Treaty of Fort Niagara

After weeks of ceremony and discussion, Sir William Johnson, representing the British Crown, and representatives of 24 First Nations conclude the Treaty of Fort Niagara. The discussions covered the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which established the Proclamation Line, banning unregulated settlement west of the Eastern Continental Divide. The surrender of a four-mile strip of land along the shore of the Niagara River by the Seneca was one of the first land cessions under the new Proclamation. Present for the talks were representatives from the Haudenosaunee, Detroit Wyandot, Anishinaabeg, Menominee, as well as those from the Seven Nations of Canada and the Western Confederacy. The Detroit Odawa (including Pontiac), Sandusky Wyandot, and Ohio Shawnee refused to attend the conference. Per the Canadian Encyclopedia: The acceptance or understanding of the 1763 Royal Proclamation’s clauses relating to First Nations and their lands is the most important outcome at Niagara. The treaty extended the covenant chain, binding more Native Nations to the British which led to their involvement on the British side during the American Revolution. While clearly historically very significant and still recognized by First Nations today, Canada does not recognize this treaty as it was recorded by wampum.