“We were told we kept our freedom.” Canadians have been breaking their promises to Indigenous people

Filmmaker Tasha Hubbard narrates a history of Indigenous peoples in the prairies and their relationship with the government, focusing on the events of the late nineteenth century.

In 1876, Treaty 6 negotiations ended with promises of health care, education, hunting rights and freedom in exchange for sharing the land to the depth of a plough. Instead, the Canadian government passed the Indian Act which pushed Indigenous people onto reserves. Violence and hunger were used to force assimilation and colonialism when leaders like Big Bear and Poundmaker tried to fight back.

Watch the video above for more.

This video is part of a longer version of nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, a documentary from CBC Docs. Here, Hubbard tells the story of Colten Boushie, a young Cree man who died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head after entering Gerald Stanley’s property with friends. The trial and acquittal of Stanley raised questions about racism in Canada’s legal system.

Watch nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up on CBC Docs POV.