of Treaty 5 at Berens River, Manitoba
  • 24 September 1875: signing of Treaty 5 by Norway House and Pimicikamak peoples at Norway House, Manitoba
  • 27 September. 1875: Grand Rapids signing
  • 28 September 1875: signing by Wa-Pang or Dog-Head community, to be included with the reservation assigned for the Norway House community
  • 26 July 1876: Big Island signing at Wa-Pang/Dog-Head Island
  • 4 August 1876: signing by Grand Rapids tribes at Beren's River
  • 7 September 1876: signing by Black River Saulteaux band, signed in Winnipeg
  • 7 September 1876: The Pas signing by tribes in that region
  • 26 June 1908: Split Lake adhesion signing
  • 8 July 1908: Norway House adhesion signing
  • 15 July 1908: Cross Lake adhesion signing
  • 30 July 1908: Nelson House adhesion signing
  • 24 August 1908: Fisher River adhesion signing
  • 29 July 1909: Oxford House adhesion signing
  • 6 August 1909: God's Lake adhesion signing
  • 13 August 1909: Island Lake adhesion signing
  • 9 June 1910: Deer's Lake East adhesion signing
  • 10 August 1910: York Factory adhesion signing

Issues

The speed at which the treaty was negotiated left room for a great deal of misunderstanding for both the government commissioners and the Indigenous peoples. In some cases, the oral terms negotiated with Indigenous groups did not match what was eventually written down. However, a present-day Indigenous leader translated the text to mean “I quit this land,” stating that if the Indigenous groups had known what they were agreeing to, they would not have signed. The decade of the 1880s saw a rise in the death rate on reserves from Tuberculosis. Both Indigenous groups and Métis groups were involved.

  • Manitoba
  • Berens River First Nation
  • Bloodvein First Nation
  • Bunibonibee Cree Nation
  • Chemawawin Cree Nation
  • Fisher River Cree Nation
  • Fox Lake Cree Nation
  • Garden Hill First Nations
  • God's Lake First Nation
  • Grand Rapids First Nation
  • Hollow Water First Nation
  • Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation
  • Black River First Nation
  • Little Grand Rapids First Nation
  • Manto Sipi Cree Nation
  • Mosakahiken Cree Nation
  • Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation
  • Norway House Cree Nation
  • Opaskwayak Cree Nation
  • Pauingassi First Nation
  • Pimicikamak
  • Poplar River First Nation
  • Red Sucker Lake First Nation
  • St. Theresa Point First Nation
  • Sayisi Dene First Nation
  • Shamattawa First Nation
  • Tataskweyak Cree Nation
  • War Lake First Nation
  • Wasagamack First Nation
  • York Factory First Nation
  • Ontario
  • Deer Lake First Nation
  • North Spirit Lake First Nation
  • Pikangikum First Nation
  • Poplar Hill First Nation
  • Sandy Lake First Nation
  • Saskatchewan
  • Cumberland House First Nation
  • Red Earth First Nation
  • Shoal Lake First Nation

See also

  • Numbered Treaties
  • The Canadian Crown and First Nations, Inuit and Métis
  • Council of Keewatin
  • District of Keewatin
  • Nishnawbe Aski Nation

Notes

  • Treaty Texts - Treaty No. 5 from the Government of Canada