Monte Mills // Hot Springs Sentinel Record - Court tests Native American treaties in 21st century

22.4.18

Hot Springs Sentinel Record - Court tests Native American treaties in 21st century: In the mid-1800s, the United States' zeal for expansion and growth resulted in the removal of Indian people and the acquisition of their territory, often through the use of treaties.

Isaac Stevens, the first governor of the territory of Washington, negotiated treaties on behalf of the United States with tribes across the Pacific Northwest and did so using similar treaty forms and language. In the heart of salmon country, Stevens recognized the importance of fishing to the tribes and, to persuade them to cede vast swathes of land, he emphasized language in the treaties that would preserve the tribal "right of taking fish, at all usual and accustomed grounds and stations ... in common with all citizens of the Territory." In fact, while negotiating one treaty, Stevens promised the tribes that the "paper secures your fish."