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Aboriginal Peoples of New France often called « brothers » those Nations with whom they entertained peaceful relationships. The Haudenosaunees said that they would use the same recipient and the same utensil upon encountering members of an allied nation during a hunting expedition; this indicated that they would put their hunting grounds in common. For their part, the French wanted to maintain peaceful relationships with Aboriginal Peoples and to establish a commercial association with them. Although the Crown reserved to itself the right to grant lands to its subjects, it also authorized the making of treaties with the Amerindians. Its representatives were instructed to respect these agreements, which could also form the basis of territorial claims against other European powers. The treaties entered into in 1665 and 1701 between the Haudenosaunees and other allies of the French reflect this perspective. They refer to a brotherly relationship and to a common dish. Later on, in 1760, the British agreed to make peace with the Aboriginal peoples domiciled in the Saint-Lawrence Valley and undertook to respect their territories. But during the nineteenth century, they reneged on this promise, at a time when First Nations could no longer meet their needs through hunting. From then on, the system of harmonious coexistence established previously showed its limits. Nonetheless, Aboriginal Peoples continued to refer to the image of a common dish to protest against the imperilling of their traditional activities, thus proving the efficacy of their oral tradition.
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