Day 2. We Are All Treaty People – Remembering Our Shared Responsibility.
Treaties are not relics of the past, they are living promises. Across Turtle Island (North America), thousands of treaties were made between sovereign Indigenous nations and the governments that sought to share the land. Each treaty represented mutual respect and responsibility. Yet while Indigenous nations have kept their side of the agreement, colonial governments have repeatedly broken these sacred covenants.
To say, “We are all treaty people” means that everyone living on this land today is bound by those agreements. Whether we have ancestral roots that reach back thousands of years or only one generation, we inherit both the privileges and the obligations those treaties carry.
Honoring Treaties: A Call to Action
As Unitarian Universalists, our First Principle calls us to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Honoring treaties is one way we affirm the worth of Indigenous sovereignty, by recognizing the continuing rights, nations, and governance systems that were never extinguished. It means listening to Native voices, supporting land and rematriation: a spiritual and emotional restoration, the restoration of power and agency, and a process guided by Indigenous values and knowledge systems.
“In a Cree worldview, our identity is inseparable from land, from family, from the animals on our land, from community… Wahkotowin is the act of being related.. a worldview that everything IS related.” – Molikah Aweri, Educator, Drum-talk Poet, and rapologist of African-Canadian/Mohawk (Kahnawá:ke) & Mi’kmaw (Bear River) heritage, with Nova Scotian roots.
The Cree wisdom of Wahkotowin is also reflected in our Seventh Principle, which affirms and promotes respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. By honouring the original kinship relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the land, we move closer to affirming the inherent worth of all life and upholding our deepest spiritual commitments.
From Recitation to Restoration
It is common for a UU worship service to begin with a settler’s idea of a land acknowledgment. However, true acknowledgment requires more than recitation. As Adrian M. and Andrea C. observed in their talk on Crafting Meaningful Land Acknowledgments:
“A territory/land acknowledgement is not something to be recited. It is an intentional moment in time to reflect on and consider your relationship with the land and how your connection with the land is meaningful to you personally, professionally and in relation with others.”
This remembrance is not about shame, but about restoration. When we remember we are treaty people, we remember that right relationship, both between peoples and with the land, is the ground of peace.
Learn More
- Resource: Partnering With Native Nations In A Good Way – This guide provides guidance on creating better partnerships within Indian Country by sharing steps to take towards meaningful action and offering tips for initiating relationships.
- Organization: National Congress of American Indians NCAI – a leading organization advocating for Indigenous rights
- Organization: Native Governance Center – a Native-led nonprofit dedicated to assisting Native nations in strengthening their governance systems and capacity to exercise sovereignty.
- Watch: “We Are All Treaty People”- a video series by the Anishinabek Nation
- Book: Unsettling the Settler Within by Paulette Regan – a book about colonial treaties and Indigenous-settler relationships.
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