The Treaties of Canada with the Indians of Manitoba and the North-West Territories

This volume offers a clear‑cut look at the foundational treaties forged between the fledgling Dominion of Canada and the Indigenous peoples of Manitoba, the North‑West Territories, and Kee‑Wa‑Tin. Drawing from official correspondence and firsthand accounts, it presents each agreement alongside the negotiations that shaped them, revealing the delicate balance of diplomacy, land rights, and the pressures of rapid settlement.

Beyond the legal texts, the author contextualises the treaties within a transformative era: the disappearance of the buffalo, the arrival of railways and telegraph lines, and the shifting fortunes of the Plains tribes. Readers gain insight into the hopes and anxieties of both government officials and Indigenous leaders as they grapple with a new reality, and see how early policies aimed to guide Indigenous communities toward agriculture and a “civilized” future.

For anyone interested in the early political landscape of western Canada, this collection serves as an essential, accessible reference that illuminates the complex interplay of culture, power, and compromise at a pivotal moment in history.