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On Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Archives of Ontario invites the York Community to its Keele Campus location to see the original written document of Treaty No. 9 (the James Bay Treaty), a 1905 agreement between Ojibway (Anishinaabe), Cree (including the Omushkegowuk) and other Indigenous Nations (Algonquin) and the Crown.
The event is part of Treaties Recognition Week – running this year from Nov. 5 to 11 – which was inaugurated in 2016 through legislation and encourages students and residents of Ontario to learn more about treaty rights and relationships.
The James Bay Treaty, first entered into in 1905 to 1906, covers roughly two-thirds of Ontario and is meant to embody the nation-to-nation relationship between First Nations and the Crown.
The Archive of Ontario is also offering an online exhibit, which offers further historical context about the time before and after the treaty was signed, as well as what led to its existence. The virtual exhibit also explores different interpretations of the treaty, its impact on Indigenous communities and the role that archival records and other forms of memory have come to play in Treaty No. 9’s story.
For further information, visit the Archives of Ontario website, which also includes educational resources about Treaty No. 9.