Treaty Money

The Treaty #3 annual meeting at Assabaskashing Reserve on Lake of the Woods. Courtesy of the Ontario Catholic School Trustee’s Association.

When Du Vernet reached Rat Portage, he remarked in his diary that he saw “Indians buying things in the shop with their treaty money (5$ per head).” When the Story Nations team visited the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre, we viewed a display entitled “Treaty Day,” which showcased a picture of a group of Ojibwe who had travelled from all around the region to collect the annual five dollar payment and other “benefits” promised by the government, such as oxen, flour, trade tools, and so on, upon the signing of Treaty 3. In the photograph, an Ojibwe man sits inside of a canoe, surrounded by many people. Our guide, Art Hunter, informed us that this man had been ill and so his community had carried him by canoe all the way to the post so that he would be able to receive his treaty money on treaty day. Art explained that if a person did not show up in person to collect their treaty money, they would not receive it. Art also informed us that Rainy River Ojibwe still go to collect their five dollars from the government on Treaty Day.