A Conversation in the Chapel Royal (Rooted in Treaty – Part Two)

Following Part One’s exploration of the Crown's critical role in the Indigenous-Settler relationships of North America, Part Two of Episode One: Rooted in Treaty has host Nathan Tidridge joined by Dr. Alan Corbiere and Rick Hill Sr. for a wide-ranging conversation about Treaty, the Crown’s role and responsibilities, as well as the future.

Meeting in Gi-Chi-Twaa Gimaa Nini Mississauga Anishinaabek AName Amik (The King’s Anishinaabek Sacred Place) at Massey College, the history covered in Part One, including the Covenant Chain and Treaty of Niagara (1764), are is referenced as the discussion is linked to the Crown in the 21st century.

At the end of their talk, Tidridge offers a final question:

If you could say something to the King, if you could give him a teaching or give him give him some advice, you could speak to him right now, what would you say to him? What could he do that would be meaningful that would bring us forward as a society, if there is anything at all?

Following their answers, the group agrees to come together again following the coronation and future visit of King Charles III.

Dr. Alan Corbiere of M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island is a well-known historian and student of the history of Indigenous Peoples and the Anishinaabe Language. He also serves as an Assistant Professor at York University and has a Ph. D. History from York University, an MES from York University and a B. Sc., University of Toronto.

Rick Hill Sr. of the Tuscarora Nation, a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is a Distinguished Fellow – Adjunct Professor at Mohawk College. He taught at the University at Buffalo for 20 years and was the Director of Public Programs at the National Museum of the American Indian. He was the founding coordinator of the Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic and currently teaches at Mohawk College.

Resources

John Borrows, “Wampum at Niagara: The Royal Proclamation, Canadian Legal History, and Self-Government,” in Aboriginal and Treaty Rights in Canada: Essays on law, equity, and respect for difference, ed. Michael Asch. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997.Hill, Rick W., and Nathan Tidridge. “The Crown, the Chain, and Peacekeeping: Diplomatic Traditions of the Covenant Chain,” in Royal Progress: Canada’s Monarchy in the Age of Disruption, D. Michael Jackson ed. Toronto: Dundurn, 2020.Tidridge, Nathan. “Decolonizing the Crown in Canada: Restoring the Queen at the Council Fire,” in The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy, D. Michael Jackson ed. Toronto: Dundurn, 2018.

———. The Queen at the Council Fire: The Treaty of Niagara, Reconciliation, and the Dignified Crown in Canada. Toronto: Dundurn, 2015.

——— and John Fraser. “An empowered GG could restore Crown’s role as Treaty partner.” Policy Options, May 15 2020. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2020/an-empowered-gg-could-restore-crowns-role-as-treaty-partner/Other resources

Gi-Chi-Twaa Gimaa Nini Mississauga Anishinaabek AName Amik (The King’s Anishinaabek Sacred Place) at Massey College: https://www.masseycollege.ca/the-chapel-royal/Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada: www.iscc-iecc.caLearn more about