Wars: The French and English
How the US/Canada Border Divided Aboriginals
History of the US-Canadian Border, known as the Medicine Line to the Aboriginal people
Aboriginals called the US-Canadian border the Medicine Line, because it held some magical power for white people who crossed it. Today the US-Canadian border divides American Indians from their First Nations cousins.
The US/Canada Border explained the different post-contact experiences of Aboriginals living on either side of the then nonexistent border. Here we will discuss how the actual border came into being and was solidified through the French and Indian War, Jay's Treaty and the Treaty of Ghent, and what affect it had on Aboriginal nations.
The French and Indian War
Contrary to the implication, Indians fought on both sides of the French and Indian War. The six nations of the Haudenosaunee
( Iroquois Confederacy ) held a strategic position between the British and the French in what is now northern New York State and the Lake Ontario region of Canada. By siding with the British, they effectively cast the die in their favor.
The American Revolution
The American Revolution split the Iroquois Confederacy. The majority of confederation members sided with the British who promised to aid them in holding the line against colonial incursions into their territory. The Oneida and the Tuscarora sided with the colonies. (See photo of Oneida bringing corn to Valley Forge encampment).
The Paris Peace Treaty of 1783 ended the American Revolution and established the border between the new United States and British territories to the north.
Jay's Treaty
Following the Revolution, Great Britain continued to harass the new nation by, among other things, refusing to vacate forts on the US frontier, while Aboriginals saw alliances with the British--who showed little interest in populating the region--as their best buffer against the United States' constant push westward.
Jay's Treaty negotiated in 1794 included an agreement by the British to vacate these forts and further clarified the US-Canadian border. The treaty also specified the right of Indians to freely pass between the US and Canada "...with their own proper goods and effects of whatever nature..." without being required to "...pay for the same any impost or duty whatever."
The Treaty of Ghent
In the War of 1812, various Aboriginal nations again allied with each side. To protect her Indian allies in the Treaty of Ghent Great Britain agreed with the US to end hostilities "...with all the Tribes or Nations of Indians with whom they may be at war at the time of such ratification..." and to essentially restore them to status held before hostilities began, assumedly re-establishing their right to cross the border freely and carry certain goods without paying duty or tariffs.
Next week's article will cover current issues for tribes along the US-Canada border.
