Description
Two Families: Treaties and Government by Harold Johnson is a conversation between a Cree man and the Canadian public. As a practicing lawyer, Johnson wrote the book as his personal response to a student's question about treaties. Johnson's ancestors signed Treaty 6 in 1876. This easy-to-read account effectively conveys the treaty relationship between First Nations and the government. Johnson establishes the framework for any treaty discussions in the opening chapter. He moves on to topics that cover the justice system, reconciliation of laws, political divisions, resources, taxation, assimilation, leadership, the constitution, sovereignty, the youth and the coming generations. The appendix contains a copy of Treaty 6 and the Adhesion by the Wood Cree. This is an important contribution to the Canadian understanding of treaties from the perspective from a Cree lawyer.