Treaties have long been misunderstood – Lethbridge Herald

May 13, 2016

Dave Mabell

Lethbridge Herald

dmabell@lethbridgeherald.com

Many decades later, “treaty coins” are seldom seen or understood.

But they remain a strong symbol of the British colonizers’ real intentions when they wrote treaties depriving First Nations of their land and sustenance, according to a University of Lethbridge professor.

Speaking to a local audience Thursday, lawyer and artist Don McIntyre showed images of the historic coins to illustrate the basic misunderstanding or deception behind the treaties that have become the focus of so many disputes in our time.

Created by unknown craftsmen in Europe, they were given to members of families who signed Treaty 7 and its counterparts across the Prairies. Their symbolism is obvious, he told a session of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs.