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What Is a Treaty? Treaties Recognition Week in Ontario

Ontario marks Treaties Recognition Week every November. Learn what a treaty is, put Ontario's treaties on a timeline, and find the treaty where you live.

Suggested Grades 3–5823 core-passage words20 questions
A blank Ontario map and notebook on a classroom table.
Treaties Recognition Week encourages learning about treaty relationships; AI-generated symbolic illustration, not a historical document. Generation provenance
What you’ll practiseExplain what a treaty is, place key treaty dates in order on a timeline, describe how wampum belts recorded agreements, use Ontario's treaty map to find the treaty where you live, and explain why Ontario has Treaties Recognition Week.

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A week in November

From November 1 to 7, 2026, schools and communities across Ontario mark Treaties Recognition Week. The Government of Ontario says the week honours the importance of treaties and helps students and residents learn about treaty rights and relationships.

To understand the week, we first need to answer a question: what is a treaty? Then we can follow a timeline that starts more than 300 years ago and reaches all the way to this November.[1]

What a treaty is

The Government of Ontario describes treaties as legally binding agreements that set out the rights, responsibilities and relationships of First Nations and the federal and provincial governments. Legally binding means the promises must be kept under the law.

Some treaties were first made with the British government and later with Canada. The Government of Canada describes treaties as agreements between the Government of Canada, Indigenous groups and often provinces and territories. Each treaty sets out continuing rights and obligations for every side. An obligation is something you are required to do.[2]

Treaties across Canada

The Government of Canada recognizes 70 historic treaties in Canada. The oldest dates from 1701. They include the Peace and Friendship Treaties, made between 1725 and 1779. According to the federal government, the historic treaties are the basis of the relationship between the Crown and 364 First Nations.

Treaties made after 1975 are called modern treaties. The rights and obligations are different in each treaty. The federal page gives examples: historic treaties often included reserve lands and yearly payments, and modern treaties can include land ownership and self-government. It also says treaties give a foundation for ongoing co-operation and partnership.[5]

A timeline of treaties in Ontario

An Ontario government fact sheet says more than 40 treaties, purchases and land surrenders cover Ontario. Some of them were signed before Canada became a country and some after. Read them in time order. The Upper Canada Treaties came first, from 1781 to 1862. The two Robinson Treaties followed in 1850. The Numbered Treaties in Ontario were signed between 1870 and 1930, and the Williams Treaties came in 1923.

Notice that some of these periods overlap. The Robinson Treaties were signed in 1850, while Upper Canada Treaties were still being made. The Williams Treaties of 1923 fall inside the years of the Numbered Treaties. The same fact sheet says about 92 percent of Ontario's people live in the area of the Upper Canada Treaties, and about 3.7 million live in the area covered by the Toronto Purchase.[4]

Still part of the law today

Treaties are not just history. The Government of Ontario says treaty rights are protected by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. Treaty rights often include the creation of reserves and the rights to hunt, fish and trap on provincial Crown lands.

Ontario's treaty page states that treaty commitments are just as valid today as they were when they were made. That is why people describe a treaty as a relationship that continues, not a single event that ended long ago.[2]

Records made of shell beads

Some agreements were recorded in wampum. The Canadian Encyclopedia explains that wampum are tubular purple and white beads made from shells, and that belts made of wampum were used to mark agreements between peoples. Patterns in a belt stood for events, alliances or family ties. Wampum keepers protected the belts and explained the history they held.

One well-known belt is the Two Row Wampum. It has two rows of purple beads on a background of white beads. The rows stand for a canoe and a European ship. The Canadian Encyclopedia says the belt sets out mutual respect and peaceful coexistence between the Haudenosaunee and Europeans, first the Dutch. Neither side was to force its laws, customs or language on the other.[6]

Find the treaty where you live

Ontario has an online map of treaties and reserves. You can search for a place, then click a shaded area to see the treaty's name and the date it was made. Try it with your home, your school or a place you like to visit.

The map page gives careful warnings. It says the map is for illustration only and does not show exact treaty boundaries. It also says Indigenous communities may understand the treaties differently from how the map shows them, and that the map should not be used to decide legal rights. This article explains what treaties are and how to learn about them; it does not take a side on any question about them.[3]

Why the week exists

In 2016, Ontario passed a law naming the first full week of November as Treaties Recognition Week. The Government of Ontario calls it the first law of its kind in Canada. The week was created in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, which asked for more awareness of treaties.

Ontario's page says the week helps build understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples by learning about "our collective Treaty rights and obligations." Collective means shared by a whole group. Ontario's list of treaty learning resources includes a children's book by Maurice Switzer called We Are All Treaty People.[1]

Fast lesson

Use these checks before you answer the practice questions.

Build the timeline on paper

Before the questions, have your child draw a long line and mark each date in the article. Long periods, such as 1781–1862, should be bars, not dots, so overlaps are easy to see.

Explain, don't argue

The article explains what treaties are and how to learn about them. If your child asks about disagreements over treaties, talk about how to find out what different groups say, using sources from those groups, rather than giving one answer.

Look up your own area

Open Ontario's treaty map together and find your home or school. Read the treaty's name and date aloud, then read the map's warnings too.

Common mistakes

Thinking treaties are only about the past.

Why this fails: Ontario says treaty rights are protected by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and treaty commitments are still valid today.

Putting dates in the order they appear in the article.

Why this fails: A text can mention events out of order. Write each year down and sort by the number, not by where it appears.

Treating the treaty map as an exact legal boundary.

Why this fails: The map page says it is for illustration only and should not be used to decide legal rights.

Word Lab

Use the meaning, hear the word, then try it in your own sentence.

treaty

noun

a formal, legally binding agreement between nations or governments

A treaty sets out rights and responsibilities.

First Nations

noun

the Indigenous peoples in Canada who are not Inuit or Métis; also the communities they form

Treaties were made with First Nations.

Indigenous

adjective

describing the first peoples of a place and their descendants; in Canada, First Nations, Inuit and Métis

Ontario is home to many Indigenous communities.

the Crown

noun phrase

in Canada, the government, which acts in the name of the monarch

Historic treaties shape the relationship between the Crown and First Nations.

legally binding

adjective phrase

required to be followed under the law

A treaty is a legally binding agreement.

obligation

noun

something a person or group is required to do

Each side of a treaty has obligations.

rights

noun (plural)

things a person or group is allowed to have or do, protected by law or agreement

Treaty rights are protected by the Constitution.

reserve

noun

land set aside for the use of a First Nation

Many treaties included the creation of reserves.

wampum

noun

purple and white beads made from shells, often woven into belts that record agreements

The Two Row Wampum belt has two purple rows.

coexistence

noun

living side by side in peace

The belt stands for peaceful coexistence.

collective

adjective

shared by everyone in a group

Ontario's page speaks of our collective treaty rights and obligations.

timeline

noun

a line that shows events in the order they happened

Put 1701 near the start of the timeline.

Check your understanding

Choose an answer, explain your choice, and then check. Hints and retries are welcome.

Main idea1. What is the article mainly about?
Show answer and explanation

Answer: What treaties are, when Ontario's treaties were made, how to find yours and why Ontario has a week to recognize them. Every section explains treaties: what they are, their timeline, how they were recorded, the map and the week. The article takes no side in arguments, does not discuss which province joined first, and describes wampum without giving craft instructions.

Vocabulary in context2. The article says a treaty is legally binding. What does that mean?
Show answer and explanation

Answer: The promises in it must be kept under the law.. Legally binding means the promises must be kept under the law. Binding here does not mean tied with string, a suggestion does not have to be followed, and Ontario says treaty commitments are still valid today.

Timeline3. Which list puts these in time order, from earliest to latest?
Show answer and explanation

Answer: Oldest historic treaty Canada recognizes → Robinson Treaties → Williams Treaties → Ontario's 2016 law. 1701 comes first, then 1850, 1923 and 2016. The other lists either start with a later date or run backward in time.

Try the questions here. Public practice does not save a learning record.

Support · Find it in the text

Support · Find it in the text practice

Each answer is in the article. Point to the sentence.

Locate

1. What are the dates of Treaties Recognition Week in 2026?

Locate

2. How many historic treaties does the Government of Canada recognize?

Locate

3. What are treaties made after 1975 called?

Locate

4. In what year were the Robinson Treaties signed?

Locate

5. What colours are wampum beads?

Locate

6. In what year did Ontario pass the law creating Treaties Recognition Week?

Apply · Explain with the timeline

Apply · Explain with the timeline practice

Use dates and words from the article to explain.

Explain

7. In your own words, what is a treaty?

Timeline

8. How many years passed between the oldest historic treaty Canada recognizes (1701) and the Robinson Treaties (1850)?

Timeline

9. Were the Williams Treaties signed before or after the Numbered Treaties in Ontario began? How do you know?

Explain

10. Why do people describe a treaty as a relationship that continues?

Explain

11. What does the Two Row Wampum show, and what does it stand for?

Vocabulary

12. Ontario's page speaks of 'our collective Treaty rights and obligations'. What does collective mean here?

Reason · Build the timeline

Reason · Build the timeline practice

Order events, show overlaps and read the map carefully.

Sequence

13. Put these in order: Constitution Act protects treaty rights; Peace and Friendship Treaties begin; Treaties Recognition Week law; Upper Canada Treaties begin; modern treaties start after this year.

Timeline

14. Which two groups of Ontario treaties overlap in time, and how can you show this on a timeline?

Signal words

15. Find two words or phrases in 'A timeline of treaties in Ontario' that tell you about order in time.

Fact or opinion

16. Is 'The Government of Canada recognizes 70 historic treaties' a fact or an opinion?

Apply

17. You click a shaded area on Ontario's treaty map and see a treaty's name and date. What should you remember about what the map shows?

Practice answer key

  1. 1. November 1 to 7, 2026.
    This is in 'A week in November'.
  2. 2. 70.
    This is in 'Treaties across Canada'.
  3. 3. Modern treaties.
    This is in 'Treaties across Canada'.
  4. 4. 1850.
    This is in 'A timeline of treaties in Ontario'.
  5. 5. Purple and white.
    This is in 'Records made of shell beads'.
  6. 6. 2016.
    This is in 'Why the week exists'.
  7. 7. A formal agreement, kept under the law, that sets out the rights, responsibilities and relationships between First Nations and governments.
    Use the definition in 'What a treaty is'.
  8. 8. 149 years.
    1850 − 1701 = 149.
  9. 9. After. The Numbered Treaties in Ontario began in 1870, and the Williams Treaties came in 1923.
    Compare the start of one period with the date of the other.
  10. 10. Because treaty rights are still protected by law and Ontario says treaty commitments are just as valid today as when they were made.
    See 'Still part of the law today'.
  11. 11. Two purple rows on white beads, standing for a canoe and a European ship. It stands for mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
    See 'Records made of shell beads'.
  12. 12. Shared by a whole group, so the rights and obligations belong to people together, not to one person.
    The article defines collective right after the quotation.
  13. 13. Peace and Friendship Treaties begin (1725) → Upper Canada Treaties begin (1781) → modern treaties start after 1975 → Constitution Act (1982) → Treaties Recognition Week law (2016).
    Write the year beside each event first, then sort.
  14. 14. The Upper Canada Treaties (1781–1862) and the Robinson Treaties (1850); also the Numbered Treaties (1870–1930) and the Williams Treaties (1923). Draw the long periods as bars so the single dates sit inside them.
    Bars show periods; dots show single dates.
  15. 15. Examples: came first, followed, while, before, after.
    Signal words help you build a timeline from text.
  16. 16. A fact. It can be checked on the Government of Canada's 'About treaties' page.
    Facts can be checked; opinions are beliefs or feelings.
  17. 17. It is for illustration and does not show exact boundaries, communities may understand the treaty differently, and it should not be used to decide legal rights.
    Reading a source carefully includes reading its warnings.

Related skills

Who Decides About Your Street? How a Town Council WorksWhat Is the Oak Ridges Moraine?Reading Library

Put it in your own words

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Check your own explanation

This is self-review, not automatic marking.

Compare with a model response

A treaty is a legally binding agreement that sets out the rights, responsibilities and relationships of First Nations and governments. The oldest historic treaty that the Government of Canada recognizes dates from 1701. In Ontario, the Upper Canada Treaties were made first, from 1781 to 1862, and the Robinson Treaties were signed in 1850, while Upper Canada Treaties were still being made. Later, the Williams Treaties came in 1923. Some agreements were recorded in wampum belts, whose patterns stood for events and alliances. Treaty rights are still protected by the Constitution Act, 1982. In 2016, Ontario passed a law making the first full week of November Treaties Recognition Week. The week helps people learn about treaty rights and relationships.

Sources and revision notes

Source check: 2026-10-28. Grade guidance is an editorial suggestion, not a standardised reading score.

  1. Government of Ontario — Treaties Recognition Week (updated October 20, 2026)
  2. Government of Ontario — About Treaties
  3. Government of Ontario — Map of Ontario treaties and reserves
  4. Government of Ontario — Treaties in Ontario (fact sheet)
  5. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada — About treaties (modified September 24, 2026)
  6. The Canadian Encyclopedia — Wampum (René R. Gadacz)
  7. Government of Ontario — Treaty teaching and learning resources
What changed in this edition?

The 2026 dates of Treaties Recognition Week, its purpose, the 2016 law naming the first full week of November, its description as the first law of its kind in Canada, the link to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and the phrase 'our collective Treaty rights and obligations' come from the Government of Ontario's Treaties Recognition Week page. The definition of treaties, treaties first made with the British government, subsection 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982, the examples of treaty rights and the statement that commitments remain valid come from the Government of Ontario's About Treaties page. The count of more than 40 treaties, purchases and land surrenders, the dates of the Upper Canada, Robinson, Numbered and Williams Treaties, and the 92 percent and 3.7 million population figures come from the Government of Ontario's Treaties in Ontario fact sheet. The 70 historic treaties, the 1701 start, the Peace and Friendship Treaties, the 364 First Nations, modern treaties after 1975 and the examples of treaty terms come from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. The description of wampum and the Two Row Wampum comes from The Canadian Encyclopedia. How to use the treaty map and its warnings come from the Government of Ontario's map page. The children's book title comes from Ontario's treaty teaching and learning resources page. 'Yearly payments' is this lesson's plain-language wording for annuities. The article explains facts and processes and takes no position on any treaty question.

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