June 19thWe are all Treaty People
Sam died while I was talking to him. We were in an early meeting of Treaty talks with First Nations representatives sitting around the room in the basement of an Edmonton hotel. Mostly, it was a conversation by Sam and me as we were the co-chairs for the meeting. Sadly, Sam’s eyes began to roll and an aneurism took him. Not an elderly person but extensively experienced, Sam had been Chief of his Treaty No. 6 First Nation for a number of years followed by his completion of law degrees from the University of British Columbia, and taking on the job of being director of the newly formed Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, also in 1992 on signing of a declaration for conducting stand-alone Treaty bilateral discussions with the federal government.
What we were discussing at the meeting was identifying the principles that could be applied to the Treaty relationship, specifically Treaty No. 6 of 1876. Treaty No. 6 covers the central portion of Alberta, and extends eastward. I had been tasked by the federal department to organize the Treaty tables in Alberta, one table for each of the 3 Treaty areas. This task was added to my full workload of managing the education, social development, and capital programs for the department. It turned out to be my most valued experience in the more than 50 years of work with First Nations. I learned much from Elders at the Treaty talks over the 12 years prior to my retirement. Early on in my career I was motivated by a conviction for non-Indigenous reconciliation with First Nations, peace-making, and restoration of economic and social relations.
At the meeting we agreed that one of the fundamental principles we could advance to stakeholders was the principle of co-existence. Then Sam died. Since that time, and more recently, I have wondered if the principle of co-existence might have application to finding a peaceful solution to the war in Gaza, the West Bank, and in the Ukraine. Since a two-state solution appears to be too much of a stretch for parties in conflict to agree, is there another principle which could be used to bring about peace talks?
What would co-existence mean in these respective regions of conflict and in any case could the parties express their interests to arrive at a common starting point? Do the university students now protesting have suggestions to share toward peaceful resolution of conflict? Another thought comes to mind from the earlier time in which Canada was present in the dialogue which brought peace to Ireland and Northern Ireland with the assistance of the former Canadian General John de Chastelain at the table. The parties to the conflict eventually agreed that they had a common interest which was “the future of their children” which prompted them to find ways for resolving their conflict. Could this premise also find application elsewhere for peacemakers practicing the Christian way to advance the dialogue that is needed for achieving peace?