The Royal Proclamation act

The Royal Proclamation Act of 1763 was issued by the British government in the name of King George III to prohibit settlement by British colonists beyond the Appalachian Mountains in the lands captured by Britain from France in the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War and to end exploitative purchases of aboriginal land. It established requirements that had to be met before aboriginal land could be purchased, including one that the purchase must be approved by a meeting of all members of the people selling the land. The motivation for the proclamation was a desire to avoid the expense of further wars with Native Peoples. The proclamation was largely ignored on the ground (in particular in settlements already established in the prohibited area) but its very existence created a large amount of resentment among the British colonists.

After the American Revolutionary War, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 became a dead letter in the United States, but continued in force in Rupert's Land, which later became part of Canada. The proclamation forms the basis of land claims of aboriginal peoples in Canada: First Nations, Inuit, and Metis The Royal Proclamation of 1763 is mentioned in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

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The Jay Treaty, 1794

The Jay Treaty is technically not an Aboriginal treaty as it was signed between the British government and the United States.

Despite its curious status vis-à-vis our Constitution and some of its other deficiencies, the Proclamation of 1763 is still considered a very important document for understanding Indian/government relations and for interpreting the treaties that were born from and guided by it. Indeed, laws have been passed that limit the extent of the rights originally granted to certain treaty Indians. However, they place as much importance on the symbolism of sharing and respect between the British and Aboriginal nations that took place during these ceremonies. To deal with Indian claims in these new regions, new treaties were negotiated. This difference in legal opinion has been frequently challenged in the courts by Six Nations tribes, whose ancestral lands have been cut in two by the U. Annual cash payments to the Aboriginals usually followed for some time after these deals were made. There are plenty of examples of policy in operation in the history of Indian administration. According to the new law, Indians were bound to their reserves as legal minors (until 1960, they were excluded from citizenship and denied the right to vote). To appease this group, Québec governor Fredrick Haldimand decided to offer two parcels of land near Lake Ontario in 1784 to Iroquois who were still loyal to the Crown.

Treaty of Paris, 1783

The Treaty of Paris, 1783, created a new international border between the new United States and the British colony of Québec within the Great Lakes region. " The long-term government strategy was in fact to eliminate Indians as a legally distinct people.

These promises were recited every year for nearly a century during annual gift-giving ceremonies. Although Indian reserves are now covered by many different laws and treaties, the establishment of reserves began as a act of policy toward Indian people.

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