Land Acknowledgment

UCN acknowledges that we are on the traditional territories and homelands of many Indigenous peoples, in particular the Cree, Dene, Red River Métis, and Oji-Cree; Indigenous peoples have continuously maintained homelands in northern Manitoba since time immemorial. The First Nations in the area that UCN serves entered into treaty relationships with the Crown (within our region these include signatories to treaties 4, 5 — and the treaty 5 adhesion, and treaty 6 – located within the treaty 5 adhesion).  The territory has also become home to other Indigenous peoples. We uphold the treaties and collaborate with all Indigenous peoples to share truth, reconciliation, and learning.

Treaty 5, Indigenous Identity, and the Responsibilities of Reconciliation

As leaders in reconciliation at UCN, we work to decolonize our ways of knowing and seek to incorporate Indigenous knowledges into our classrooms. We recognize that we are all learners in reconciliation as we work to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action.

With the Royal Proclamation of 1763 issued by King George III, the Crown established itself as the only authority permitted to enter into treaty negotiations with First Nations. After Confederation in 1867, the Dominion of Canada turned its attention to the North-West Territories for expansion and followed established precedents for treaty-making. Between 1871 and 1921, eleven Numbered Treaties were signed, covering much of western Canada. Treaties Numbered 1 through 5 apply to Manitoba. Treaty territories are the result of negotiations between the Crown and First Nations.

Treaty Number 5 was negotiated and signed in September 1875 at Beren’s River, Norway House, and Grand Rapids. Adhesions to Treaty No. 5 were added beginning in 1908. As part of the treaty agreement, First Nations were to receive 160 acres of land for a family of five, a five-dollar payment for each member, access to schools, and the right to hunt and fish on the land.

The Crown later modified Treaty No. 5 without the support or input of many First Nations, and some signatures were obtained without informed consent. Although Treaty No. 5 was signed in 1875, it has since been overridden by provincial legislation, specifically the Manitoba Natural Resources Transfer Act (MNRTA) of 1930, which prioritizes land and resource extraction. As a result of the MNRTA, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and Treaty No. 5 are not fully honoured. TRC Call to Action 10 is one of several Calls to Action that urge the Canadian government to respect and uphold the treaty relationship.

Many Indigenous peoples now live on the traditional territory served by UCN. Not all Indigenous peoples living in northern Manitoba are Indigenous to this land, and some who are Indigenous to the land may not meet membership requirements for either First Nations or Métis governments.

Many First Nations use the Indian Act to determine band membership, and as a result, some non-status Indigenous communities exist near corresponding First Nations. Land scrip assigned to these non-status Indigenous peoples is not federally recognized, although some individuals in these communities identify as Métis, based on the English and French translation of the word meaning “to be mixed.”

Each provincial Métis government is distinct. In Manitoba, the Manitoba Métis Federation determines citizenship through Métis families whose ancestors received land scrip in the Red River Settlement. Some Indigenous peoples do not meet Indian Act requirements and do not have ancestors from the Red River Settlement, which results in some individuals not being claimed by an Indigenous community or government.

This gap in community belonging, along with the emergence of individuals who believe a single First Nations ancestor from the 1600s qualifies them for Métis Nation citizenship, has created space for a phenomenon known as race-shifting or self-indigenization. This occurs when non-Indigenous individuals claim Indigenous ancestry without a meaningful connection to a self-determining Indigenous community, such as a First Nation band or a Métis settlement.

While it may appear unjust that First Nations rely on the Indian Act for band membership and that the Manitoba Métis Federation recognizes Métis citizenship through Red River scrip, both systems represent expressions of Indigenous self-determination. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affirms that self-determination is fundamental to Indigenous sovereignty. This does not grant self-indigenizers the right to claim Indigenous identity based solely on a single ancestor or a DNA test; rather, it affirms that Indigenous communities themselves are the sole authorities in determining their membership.

Original Inhabitants, Corresponding UCN Facilities, and Treaties

UCN’s campuses and centres are located on the traditional lands of the Cree, Dene, and Oji-Cree Peoples, as well as other Indigenous peoples, within the following treaty territories:

• Opaskwayak Cree Nation — The Pas Campus — Treaty No. 5
• Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation — Thompson Campus — Treaty No. 5 Adhesion
• Bunibonibee Cree Nation — Oxford House PSEAC — Treaty No. 5 Adhesion
• Chemawawin Cree Nation — Easterville PSEAC — Treaty No. 5
• Indigenous Peoples — Churchill PSEAC — Treaty No. 5
• Indigenous Peoples — Flin Flon WDC — Treaty No. 5
• Misipawistik Cree Nation — Grand Rapids PSEAC — Treaty No. 5
• Norway House Cree Nation — Norway House PSEAC — Treaty No. 5
• Pimicikamak Cree Nation — Cross Lake PSEAC — Treaty No. 5 Adhesion
• St. Theresa Point First Nation — St. Theresa Point PSEAC — Treaty No. 5 Adhesion
• Tataskweyak Cree Nation — Split Lake PSEAC — Treaty No. 5
• Mathias Colomb First Nation — Pukatawagan PSEAC — Treaty No. 6 signatory, located within a Treaty No. 5 Adhesion area
• Indigenous Peoples — Swan River WDC — Treaty No. 4 (signed in 1874)

UCN Land Acknowledgment Information ->