Treaty of Niagara

Treaty of Niagara is a 1764 treaty where wampum belts were exchanged.

In Anishinabek News

• March 2014: This event reached its 250th anniversary in July 2014. It involved a congress of 2,500 First Nations leaders where wampum belts were exchanged.
• July 2014: The 250th anniversary of this 1764 agreement was commemorated with a two-day gathering along the Niagara River. The original treaty was concluded on August 1, 1764, involving 24 nations and Sir William Johnson representing the British Crown. This agreement reaffirmed the Covenant Chain relations and guaranteed an annual distribution of goods to Indigenous Nations.
• November 2016: A LEGO replica of the wampum belt from this treaty was created by Alexander Hebert. Maurice Switzer wore a vest replicating the 1764 belt during the launch of the RBC Treaty Learning Centre. The RBC Treaty Learning Centre houses information on the significance and meaning of Treaty Belts such as those from this agreement.
• November 2016: The 1764 meeting involved 2,500 Chiefs and the British representative William Johnson. The gathering lasted for a month and resulted in a better deal for Great Lakes First Nations following the Royal Proclamation. The agreement is represented by a specific Wampum belt.
• November 2017: The treaty's wampum belt was recreated in LEGO by Alex Hebert. Dakota Bellissimo attended the 250th anniversary of this treaty.
• November 2017: One of the new educational books details a child's experience attending the 250th anniversary of this treaty in Niagara Falls. A replica LEGO version of the wampum belt associated with this treaty is used as a teaching tool.
• May 2018: This treaty was a subject of instruction during the Treaty Education Mentorship Project sessions.
• November 2018: The treaty was a subject of discussion by Maurice Switzer during a 2018 event for Treaties Recognition Week.
• November 2018: The treaty was a central theme of the 2018 Anishinabek Nation Lands and Resources Forum. It established a relationship that continues to be honored by nations such as the Nipissing, Odawa, and Chippewa.
• February 2019: Dr. Murton Stoehr described this agreement as the main treaty that established the legal environment for all subsequent land-sharing agreements. The treaty was signed by the Nipissing First Nation, Haudenosaunee, Seneca, Wyandot of Detroit, Menominee, Algonquin, Ojibwa, Mississaugas, and others.
• June 2019: The Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg were involved in the making of this treaty.
• July 2019: Alex Hebert created the first LEGO wampum belt representing this treaty.
• July 2019: Alex Hebert designed a LEGO representation of a wampum belt associated with the Treaty of Niagara.
• December 2019: Alex Hebert created a LEGO representation of a wampum belt associated with the Treaty of Niagara.
• February 2020: Alex Hebert created a LEGO representation of a wampum belt associated with this treaty.
• July 2020: A LEGO version of the 1764 wampum belt is used in classrooms to teach young children about friendship and sharing.
• November 2020: A LEGO replica of the wampum belt associated with this treaty is used as a teaching tool in Anishinabek Nation resources. The 250th anniversary of this event was commemorated at Niagara Falls.
• June 2021: A LEGO replica of the wampum belt associated with this agreement was included in a 2015 educational kit.
• July 2021: More than 2,000 representatives from at least 24 Nations attended the gathering to discuss peace and trade with Britain. The event resulted in the exchange of wampum belts to seal a new relationship between the Crown and the Western Nations. While First Nations viewed the event as a foundational agreement, Crown officials later focused only on the land cessions along the Niagara River.
• May 2022: The wampum belt associated with this agreement is the subject of a mural by Don Chretien at Nipissing First Nation. A LEGO version of the treaty's wampum belt was designed for use in an educational resource.
• December 2022: The agreement established protocols and obligations of alliance that were understood by ministers in the eighteenth century. Historian Alan Corbiere noted that the reciprocal gift-giving practices central to this treaty's diplomacy eventually declined over time.
• January 2023: The British Crown promised at this 1764 gathering to hold annual meetings to address issues in the communities. The agreement established the Covenant Chain, symbolizing a commitment to immediate conversation if the Anishinabek requested it.
• December 2023: The open letter argues that passing Bill C-53 could violate Canada's legally binding commitments made under this treaty.
• February 2024: A LEGO version of the wampum belt for this treaty was created by Alex Hebert.
• March 2024: Reviewer Alex Hebert noted his familiarity with this agreement and other friendship treaties prior to reading about the Numbered Treaties.
• March 2025: This 1764 agreement between the British and First Nations reaffirmed the Covenant Chain of Friendship and recognized First Nations sovereignty. The Anishinabek Nation stated this treaty must be interpreted alongside the Royal Proclamation of 1763.
• June 2025: The Anishinabek Nation references this treaty as an instrument to which autonomous Indigenous law-making authority was a pre-condition. The organization argues that the government must honour First Nations as law-making authorities before the passing of Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.
• January 2026: The Covenant Chain Wampum Belt was presented during this treaty to 24 nations. Isaac Murdoch described this event as the founding treaty between Indigenous people and what is now known as Canada.
• May 2026: The symbolism of the Silver Covenant Chain has served as a reminder of treaty obligations since 1764. The Anishinabek Nation referenced the 1764 agreement as the basis for how conflicts should be resolved through the polishing of the treaty chain.
• August 2026: The event involved the exchange of wampum belts that codified a nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous nations and the British. Lynn Gehl highlighted this event as a valid example of an Indigenous symbolic literacy system.