Compact, Contract, Covenant: Aboriginal Treaty-Making in Canada

by J.R. Miller

One of Canada's longest unresolved issues is the historical and present-day failure of the country's governments to recognize treaties made between Aboriginal peoples and the Crown. Compact, Contract, Covenant is renowned historian of Native-newcomer relations J.R. Miller's exploration and explanation of more than four centuries of treaty-making. The first historical account of treaty-making in Canada, Miller untangles the complicated threads of treaties, pacts, and arrangements with the Hudson's Bay Company and the Crown, as well as modern treaties to provide a remarkably clear and comprehensive overview of this little-understood and vitally important relationship.

Covering everything from pre-contact Aboriginal treaties to contemporary agreements in Nunavut and recent treaties negotiated under the British Columbia Treaty Process, Miller emphasizes both Native and non-Native motivations in negotiating, the impact of treaties on the peoples involved, and the lessons that are relevant to Native-newcomer relations today. Accessible and informative, Compact, Contract, Covenant is a much-needed history of the evolution of treaty-making and will be required reading for decades to come.

Genres: Indigenous

448 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2009

About the author

J.R. Miller is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Saskatchewan. He is the author of numerous works on issues related to Indigenous peoples including Skyscrapers Hide the Heavens and Shingwauk’s Vision, both published by University of Toronto Press.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear, concise, synthesis of the history of treaty-making in Canada from the earliest period of contact to the present. An easy to read review that spans a vast time and territory, written lucidly by an expert. Perhaps a book too general for the knowledgeable, but one that is excellent for those who want to learn and understand the context, meaning, and evolution of historic and modern treaties in Canada and, ultimately, of the underpinnings of the treaty relationship. This last understanding, ultimately, leads one to the core meaning of reconciliation of two peoples joined as equals together by treaties.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, I think, but definitely not the most exciting history text I've ever read. :P

[Lyf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough but not overbearing history of treaty making in Canada. Not a light read but not overly scholarly. A must read for anyone interested in aboriginal issues.

[Anne Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comprehensive.