BY KEVIN GOVER


Penn’s Treaty with the Indians, an imaginative rendering of William Penn’s negotiations with the Lenni Lenape in 1683, painted in 1771–72 by Benjamin West (1738–1820). Oil on canvas. 75.5" x 107.75".


T


reaties matter, not only to Ameri- can Indians, but to everyone who lives in the United States. The United States acquired much of its land through treaties with Indian


tribes. These negotiated, bilateral agreements are, therefore, fundamental to understanding how the United States was created, and how its citizens obtained the land and natural re- sources they enjoy today. Treaties rest at the heart of both Native his-


tory and contemporary tribal life and identity. Approximately 368 treaties were negotiated and signed by U.S. commissioners and tribal leaders (and subsequently approved by the U.S. Senate) from 1777 to 1868. They enshrine promises our government made to Indian Na- tions. They recognize Indian tribes as nations – a fact that distinguishes tribal citizens from other Americans and supports contemporary Native assertions of tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Far from being dusty documents of dubi-


ous relevance, treaties are legally binding and still in effect. Although repeatedly recognized by the courts as sources of rights for Indian people and their Native Nations, treaties also carry the weight of a troubled history of bro- ken promises and test the strength of our na- tion’s commitment to honesty, good faith and the rule of law. Treaties made by the United States with


Indian Nations inscribe solemn vows that cannot lightly be broken or ignored, a verity that Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black rec-


E SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 37


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