Drawing upon newly surfaced eyewitness testimony and archival sources, No Surrender: The Land Remains Indigenous re-examines the negotiation of Treaties One through Seven (1869–1877) between the Canadian state and the Indigenous nations of the Plains. Sheldon Krasowski, challenges the long-standing interpretation that treaty failures stemmed primarily from cultural misunderstanding. Instead, the work argues that federal officials pursued a deliberate strategy to misrepresent the implications of the surrender clause and the nature of land tenure. Through close analysis of Cree, Anishinaabeg, Saulteaux, Assiniboine, Siksika, Piikani, Kainai, Stoney, and Tsuu T’ina perspectives, the author contends that the treaties were understood by Indigenous leaders as agreements to share the land under specific conditions, rather than to relinquish sovereignty.
Notes adapted from the publishers information.
