The PLEA: Reading Along with The Barren Grounds

This land is not theirs to take. Rather, it is home to a world of animal beings. The place is Askí, Cree for earth or ground.

Eli and Morgan’s entrance into this world reminds us that the land that is now Canada was not an empty space when Europeans arrived. Rather, distinct Indigenous Peoples already lived here with their own laws, customs, beliefs and Traditional Territories. Thus, Treaties were required by Canadian law for settlers to move onto the land.

Treaties are formal agreements between the Government and Indigenous Nations. In the 1800s, the Canadian government, representing the British Crown, and Indigenous Nations living in what is now Saskatchewan, negotiated five Treaties on the land that is now Saskatchewan. Treaties are the terms for how we will coexist and share the land. They form a foundational aspect of Canada and its laws.

The Supreme Court of Canada describes Treaties as solemn, sacred agreements. Treaty agreements are not frozen in time but can evolve to meet changing conditions. Treaty promises create Treaty Rights that can be enforced in court. When terms are in question, courts have ruled that Treaty terms need to be interpreted in favour of the Indigenous Nation.

Each Treaty includes specific, negotiated promises. According to the Assembly of First Nations, Treaty rights include the right of Indigenous Peoples to maintain their own systems of governance, the right to land and resources, the right to child welfare, the right to education, the right to justice, and the right to hunting, fishing and trapping.

In The Barren Grounds, the humans who enter Askí never enter into a Treaty with the animal-beings. For Morgan and Eli, it’s unnecessary. They learn from and cooperate with their hosts. By respecting the land’s original inhabitants and the land itself, they grow healthier.

However, another human character, named Mason, does not act in this spirit. Mason believes that “the land is mine.” He is the story’s villain, taking more resources than he needs. Ironically, the more Mason takes, the more unhealthy he becomes.

When Mason steals the Summer Birds, he plunges Misewa—the area of Askí where the animal beings reside—into a permanent winter. Mason’s desire to live in Askí on his own terms harms everyone, himself included.

Hence, respecting and honouring our Treaty relationships can make us all more like Morgan and Eli: healthy people with a respect for all. Failure to honour Treaty relationships could make us all more like Mason: a lonely, unhealthy person whose actions harm everyone, himself included.