An Ethic of Mutual Respect

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In An Ethic of Mutual Respect: The Covenant Chain and Aboriginal-Crown Relations, Bruce Morito offers a philosophical interrogation of the predominant current reading of the histor ical record regarding the Covenant Chain. Over the course of a century until the late 1700s, the British Crown, the Haudenosaunee, Ojibwe, Delaware, Wendat and other First Nations of eastern North America developed a system of alliances and treaties that came to be known collectively as the Covenant Chain. Through this fresh perspective, he overturns assumptions about early First Nations--Crown relationships and demonstrates the relevance of the Covenant Chain to the current relationship. By examining the forms of expression contained in colonial documents, the Record of Indian Affairs, and related materials, Morito locates the values and moral commitments that underpinned the parties’ strategies for negotiation and reconciliation. What becomes apparent is that these interactions developed an ethic of mutually recognized respect that was coherent and neither culturally nor historically bound. This ethic, Morito argues, remains relevant to current debates over Aboriginal and treaty rights as they pertain to the British Crown tradition. Real change is possible if the focus can be shifted from piecemeal legal and political disputes to the development of an intercultural ethic based on trust, respect, and solidarity. The book contains details about the Covenant Chain, wampum, and treaties. Bruce Morito is a professor of philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Athabasca University. Show more