Prior to the War of 1812, alliances had been established between the Crown and many First Nations, including the 1764 Treaty of Niagara, which was negotiated by Sir William Johnson for the Crown. This treaty affirmed and extended the Silver Covenant Chain of Friendship with 24 Native nations, including the Haudenosaunee and other members of the Western Lakes Confederacy. At this time, First Nations acted with full agency, managing their own affairs in the context of nation-to-nation status with Britain.
After the war, the Chain of Friendship was left to tarnish.
First Nations who had fought alongside their British and Canadian allies faced neglect and policies designed to strip them of their cultures, lands, and resources. The Indian Act, passed in 1876, advanced a policy of assimilation and to implement this, residential schools were established. These schools did significant harm to Indigenous children by removing them from their families, denying them the use of their languages, exposing them to mental, physical, and sexual abuse by staff, and coerced them to reject their own cultural beliefs.
In 2008, the Government of Canada apologized for its role in the residential school system and established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Its calls to action include greater education about Indigenous peoples’ histories and contributions to Canada. And the history of Indigenous contributions during the War of 1812 is an important part of that story, particularly here in NOTL.
The Haudenosaunee and other First Nations played a vital role in defending this region alongside their British and Canadian allies. The wampum belts being shown by the Six Nations chiefs in this picture from 1871 is a reminder of the diplomatic relationships and agreements that shaped this history. After the war, that relationship was neglected and the Silver Covenant Chain of Friendship was allowed to tarnish. Truth and reconciliation asks us to acknowledge what happened to those relationships and to consider how they can be renewed.
