Instructional Unit ~ Module 4
Overarching Critical Inquiry
Does the western record keeping tradition limit our ability to understand Blackfoot culture? If so, how?
Critical Challenge 4
Exploring a historical event (the signing of Treaty 7) from both the Blackfoot and western perspectives
Module Overview
In this challenge, students are involved in activities wherein they examine archival records surrounding the signing of Treaty 7, the treaty between the Canadian government and the Blackfoot people of Southern Alberta. As a culminating activity to the student’s examination of identity and bias, this examination shows how perspectives on this event held by different individuals can be drawn out through critical analysis of the records created either at the time of the signing or passed along through traditional record keeping / knowledge systems. The signing of the treaty is a milestone in the timeline of historical globalization whose impact on the Blackfoot (and Canadians) continues to be felt today.
An extension activity for special students requiring differentiation is provided under Task 3.
TASKS
1. Examining Different Perspectives
· Students begin by examining secondary sources written by historians about Treaty 7, such as the Treaty Guide created by Indian and Northern Affairs, to familiarize themselves with the background to and official text of the treaty (which includes a list of witnesses).
· Students then read the primary source material listed below (located online in Alberta Inword – (go to www.archivesalberta.org, choose Collections Online, ASA Databases, then Alberta Inword), some of which may have been used by historians to create their interpretations:
i. William Scollen’s letter to his parents, October 14, 1877 (M 1108/2, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta Inword, search for Scollen, choose “William Scollen’s letters, 1877-1890,” then pages 3-5
ii. William Parker’s letters to his family, August 1877, September 8, 1877, and October 29, 1877 (M 934/12-13, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta Inword, search for “William Parker”, choose “William Parker’s letters, 1877,” then pages 31-41
iii. R.B. Nevitt’s letters to Lizzie Beaty, September 12, 1877 and September 28, 1877 (M 893/13, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta Inword, search for “R.B. Nevitt”, choose “R.B. Nevitt’s letters, 1877,” then pages 28-35. Please note that transcriptions of Nevitt’s letters for this period are also available and can be found using the same search.
iv. Fred Bagley’s diary, 1874-1881, 1884 (M 44, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta Inword, search for “Fred Bagley”, choose “Fred Bagley’s diary” (a PDF file). The relevant passages are on page 35.
v. Richard C. Hardisty’s Saskatchewan District letters, September 5, 1877, October 8, 1877, October 12, 1877 and November 1, 1877 (M 477 – 861-961, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta InWord, search for hardisty Saskatchewan bow river 1877, then choose pages 43-46, 50-57
vi. Bull Plume’s winter count, ca. 1910 (M 8188, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta Inword, search for “Bull Plume”, choose “Bull Plume’s winter count,” then choose pages 16 and 60.
vii. Jane Richardson’s Blackfoot Research – Interview with Many Guns (M 8458-5, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta Inword, search for “Many Guns treaty 7”, choose “Interview with Many Guns.” Although the treaty is discussed throughout the interview, pages 11-13 seem especially relevant
viii. Jane Richardson’s Blackfoot Research – Life in Crowfoot’s Camp, ca. 1870-1877 (M 8458-17, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta Inword, search for “crowfoot’s camp”, then choose pages 16-21 (some of which is repeated from the Many Guns interview cited above).
ix. Paul Wolf Collar’s Treaty 7 pictograph with explanation (M 2844, Glenbow Archives). Go to Alberta InWord, and search for “wolf collar.”
· Some transcriptions for handwritten materials are available online, and a complete list is provided as an attachment to this module. Students should try to read the original handwritten materials but can use the transcriptions afterward, given the difficulty of reading the original source material
· Students should also read the biographies available in Alberta InWord of the people who created the records (available by clicking on the “fonds title” link in the Alberta InWord description and reading the bio/admin history) and conducting other research on the records creators, if possible, to determine perspective and bias. Photographs may be available in the Alberta InSight (go to www.archivesalberta.org, choose Collections Online, ASA Databases, then Alberta InSight) or Glenbow photograph databases (www.glenbow.org/collections/search).
· Students write a list of details about the records (gender of records creator, education, occupations represented, names of people encountered, details of activities and events, and descriptive imagery) that have an impact or reveal the perspective / bias of the people who created the records. Students should also note when records from different creators connect to each other by describing the same people or events from different perspectives, such as trading relationships. Areas where details of events are different or similar can also be noted.
· Students discuss or create a chart showing which elements and perspectives of the Treaty 7 process are well-documented and which are poorly represented or non-existent.
· Finally, students write a 1-2 page diary entry, letter or transcribed oral history in the character of an actual person from the list of witnesses present at the signing of Treaty 7 (or a composite fictional character likely to have been there, such as a trader), with a perspective and worldview consistent to that person and time period.
2. Finishing and Reflecting on the Modules
· Have students reflect on the record keeping traditions in western and Blackfoot cultures, and the extent to which a dominant element of society and its perspectives/viewpoints preserved in archives can skew the way in which a historical event is portrayed.
· Students should also reflect on the importance of preserving documents representing different perspectives so that the historical past is not subject to one global or monolithic perspective.
· Students can also reflect on what evidence historians of the future will have to examine the legacy of globalization on indigenous peoples.
3. Extension Activity
· The process of treaty negotiations is an ongoing event in contemporary Canada, particularly with the recent creation of the territory of Nunavut and ongoing discussions through the British Columbia Treaty Commission. If Treaty 7 were to be negotiated today, what perspectives and biases would have changed on both sides? What priorities reflected in the original treaty would still remain relevant today? How does awareness of the outcomes of the original Treaty 7 affect the process? Have students define and elaborate on a series of principles and processes by which modern treaties should be negotiated.
Related Resources
Orientation to Historical and Contemporary Treaties:
o Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Treaty Guide to Treaty No. 7: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/trts/hti/guid/tr7_e.html
o To reiterate that the treaty is a living document that has an impact on modern aboriginal life, reference the Treaty 7 Management Corporation website at http://www.treaty7.org/.
o Mike Robinson, “In the Spirit of Inistisinni: The Sacred Basis of Treaty 7 and the Modern Day Obligations It Creates”: http://www.glenbow.org/about/president/may2005.cfm or his book, In the Spirit of Inistisinni: Exploratory Discussions on Treaty 7 (Calgary: Arctic Institute of North America, 1997).
o Alberta Online Encyclopedia: Treaty Seven – Past and Present: http://www.albertasource.ca/treaty7/index.html
o Treaty 7 Elders and Tribal Council, with Walter Hildebrandt, Sarah Carter, and Dorothy First Rider, The True Spirit and Original Intent of Treaty 7. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1996 (ISBN: 0773515216).
o CBC Archives: George Erasmus, Bill Reid, Rethinking Riel, The Battle for Aboriginal Treaty Rights (four online topics): http://archives.cbc.ca
o BC Treaty Commission: www.bctreaty.net
o Aboriginal Cultural Landscapes (including a discussion of worldviews): http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/r/pca-acl/index_e.asp
o Niitsitapiisini: http://www.glenbow.org/blackfoot virtual exhibit
Support Material
· Transcriptions of Handwritten Letters
· Writing Assignment Assessment Rubric
CRITICAL CHALLENGE 4 - WRITING ASSIGNMENT ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
List of Details about the Records / The list is comprehensive, insightful and provides many details derived from the records about the treaty process and people involved. / The list has several details derived from the records about the treaty process and provides some insight. / The list provides a few details derived from the records about the treaty process. / The list is inadequate.
Chart of Documentation / The chart provides five or more examples each of well-documented and poorly documented aspects of the Treaty 7 process. / The chart provides three to five examples each of well-documented and poorly documented aspects of the Treaty 7 process. / The chart provides at least two examples each of well-documented and poorly documented aspects of the Treaty 7 process. / The chart provides less than two examples each of well-documented and poorly documented aspects of the Treaty 7 process.
Writing Assignment / Considerable thought and effort is put into the writing process, with the assignment having considerable impact. / Sufficient time and effort are devoted to the writing process. / Some time and effort is devoted to the writing process, but it is not thorough. Does enough to get by. / Little time and effort is in evidence.
Historical Integrity / Writing assignment includes linkages to several historical characters, correct timeline and details of events, and appropriate worldview of character. / Writing assignment includes some references to historical characters, a correct timeline of events, and an appropriate worldview. / Writing assignment includes a couple of references to historical characters, correct timeline, and some evidence of worldview. / Writing assignment is generally insufficient in terms of linkages to historical characters, timeline, and worldview.
Spelling and Grammar / Writing assignment has no misspellings or grammatical errors. / Writing assignment has 1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors. / Writing assignment has 1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings. / Writing assignment has more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors.
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