Treaty 11 was the last to be signed in Canada’s system of numbered treaties. It was supposed to be an agreement of “peace and friendship” with the Dene of the Northwest Territories. But it turned out to be anything but.

The Dene learned – once the document was translated into their dialects many years later – the government had seized ownership of the territory’s lucrative natural resources and wildlife. And the abundant land. 

The origin story was shared as part of the 100-year anniversary of the treaty during the summer of 2021.

First Peoples Law Report

APTN National News: It’s a celebration to honour Tlicho culture. The Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories this week commemorated the 1oo-year anniversary of the signing of Treaty 11.

The last of the numbered treaties was signed by the Crown and more than a dozen Gwich’in, Sahtu Dene, Dehcho Dene and Tlicho communities in 1921.

READ MORE: 100 years under Treaty 11

The original ceremony was postponed last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For decades, many living under the treaty didn’t know what it said until the government’s version was translated and read to an assembly of Dene chiefs in 1969.