Canadian First Nations Recognize Taino Treaty

DID YOU KNOW - A peace treaty signed in 1533 in the Caribbean between Taino Kasike Guarokuia (Enriquillo/Henri) and a representative of the King of Spain was recognized as the “first international treaty in the Americas between Indigenous people and Europeans" in a resolution by over 100 delegates to the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Treaty Conference, held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on Oct. 28, 1998. The AFN resolution recommended recognition of the Taino-Spanish treaty to the United Nations rapporteur, Miguel Alfonso Martinez of Cuba, who was completing his final report on treaties with Indigenous peoples around the world. One fourth of Canada's Indian chiefs attended the conference, which discussed national and international treaty implications and strategies. The resolution, moved by Akaitcho Territory Government Grand Chief Felix Lockhart and seconded by Chief Fred Sangris (Yellowknives Dene), reads in part: "AFN recommends that the "1533 Bahoruco Treaty” be recognized as the first Treaty in the Americas between Indigenous Peoples and Europeans in the Final Report of the U.N. Special Rapporteur.” - UCTP Taino News © 2010