One of the most important relationships for the First Nations people of
North America has been with the land. Traditionally the natural environment
provided them with the means for survival as well as an ever-present
connection to their ancestors who came before them. The people of Treaty 8 are no exception.The spiritual beliefs of the people of Treaty 8 have forever been
interconnected with the plants, animals,  rivers and places they have
inhabited throughout their history. Within
these beliefs are the indigenous philosophies that hold everything in the
natural world as sacred. Fragile ecosystems that support numerous forms of plant and animal life
also supported the Cree, Beaver, Chipewyan, and Dene Indians. In
pre-contact times indigenous people took everything that made their lives 
possible from the land. Traditional knowledge passed from generation to
generation allowed the First Nations to make use of the plants for food and medicine, and the products of
animals as shelter, clothing, tools and food. The waterways provided fish
for food, water for drinking as well as facilitating a means of
transportation and trade. Their traditional knowledge also gave the native
people the philosophy that they were not the masters of the earth, but
merely a part of the delicate balance of the earth's cycle of life. With
such a deeply felt connection to the natural world, many
people of Treaty 8 feel that events since the treaty signing such as the
massive influx of people, industry and development have disrupted this delicate balance.
Many of the Elders and leadership feel that their people were placed
where they are in creation to act in a position of stewardship for the
lands they occupy. For many within the First Nations community the signing
of Treaty 8 was seen
as an agreement to share in the land's gifts. However, some now feel that this
agreement has been overlooked and taken for granted as local  and foreign
industry have been practicing what First Nations determine to be unsustainable
resource exploitation and not planning for future generations of First
Nations peoples and all Canadians. Many people from Treaty 8
First Nations feel that their traditional way of life, in many ways, is
and has been threatened and that they are not being included in the
economic benefits of resource development within their own traditional
territories.
For more information on some of these issues, visit the following
websites:
- Global Forest Watch (Canadian
Overview): Global Forest Watch increases the public's access to information on forests and forest development. This work improves transparency and accountability in forest management decisions and helps ensure better management of forest resources.
- First Nations and Natural
Resources - the Canadian Context: an article by Carol Chandran.
Includes information on the effects of eroding First Nations'
relationship to natural resources and legal developments in Aboriginal
Rights and Natural Resources
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Heritage Community Foundation Presents
The Treaty
