Indigenous Voices on Treaties - Ange Loft

Summary

Ange Loft discusses the 'Talking Trees' project, which explores the complex relationship between Indigenous and European nations through treaties and trade. The project highlights the significance of numbers and figures in understanding land deals and settlements. Loft emphasizes the importance of relationship building and maintenance, as seen in the Treaty of Niagara, where gifts and meetings were crucial for maintaining peace and fostering kinship between the English and Mohawk people.

Takeaways

• 🌳 Ange Loft is the Associate Artistic Director of Jumblies Theatre and has been involved in community art projects in Ontario and Kahnawake.
• 🗣️ The Talking Trees project took two to three years of research and involved conversations with academics, historians, and artists about their relationship to treaties in Toronto.
• 🔢 Loft highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between historical land deals and contemporary figures to grasp the significance of treaties.
• 📜 The Treaty of Niagara is emphasized as a significant moment where the English sought to build friendships and trade relationships with Indigenous peoples by exchanging goods and maintaining ongoing relationships.
• 🐾 The treaty stipulated specific amounts of goods for trade, such as beavers for collars or knives, reflecting the value placed on these items by Indigenous nations.
• 🎁 Gift-giving was a crucial aspect of building and maintaining relationships, ensuring peace and fostering kinship between the English and Indigenous peoples.
• 🤝 The Mohawk people, Loft's community, played a significant role as dealmakers in these early relationships, with deep connections including marriages and familial ties.
• 📉 After 1812, the British shifted their approach, and the commitment to maintaining friendships and ongoing relationships with Indigenous peoples declined as they were no longer seen as necessary.
• ⚖️ Loft suggests that the principles of relationship building and commitment to ongoing negotiation, as seen in the Treaty of Niagara, should be revisited in modern treaty discussions.
• 🌐 The script underscores the importance of understanding historical treaties and their implications for contemporary society, emphasizing the need for continued dialogue and respect.

Q & A

Who is Ange Loft and what is her role at Jumblies Theatre?

Ange Loft is from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory and has been living in Toronto for about nine years. She is the Associate Artistic Director of Jumblies Theatre.

What is the Talking Trees project that Ange Loft mentioned?

The Talking Trees project is an initiative that took around two to three years to research and was a collaboration between Jumblies Theatre and First Story Toronto. It involved speaking to various individuals about their personal relationship to treaty in Toronto.

What was Ange Loft's interest in the relationship between numbers and land treaties?

Ange Loft was interested in how presenting the size of Indigenous territories and the monetary settlements in relatable terms, such as comparing the size of territories to familiar landmarks or the number of houses that could be bought with the settlement amount, can provide a new perspective and make these historical agreements more understandable and impactful to people.

What is the significance of the Treaty of Niagara as discussed by Ange Loft?

The Treaty of Niagara is significant because it represents a moment where the English understood the importance of building and maintaining relationships with Indigenous peoples. It emphasized the need for regular meetings, gift-giving, and ongoing commitment to these relationships.

How did the Treaty of Niagara establish trade relations between European traders and Indigenous nations?

The Treaty of Niagara established trade relations by specifying that European traders could only trade with nations present at the treaty and for certain amounts. It detailed the exchange rates for goods such as beavers for items like collars, nightgowns, wristbands, and knives.

What was the role of the Mohawk people in the Treaty of Niagara according to Ange Loft?

The Mohawk people, Ange Loft's own people, played a significant role in the Treaty of Niagara. They were viewed as equals by the English and were considered dealmakers. The Mohawk people were highly included in the treaty negotiations and kinship-making processes, which led to marriages and the birth of children from these relationships.

Why were gifts important in the context of the Treaty of Niagara?

Gifts were important in the Treaty of Niagara as they served as a means to ensure peace and prevent attacks. They symbolized the intention to maintain friendly relations and were a part of the process of building and maintaining trust between the Indigenous nations and the European traders.

How did the Treaty of Niagara reflect the idea of 'polishing the chain'?

The Treaty of Niagara reflected the idea of 'polishing the chain' through the ongoing commitment to maintaining and strengthening relationships. This involved regular meetings, gift-giving, and the continuous reading and revisiting of agreements to ensure they remained bright, strong, and robust.

Why did the British stop maintaining the relationship-building practices after 1812 as mentioned by Ange Loft?

According to Ange Loft, the British stopped maintaining the relationship-building practices after 1812 because Indigenous peoples were no longer needed by the British at that time. This shift marked a departure from the earlier emphasis on maintaining friendships and ongoing negotiations.

What does Ange Loft suggest is necessary for moving forward in negotiations with Indigenous peoples?

Ange Loft suggests that to move forward in negotiations with Indigenous peoples, there is a need to return to the idea of maintaining friendships and the practices of relationship-building that were emphasized during the Treaty of Niagara, such as regular meetings, gift-giving, and ongoing commitment to agreements.

Outlines

00:00

🌳 Community Art and Treaty Understanding

Ange Loft, a resident of Toronto and the Associate Artistic Director of Jumblies theatre, discusses her involvement in community art projects, particularly the 'Talking Trees' project. This project, a collaboration with First Story Toronto, aimed to explore the personal relationships of various individuals, including academics and artists, with the concept of treaties in Toronto. Loft highlights the significance of understanding the size of territories and the financial settlements associated with them in contemporary terms, such as comparing the size of the Mississaugas of New Credit's territory to High Parks or the value of a land settlement in terms of houses in Toronto. She emphasizes the importance of these tangible comparisons in making historical treaties and land deals more relatable and impactful to the public.

Keywords

💡Kahnawake Mohawk Territory

Kahnawake Mohawk Territory is a First Nations reserve located south of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is home to the Mohawk people, one of the Iroquois or Haudenosaunee nations. In the script, Ange Loft mentions being from this territory, indicating her cultural background and the community she represents. The mention of this location situates the discussion within a specific historical and cultural context, emphasizing the importance of indigenous perspectives in the narrative.

💡Jumblies Theatre

Jumblies Theatre is mentioned as the place where Ange Loft serves as the Associate Artistic Director. It is an organization that likely focuses on community arts and theatre. The keyword is significant as it establishes Loft's professional role and the platform through which she engages with community art, particularly in Ontario and Kahnawake.

💡Talking Trees Project

The Talking Trees Project is one of Loft's initiatives, which took around two to three years to research. It was a collaborative effort between Jumblies Theatre and First Story Toronto. The project aimed to explore personal relationships to treaties in Toronto. This keyword is central to the script as it represents the practical work being done to understand and communicate the significance of treaties within the community.

💡Treaty

A treaty, in the context of the script, refers to formal agreements made between Indigenous peoples and governments, often concerning land rights and other matters. Loft discusses the importance of understanding the relationship to treaties, which is a critical aspect of Canadian history and Indigenous-settler relations. The script uses the concept of treaties to explore historical and ongoing negotiations between Indigenous peoples and the state.

💡Mississaugas of New Credit

The Mississaugas of New Credit is a First Nation band government in Ontario. Loft uses the example of their territory's size and a financial settlement to illustrate how land deals and their implications can be better understood when related to contemporary figures. This keyword is used to demonstrate the tangible impact of historical agreements on Indigenous communities.

💡Treaty of Niagara

The Treaty of Niagara refers to a significant historical event in 1764 where the British Crown and several Indigenous nations agreed to peace and friendship. Loft discusses this treaty to highlight a time when the English sought to build relationships with Indigenous peoples on more equal terms. The keyword is integral to the script's theme of relationship building and ongoing negotiation.

💡European traders

European traders are mentioned in relation to the Treaty of Niagara, indicating that trade was a significant aspect of early interactions between Europeans and Indigenous peoples. The script uses the example of trade to illustrate the economic and social dynamics of the time, as well as the importance of maintaining relationships through regular trade and interaction.

💡Status signals

Status signals refer to items or behaviors that indicate one's social status. In the script, Loft describes how European goods were not only desired for their practical use but also as markers of status among Indigenous peoples. This keyword helps to understand the complex social implications of trade and the exchange of goods.

💡Mohawks as equals

The script mentions that the English viewed the Mohawk people as equals during the time of the Treaty of Niagara. This concept is important as it challenges common narratives of colonial relationships and emphasizes the mutual respect and equality that were part of some early interactions. It also underscores the importance of viewing historical events from multiple perspectives.

💡Kinship making

Kinship making refers to the process of forming familial or familial-like relationships. Loft describes how the English and Mohawk peoples were 'married to each other' and had children and future leaders come from these relationships. This keyword is central to the script's message about the depth of relationships formed during the Treaty of Niagara and the importance of maintaining these relationships.

💡Polishing a chain

Polishing a chain is a metaphor used to describe the ongoing work of maintaining relationships, as mentioned in the context of the Treaty of Niagara. The script uses this phrase to emphasize the need for continuous effort and commitment to keep relationships strong and vibrant. It serves as a reminder of the importance of ongoing negotiation and relationship building in contemporary contexts.

Highlights

Ange Loft is the Associate Artistic Director of Jumblies theatre and works extensively in community art.

The Talking Trees project took two to three years of research and involved collaboration with First Story Toronto.

The project explored personal relationships to treaties, particularly in Toronto.

Ange is interested in how numbers and figures can change perspectives on historical land deals.

The Treaty of Niagara is highlighted as a moment where the English understood the importance of building relationships with Indigenous peoples.

European traders were only allowed to trade with Nations present at the treaty, under specific conditions.

Trade amounts were detailed and included items like beavers for collars and wristbands, indicating the value placed on European goods.

The trade items were not just useful but also served as status symbols within Indigenous communities.

The Mohawk people played a significant role as dealmakers during the Treaty of Niagara.

The English viewed the Mohawk as equals, leading to deep relationships and intermarriage.

Gift-giving was a crucial part of maintaining peace and ensuring ongoing relationships.

The Treaty of Niagara emphasized the importance of ongoing relationship building and commitment to agreements.

After 1812, the British stopped maintaining the relationship with Indigenous peoples as they were no longer seen as necessary.

The concept of wanting to maintain friendship is key to ongoing negotiations and steps forward.

The importance of understanding and relating historical figures to contemporary life is emphasized for public engagement.

The Treaty of Niagara serves as an example of how to build and maintain relationships through gift-giving and regular meetings.

Transcripts

My name is Ange Loft,

I'm from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory

and I have been living in Toronto for around,

maybe nine years now.

I am the Associate Artistic Director of Jumblies theatre

and I travel around a lot

doing community art in and around Ontario

and more recently back home in Kahnawake.

Well one of my projects is the talking trees project

and that project had taken around two

to almost three years to research,

so that project was initiated between Jumbiles theatre

and First Story Toronto,

where we managed to speak to

a lot of academics, historians, artists,

around their personal relationship to treaty

in Toronto.

I think one of the things that I was really interested in

was this relationship to numbers, figures, amounts,

when you show somebody the size

of the Mississaugas of New Credit's territory

and you say it's the equivalent of two High Parks,

people can kind of get a new way of looking at it.

When you talk about 145 million dollars settlement

with regards to the Mississaugas of New Credit,

that's not too many houses in Toronto.

So this kind of relationship

between contemporary figures and what the payout

for really complicated land deals could be,

I think those things are really exciting

and interesting to people

because those numbers and trying to relate them

to their own lives actually kind of

hits home a little bit.

The Treaty of Niagara was very interesting

because it really talks about this moment in time

where I'd say the English really got it.

Where the English understood

that to become friends with native people

you need to win their, win their favour,

you need to buy and regularly show up to meetings

and you need to bring proper amounts of goods

and you need to maintain ongoing relationships.

European traders can only trade with the Nations

who are present, at this treaty.

And you could only trade for these certain amounts

and the amounts are really fun,

they're like two middling beavers for a collar,

for like a calico nightgown.

Two large beavers for a silver wristband.

Two beavers for a good knife.

Two middling beavers for a bit of cloth.

All these kind of funny things

that people really needed every single day

as part of their lives,

but then also you realize the relationship

of the Indigenous nations

who are receiving these things

to the European nations

in that this stuff was cool,

this stuff was stuff that people really wanted.

They wanted the new beautiful flower patterns

because they were cool and hip

and that's what everyone was bringing

into North America at the time, so...

on top of them being decent items,

I guess they were also really status signals.

The Mohawk people, my people,

were highly included

and really really kind of one of

the, I guess the dealmakers.

The exciting thing I guess is that at that time

the English viewed

particularly the Mohawks as equals

so our relationships and kinship making

were really deep,

we were literally married to each other....

children coming from these relationships,

generals and future translators

coming out of these relationships on top of it

and then what you need to do

to maintain these relationships along the way

is arrive to dinners, arrive to meetings,

arrive with gifts, arrive with the assurance

that you are not going to kill each other,

because gift giving is almost always about making sure

that they're not going to attack.

You can't start a relationship

let alone a trade relationship with people

that you're not familiar with,

so the first step to familiarity

is getting to know people,

doing their processes, doing their ceremonies,

giving them gifts,

which was what was really involved

with the Treaty of Niagara.

It becomes very clear that the relationship building

and the commitment to ongoing,

ongoing reading of these agreements,

ongoing returning to these,

polishing a chain is what they call it right

with the Treaty of Niagara,

you have to polish a chain

to make sure it's bright and strong and tough,

that kind of relationship building and maintenance

didn't happen on the side of the British,

very soon after I'd say after 1812

because we weren't needed,

native people weren't needed after that time.

This whole idea about,

about wanting to maintain friendship

is what we need to return to

with regards to ongoing negotiation...

any steps forward.