Oral Understanding of Treaty 

This presentation is predicated on Elders’ teachings of Treaty including the Nehiyaw/Cree world view (Day before Treaty), the spirit in making Treaty (Day of Treaty) and the day after Treaty – the relationship as it unfolded. The oral context of Nehiyaw and Anishinabe legal orders and doctrines represented by symbols on the land, waters and sky are encapsulated in this unique presentation to the Canadian Club of Canada participants and guests. 
Dr. Diana Steinhauer, Nehiyaw/Cree, of onihcikiskwapiwinhk in Treaty No. 6 Territory, is an educator with 30 years of experience in teaching, curriculum development, and administration in K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions. Most importantly, she is a mother and first teacher of her two children. She currently contracts with the Yellowhead Tribal College. Diana completed her Doctorate in iyiniw pimātisiwin kiskeyitamowin (Indigenous Peoples Knowledge) at University n Blue Quills. She is particularly grateful to Elders and Knowledge Keepers who have guided and mentored her in the ancestral knowledge and ways of being as a kise iskwew. Recognizing the value and work of iyiniw pimātisiwin, Diana’s work as a change agent in language, education, and governance is grounded upon her late father’s adage, ātisîtotetân kimiyikowisiwininaw, ‘Let us live life the way our Creator intended for us to live’.