Numbered Treaties

Were First Nations leaders confident that the terms of the Numbered Treaties would be respected? How do you know?
I believe the First Nations, at the time, were confident the Treaties would be respected. I do believe though, the Europeans took full advantage of the wording of the documents. The First Nation’s weren’t’ really concerned with the document wording, but more concerned with the feeling, the kinship and the relationship that surrounded the land-sharing (shown by exchanging gifts, and the smoking of the peace pipe). First Nations were given little farmland, and not fertile land either, as well as inadequate farming equipment and were expected to basically live off this little bit of help for the rest of their lives. Seeding and tilling …show more content…
They thought that rations were guaranteed under the Treaty so hearing that the government is willing to cut off your (already meager) food supply would be very disheartening to them, they wouldn’t have felt equal with the government. The government began to control the First Nations through the Treaties, if it wasn’t stated in the Treaty clearly, then they would use wording/interpretation of the Treaty could forever be questioned by the government. Treaties stated they would all be given two oxen, so the government gave them wild, untrained oxen to use; knowing full well that the First Nation’s probably wouldn’t have a good chance at succeeding, so the First Nation’s would have to depend on the government. First Nations were dying of hunger and I think this is when it becomes very apparent to all the tribes of First Nations that the government is not willing to uphold the Treaties and that the First Nation’s will have to be the ones to get the Treaties