Oral Histories and the Oral History Project

The Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, in partnership with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has undertaken the Oral History Project (OHP) which will collect the oral histories from each of the Treaty areas. The OHP drives almost all the other TRCM projects as it provides the knowledge from the Elders that is so crucial to the TRCM's work and creating a message that truly represents the perspectives of First Nations at the time of Treaty-making.

TRCM Independent Research Mandate:

The following Treaty Research Strategy arises out of the research mandate of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba. The Memorandum of Agreement between the Crown and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (2005) mandates and outlines the research responsibilities of the Treaty Relations Commission. Download the Document.

2006-2007 Research Report

During the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the Treaty Commission engaged in a number of consultative processes to guide the development of the TRCM research agenda:

Common Issues identified by the TRCM parties:

  1. First Nations community consultations;
  2. AMC General Chief's Assemblies;
  3. AMC-TRCM Elder's Advisory Council; and
  4. Researchers' Think Tank.

Throughout the consultative process the Treaty Relations Commissioner strove to ensure that the perspectives of the Denesulen, Dakota Oyate, Ininiwak, Anishinaabeg and Anishininwak from all the Treaty areas in Manitoba were equitably represented.

The scope and quality of this Research Strategy derives from this inclusive consultative process. The number of specific research project suggestions provided to the TRCM was extensive and wide-ranging. What is proposed herein is a priority list of research areas garnered from the consultative processes. The prioritizing was determined as follows: First, by the priorities identified by the TRCM Treaty partners and through the First Nation community consultation process and AMC General Chiefs Assemblies; second, by the concurrences of priority research areas identified by all five consultative processes; and third, by their originality or capacity to fill the gaps and expand existing Treaty knowledge specific to Manitoba.

The Treaty research priority areas were broadly organized in order to encompass a wide range of specific research topics, keeping in mind that some of the research subjects overlap and may cross-cut research areas, the six research priority areas are as follows:

  • Livelihood
  • Crown-First Nation Treaty Relations
  • Treaty Provisions, Implementation and Interpretations
  • Manitoba First Nation Traditional Knowledge & Practices
  • Treaty Research: Methodological Issues

The research projects developed within each of these priority areas are constructed to meet the research priority subjects identified in the consultation process. The TRCM research projects will augment, and in some instances coalesce with and/or integrate, the work already being carried out in the Manitoba Treaties Oral History Research Project.

The research projects developed for Phase 1 are as follows:

Livelihood

  • "Livelihood I: Conceptions, Intent, and Context" (documentary accounts)
  • "Livelihood II: Conceptions, Intent, and Context" (oral accounts)
  • "Treaty Right to Agriculture"
  • "Manitoba Treaty First Nations Atlas Project"

Crown-First Nation Treaty Relations

  • "The Treaty Relationship I: Nature and Scope" (documentary accounts)
  • "The Treaty Relationship II: Nature and Scope" (oral accounts)
  • "A Review of the Dakota Oyate Experience in Manitoba"

Treaty Provisions, Implementation and Interpretation

  • "Treaty Provisions: Oral and Written Accounts"
  • "Socio-economic Foundations and the Treaty Relationship"

Manitoba First Nation Traditional Knowledge and Practices

  • "Traditional Approaches to Treaty Making"

Treaty Research: Methodological Issues

  • "Treaty Research Methodologies: Review and Analysis"

In addition to the above Treaty research priority based research projects the TRCM proposes four ancillary projects to support its Treaty Research Mandate.

  • "Treaty Knowledge Inventory"
  • "A Visual History of the Treaties in Manitoba"
  • "An Inventory of Commissioned Research Reports on Treaty Issues"
  • "Researchers' Think Tank II: Academics and Elders"

It will be noted that the nature, quality, and interdisciplinary research approach will result in some overlaps and cross-cutting in the research projects. In an attempt to minimize any duplication each of the research projects has specific terms of references.


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