🌿 Canada Day: A Timeline, A Truth Check, and a Wampum Reminder 🇨🇦🧵
by Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
⏳ Let’s Talk About What Canada Day Really Means
Did you know that what we now call “Canada Day” wasn’t even officially called that until 1982?
Yeah. Before that it was “Dominion Day” — a celebration of colonization. July 1st, 1867 marks Confederation, when Canada became a dominion under British control. But here’s the thing: Indigenous Nations were never consulted. They already lived here — for thousands of years — in complex societies, with languages, laws, trade, science, and culture.
This “birthday” wasn’t the beginning for everyone. For many, it was the beginning of invasion, broken promises, and erasure.
📜 A Timeline We Should All Know
| Year | What Really Happened |
|---|---|
| Pre-1600s | Indigenous Nations thrive. Long before Europeans arrive, there are governments, territories, and trade networks. |
| 1613 | The Two Row Wampum Treaty (Guswenta) is signed between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch. Two nations agree to live side by side, in peace, without interfering with one another. |
| 1701 | The Great Peace of Montreal is signed by 39 Indigenous Nations and the French. |
| 1763 | The Royal Proclamation acknowledges Indigenous land rights. |
| 1867 | Canada is “created” — without Indigenous consent. The Indian Act, residential schools, and broken treaties follow. |
| 1982 | The Constitution is repatriated. Section 35 recognizes Aboriginal rights — but how often are they respected? “Canada Day” is made official. |
| Today | Indigenous people still fight for Land Back, clean water, justice for MMIWG2S, language revitalization, and true reconciliation. |
🧵 What Is the Wampum Belt?
The Wampum Belts are not jewelry — they’re records of law, treaty, and trust. One of the most important is the Two Row Wampum:
Two purple lines on a white background.
One line = the Haudenosaunee canoe
The other = the European ship
They travel side by side, forever, without interfering with each other.
This wasn’t about surrender. It was about respect and mutual survival.
But that treaty — like so many others — was ignored.
🌿 Land Acknowledgment (for those of us in Vancouver)
I acknowledge that I live, work, and create on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
These lands were never given up — no treaty was signed here.
So today, instead of just waving a flag or watching fireworks, I honour the original people of these lands and the treaties that still matter.
💬 Questions We Should All Be Asking
- Did your school teach you about the Wampum Belts?
- Who gets to decide what “Canada” means?
- What does real reconciliation look like — not just words, but action?
💥 Final Thought
This Canada Day, I’m not just “celebrating.”
I’m remembering, learning, and resisting the silence.
We’re all treaty people — it’s time we acted like it.
Want to learn more?
Look up:
👉 The Two Row Wampum Treaty
👉 The Royal Proclamation of 1763
👉 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
👉 Your local Indigenous Nations and land defenders
🌈 In solidarity and truth,
Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
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