Negotiations

An Interview with René Fumoleau, 1976

Q. What was the goal of the Dene?

The native people were only interested in one thing: to retain their way of life, to live as their fathers and ancestors had. For them, the Treaty was a guarantee that even if white people were coming north, they would respect the Dene people's way of life. They would not interfere.

In Ottawa, the treaty commissioners, the politicians, the government, never had a clear idea of what the treaty was going to achieve.

Photo: NWT Archives

Q. What was the goal of the government?

If you see the written documents, you see dozens of expressions in different words to indicate what they thought...When the government came to have the treaty signed, I think that was very superficial. It was a polite way to do things, and expedient. That was the British tradition, a gentleman's way to take the land.

The problem is not that the treaties were signed, it is that after the treaties were signed, they were not respected...

Photo: NWT Archives

Q. What changed after the signing?

The chiefs were given the power to sign one of the most important documents in Canadian history, apparently the surrendering of millions of square miles.

Then, after the treaties were signed, the chiefs were not considered as having any particular authority by the government. I think that's the central point: the spirit of the treaty was completely forgotten.

Photo: NWT Archives

Q. Was Conroy an honest man?

The Commissioner, Mr. Conroy, I think was an honest man, but he had his hands tied. He was sent to negotiate a treaty that was already written down, word for word, and he was told he had no power to negotiate. So that was contradictory.

Wherever he went along the Mackenzie River, the people said: 'We can't accept the treaty as it is written. We want to be assured that our rights to hunt, trap and fish are not going to be abolished'.

Photo: NWT Archives

Q. What promises did Conroy make orally?

And the Treaty Commissioner had to promise these things to the people. Otherwise, the Treaty would not have been signed.

He certainly gave his promise that the native people's rights would be recognized. That is well established. But then afterward, when he went to Ottawa, did he mention that?

Photo: Library and Archives Canada

Q. Why were the oral promises not kept?

I could never find any document to establish this point. All the promises that were made orally were not documented in the treaty afterward.

We have to mention that Treaty 11 was signed in the summer of 1921, and Conroy died in April of 1922, so that may be one reason why these things were not considered later on.