Dish With One Spoon facts for kids

A Dish With One Spoon (also called One Dish One Spoon) is an old agreement or law used by Indigenous peoples in North America. It describes how different nations would share hunting lands. This idea has been around since at least 1142 AD.

Imagine everyone eating from one big dish. This means all nations could hunt in the same shared territory. The "one spoon" part means that everyone sharing the land was expected to take only what they needed. This made sure there was enough food for everyone, and that animals would continue to thrive for the future. Sometimes, the Indigenous word for "dish" is translated as "bowl" or "kettle."

The phrase "Dish With One Spoon" also refers to the actual agreement or treaty itself. A very important treaty was made between the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee nations in Montréal in 1701. This was part of a bigger agreement called the Great Peace of Montreal. This 1701 treaty is often called the Dish With One Spoon treaty. It even has a special wampum belt (a belt made of beads) that represents it.

The land covered by this treaty includes parts of what is now Ontario. This area stretches between the Great Lakes and along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, reaching the border of Quebec. Some people also believe it included parts of New York and Michigan.

Why the Treaty Was Needed

In the past, there was a huge demand for beaver furs, especially thick ones from northern areas. European traders wanted these furs, and Indigenous nations wanted European goods in return. This led to many conflicts, as the Haudenosaunee often fought with other nations to control hunting territories.

In 1624, some nations like the Montagnais, Algonquin, and some Haudenosaunee tried to make peace. They met in Trois-Rivières and Québec to agree on sharing hunting areas. However, French and Dutch colonial leaders didn't like this peace because it meant less power for them. They caused distrust among the Indigenous nations, and the peace broke down quickly.

Another peace agreement was made in 1645 by the Wendat, Kichesipirini, Montagnais, and Mohawk at Trois-Rivières. This was renewed in 1646. But this peace also ended almost immediately. Warriors from the Five Nations (part of the Haudenosaunee) started raiding Wendat territory. They likely did this for better furs and because beavers were becoming rare in their own lands south of Lake Ontario.

These raids continued for many years. In the 1640s, the Mississaugas, an Anishinaabe Nation, moved north and west to avoid the Haudenosaunee raids and smallpox outbreaks. By the 1670s, with help from the Odawa and Chippewa, they returned. This added to the growing pressure from the French against the Haudenosaunee.

Making the Treaty

By the late 1690s, different tribes started meeting to discuss peace. In the summer of 1700, representatives from various Anishinaabe and other western nations met with the Haudenosaunee in Onondaga. At this meeting, the western nations asked to join the Covenant Chain (another important alliance) and to share hunting grounds using the Dish With One Spoon idea.

After this, chiefs from the Five Nations and 19 other nations met in Montréal in September. During this meeting, a special wampum belt was shown. It was described as "making one joint kettle when we shall meet." This was most likely the Dish With One Spoon belt. Everyone agreed to have a larger meeting in Montréal the next year.

This larger meeting happened on August 4, 1701, and the Great Peace of Montreal was signed. A few weeks before, on July 19, the Haudenosaunee had also made an agreement with the British in Albany. They gave the British control of the territory, hoping for protection. However, the two sides understood this agreement differently. The Haudenosaunee expected protection, while the British thought they could expand their colony into the land.

What Happened After the Treaty

The Montréal treaty lasted for a very long time. There are many historical records that mention it and the Dish With One Spoon wampum belt. Here are a few examples:

• In 1765, Daniel Claus, a British official, reminded another official, Sir William Johnson, about the 1701 treaty. He wrote that the French governor had told the Indigenous nations that "the Woods, and Hunting Grounds could be no otherwise than in common, and free to one Nation as to another." This meant the land was for everyone to share.

• In 1793, Six Nations chief Joseph Brant wrote a letter. He explained that the Indian Affairs Department was wrong to claim some land near Grand River belonged only to the Six Nations. He said that about 100 years earlier, there was an agreement to share the lands with other Indigenous Peoples for hunting. He mentioned the Dish With One Spoon wampum belt supported his claim. The Mississauga people also have stories that say the land north of eastern Lake Erie, all of Lake Ontario, and the western north shore of the St. Lawrence River has always been their territory. They agreed to share it in the Dish With One Spoon treaty.

• In 1824, Wendat chief Tsaouenhohi spoke to the government of Lower Canada. He said that about 200 years earlier, seven nations had agreed to "eat with the same spoon from the same bowl." It's not clear if he was talking about the 1701 Montréal treaty or an even earlier one.

• In 1840, John Skanawati Buck, a Six Nations wampum keeper, showed four wampum belts. One of them was for the Dish With One Spoon. He said it represented the first treaty to share hunting grounds between the Anishinaabe and the Six Nations in Montréal. However, the Mississauga people believe the treaty was only made with the Mohawks. This belt stayed with Buck until he died in 1893. After his death, the belts were sold to collectors. The Dish With One Spoon belt was later given to the Royal Ontario Museum in 1922.

• In 1915, Seth Newhouse, an Onondaga chief, wrote to King George V. He complained that Ontario's hunting laws made it hard for his people to get enough food. He asked the King to send a picture of himself holding the treaty document so they could use it to challenge the laws. Sadly, the Indian Affairs Department stopped the letter, and it never reached the King.

Today

Today in Canada, it's common for organizations to acknowledge the land they are on. This means they recognize that the land was, and still is, Indigenous territory. The Dish With One Spoon agreement is often mentioned in these land acknowledgements, especially in the Toronto area. Many organizations, like the Council of Ontario Universities and parts of the United Church of Canada, use it.

Some people today see the treaty as a promise that applies to everyone living in Southern Ontario. This includes Indigenous Peoples who weren't part of the original treaty, as well as settlers and newcomers. It reminds everyone to share and care for the land.

The original Dish With One Spoon wampum belt is now kept at the Royal Ontario Museum. It is mostly made of white shells, with a small area of purple shells in the middle. The purple part represents the "dish" or "bowl."