In my hands I held centuries. When I was visiting the Nova Scotia Archives in Wikumkewiku’s September 2023, I looked over treaty documents under the helpful, watchful gaze of the archivists who worked there. The faded signatures of the 18th century Peace and Friendship Treaties were illuminated by warm lights on the paper-thin hide. As an L’nu’skw—Mi’kmaw woman—my understanding of treaty has always been tied to land, to ancestors, to the shape of relationships in Mi’kma’ki. Holding actual documents in a place where my people had gathered for centuries connected me to the past in a new and differently tangible way—in a legal framework through an archival history. The experience of seeing the documents in-person made me wonder about the places and people involved in the signing. I wished I could speak to each person as they waited to add their name to the document that I was looking at centuries later, living in the context that they had created.
The new APTN series Treaty Road evokes many of the same thoughts and feelings that I had that day researching in the archives. Treaty Road follows Dakota/Anishinaabekwe educator and researcher Erin Goodpipe and Métis writer, director and producer Saxon de Cocq as they explore the histories of the Numbered Treaties and their expressions in the present. It’s a travel documentary series with an historical twist. When de Cocq discovered that his ancestor was the Honorable James McKay, a prominent Métis from the Red River area who eventually became a Treaty Commissioner, he wanted to learn more about the role that McKay held in the Treaty negotiations. Goodpipe provides her own cultural context to the discussions, with the two exchanging knowledge and insight that continuously connect the personal and historical.
The poignance of their travels through the territories reminds the viewer of the “journey of treaty” as mentioned by Goodpipe in Episode Five. Their contemporary travel through the landscapes of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario mirrors the routes of signatories of Treaties 1 through 6. As they travel, the duo consults with Indigenous historians, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members to bring the stories of these lands and treaties to the viewer. Archival images and maps are woven into these discussions and add context and vibrance to what can sometimes be dense, difficult subject matter. The result of this approach is a fascinating polyphony—voices of the past are brought into the present in a variety of themes and formats, immersing the viewer in the worlds and worldviews being described.
Land, of course, is everything. The first episode opens with overhead shots of vast land and winding rivers, with a voiceover from Swan Lake Cree Nation Elder and Knowledge Keeper Wayne Scott. He emphasizes the importance of land to the treaty journey, stating that “the very foundation of the treaties is land.” The beauty of the open landscapes is made apparent in a multitude of stunning shots that stretch over water and provide views of animals in fields, of snowy plains, and of deep ice. Land is held at the heart of every conversation between the hosts and the communities that offer their wisdom and insight into their relationships with land and with treaty.
As the series progresses, Treaty Road’s topics range from environmental racism to food sovereignty and land-based learning demonstrate that the extractive relationships represented by the Crown have always existed in sharp contrast to Indigenous epistemology and to our continued survivance. Treaty Road provides viewers with a wealth of knowledge—historical, contemporary, and community-based—that adds much-needed insight into the way that treaty continues to shape lives and relationships in the present, no matter where we are located in what is currently called Canada.
For more information and to watch the trailer visit:
https://www.aptn.ca/media-centre/shows/treaty-road/
