How to Be a Better Treaty Person

Most Indigenous people know that their ancestors envisioned a strong future for them through treaty negotiations, says Chelsea Vowel, ’00 BA, ’09 LLB, ’20 MA, an assistant lecturer at the U of A’s Faculty of Native Studies. And many Indigenous people have signed treaties, which describe how they can live together in a good way with settler society (descendants of European settlers) and new immigrants. That explanation of “treaties” might sound simple, but from there it gets more complicated. Vowel says treaties aren’t just for Indigenous people. They are for everyone who lives on these lands, and everyone can benefit from them.

So here’s a guide to treaties, what they were meant to do, who they benefit and how we can all become better treaty people.

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