WRITE 494 A1: A Poetics of Treaty

C. Stewart

This is a creative research course that responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action to respect and honour Treaty relations (10 vii). Engaging in creative research forms, we will consider the ways in which concepts of good relations are imbedded in the land on which we live. We will consider Treaty 6, treaty relations in general and the Mêtis Nation, especially within Mêtis Region #4. Without eliding the fact that the Métis were denied treaty by the Crown in the majority of the numbered treaties, we will study the perspectives of Métis scholars, such as Adam Gaudry, who argue that the Métis historically engaged in crucial nation-to-nation agreements. If we are able to secure funding, field trips are planned to visit several significant historical sites where land negotiations took place.