Mohawk-made earring collection teaches to Honor the Treaties
At Sapling & Flint, we are pleased to release the new “Honor The Treaties” sterling silver stud earring set as a fresh, elegant & modern take on traditional Trade Silver designs! This stud earring set is an exciting new addition to our Trade Silver collection.
The Honor Our Treaties studs come as a set for you to enjoy, with a collectible Treaty education card that profiles article III of the Jay Treaty of 1794 and a list of some treaties that we hope will provide an awareness and education on the history of Canada and the USA’s relationship with Indigenous, and particularly, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) peoples. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy is comprised of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk & Tuscarora Nations that reside on both sides of the Canada-USA border, encompassing the area along the Ontario, Quebec & New York state borders today:
HONOR THE TREATIES
- Two Row Wampum (1613)
- Treaty of Utrecht, article XV (1713)
- Silver Chain Covenant
- Royal Proclamation (1763)
- Treaty of Canadaigua (1794)
- Jay Treaty (1794)
- Treaty of Ghent, article IX (1814)
Two Row Wampum (1613)
A living agreement designed to establish a trade relationship, solidified with a wampum belt originally between the Mohawk Nation and Dutch Colonists new to Onkwehonwè:ne (Turtle Island) that outlines parameters by which we were to live and exist in peace while sharing physical space. The Haudenosaunee Principles of peace, unity & friendship outlined in the Great Law are the underlining rights afforded to each Nation. Symbolized with riverways carrying our Canoe and their Ship, side-by-side, and never intersecting each other’s path; an analogy that means neither party is ever to be molested because of their customs, laws or beliefs.
Treaty of Utrecht, article XV (1713)
“The Subjects of France inhabiting Canada, and others, shall hereafter give no Hinderance or Molestation to the five Nations, or Cantons, of Indians, subject to the Dominion of Great Britain, nor to the other Natives of America, who are Friends to the same.”
Silver Chain Covenant
This Covenant describes the nature through which the complex system of alliances between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the British throughout history beginning in the 18th century were meant to be navigated; using Haudenosaunee principles of Peace, Unity & Friendship. The covenant chain, linking the onkwehón:we and the British individuals in the imagery, is made of silver. Silver is a precious metal that oxidizes over time, and as such requires polishing. So should be the relationship between Haudenosaunee and their British allies be periodically and continuously re-visited so that our relationship may always be fresh, new, and built upon the principles of Peace, Unity & Friendship.
Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 set out guidelines for British settlement of Indigenous territories in North America. The Royal Proclamation was issued by King George III to claim British dominion over lands sold by Indigenous nations, so that no individual subject of the crown could legally buy lands from Indigenous peoples; this right was made exclusive to the King and his government. This proclamation was designed to keep British subjugation of its citizens; maintaining a nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Nations that is not undermined by individuals that are not representing the Crown in their transactions with Indigenous Nations or peoples.
Treaty of Canadaigua (1794)
The treaty formalizes peace and friendship between the United States of America and the Six Nations, and to affirms the land rights and sovereignty of the Six Nations over their respective territories in New York State.
Jay Treaty, Article III (1794)
This treaty between Britain and the USA was designed to put the rights of people in North America in writing, to bring peace and closure to the violence and unsettlement caused by the American Revolution. Included in the Jay Treaty is the acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples as not subjects of either nation, but free peoples with the Right to movement, trade and commerce:
"…It is agreed, that it shall at all times be free to His Majesty's subjects, and to the citizens of the United States, and also to the Indians dwelling on either side of the said boundary line, freely to pass and repass, by land or inland navigation into the respective territories and countries of the two parties on the continent of America...and freely carry on trade and commerce with each other." –
Treaty of Ghent, article IX (1814)
The Treaty of Ghent was created to provide closure to the violence and aftermath of the War of 1812:
“The United States of America engage to put an end immediately after the Ratification of the present Treaty to hostilities with all the Tribes or Nations of Indians with whom they may be at war at the time of such Ratification, and forthwith to restore to such Tribes or Nations respectively all the possessions, rights, and privileges which they may have enjoyed or been entitled to in one thousand eight hundred and eleven previous to such hostilities. Provided always that such Tribes or Nations shall agree to desist from all hostilities against the United States of America, their Citizens, and Subjects upon the Ratification of the present Treaty being notified to such Tribes or Nations, and shall so desist accordingly. And His Britannic Majesty engages on his part to put an end immediately after the Ratification of the present Treaty to hostilities with all the Tribes or Nations of Indians with whom He may be at war at the time of such Ratification, and forthwith to restore to such Tribes or Nations respectively all the possessions, rights, and privileges, which they may have enjoyed or been entitled to in one thousand eight hundred and eleven previous to such hostilities. Provided always that such Tribes or Nations shall agree to desist from all hostilities against His Britannic Majesty and His Subjects upon the Ratification of the present Treaty being notified to such Tribes or Nations, and shall so desist accordingly. “
