Who and What Are the Treaty Councils? Do They Exist Today?

The Ancient Foundations of Treaty Councils

Lakota Chiefs at the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 signing

Treaty Councils are not inventions of colonial governments, nor are they the creations of modern organizations. They are as old as our nations themselves. Long before European contact, Indigenous nations across Turtle Island (North America) governed themselves through councils of chiefs, clan leaders, and elders.

Among the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Great Law of Peace established the Grand Council of Chiefs centuries before European arrival. This council, composed of clan representatives from each nation, continues to guide the Haudenosaunee today.[1] The Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota Oyate gathered in councils to make collective decisions for their tiyospaye (extended families) and for the whole Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires).[2] The Anishinaabe held Grand Councils at places such as Madeline Island, where leaders of many bands came together to affirm treaties, relationships, and responsibilities.[3]

It must be remembered that every Indigenous nation comes from an ancient traditional government. Whether through councils of clan mothers, hereditary chiefs, firekeepers, medicine people, or elected-by-consensus leaders, each nation had its own structured system of governance, rooted in spiritual law and ancestral teachings. These governments are not inventions of the colonial era—they are the original governments of this land.

Authority That Needs No Paper Charter

Treaty Councils did not—and do not—require written charters, seals, or the permission of colonial states. Their authority is natural and organic, flowing from ancestral responsibility. Leaders were chosen through traditional processes—by clans, hereditary lineage, and spiritual recognition.

When Indigenous nations entered into treaties with colonial powers, they did so through these councils. For example, the 1613 Two Row Wampum Treaty (Guswenta) between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch was agreed upon in council, symbolizing two nations traveling side by side in mutual respect.[4] Similarly, the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie brought together representatives of the Oceti Sakowin, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow, and other nations in a vast council attended by thousands, demonstrating the enduring role of Treaty Councils in representing nations’ sovereignty.[5]

These gatherings showed the world that Indigenous nations had functioning, sophisticated governance systems rooted in responsibility and diplomacy.

The Continuity of Treaty Councils Today

Yes, Treaty Councils exist today, just as they always have. In many communities, hereditary chiefs and elders continue to meet in councils to guide their people. The Haudenosaunee Grand Council still gathers at Onondaga, the firekeeper nation, to deliberate on matters affecting the Confederacy.[6] The Anishinaabe Grand Council persists as a spiritual and political body, affirming connections across regions.[7] The Lakota and Dakota traditional councils remain active, carrying forward the voices of the Seven Council Fires.

Just as importantly, the tiyospaye system itself still exists and is lived every single day. Our extended families continue to form the heart of our nations. It is within the tiyospaye that teachings are passed on, that leadership is cultivated, that care for the vulnerable is maintained, and that the spiritual, cultural, and political life of the people is sustained. When Treaty Councils gather, they are not abstract institutions—they are the living expression of the tiyospaye coming together in unity.

Colonial systems have tried to suppress these councils by imposing elected band councils through the Indian Act in Canada or by forcing U.S.-recognized tribal governments into Western frameworks. Yet traditional Treaty Councils endure, often working alongside or sometimes in opposition to imposed systems, reminding us that sovereignty is not something granted by colonial law—it is inherent.

Suppression and Resistance

Those shaped by colonial indoctrination have often dismissed Treaty Councils as “illegitimate” because they lack Western-style legal structures. But to deny these councils is to deny history itself. It is to deny the fact that the United States and Canada negotiated with them as sovereign bodies, and that treaties—such as the Fort Laramie Treaties, the Jay Treaty of 1794, and countless others—were made through them.[8]

The erasure and suppression of Treaty Councils is part of the colonial project. Yet, their survival demonstrates Indigenous nations’ refusal to surrender sovereignty.

The Enduring Spirit of Treaty Councils

Treaty Councils are not only political bodies; they are spiritual assemblies. They are living reminders of the sacred responsibility of leadership. They are our grandfathers, our chiefs, our elders who carry forward the original instructions.

The tiyospaye, the extended family, is proof that these ways have not vanished—we live it every day. It is in our homes, our gatherings, our ceremonies, and our councils. From the fireside to the council fire, the Treaty Councils remain alive because the tiyospaye remains alive.

Every Indigenous nation still carries this truth: we come from ancient traditional governments. That authority has never disappeared—it is alive in our people, our families, and our councils.

Treaty Councils were always here. They are here now. And they will always be here, as long as we remember our ancestors, honor our treaties, and continue to gather in the ways that were given to us from the beginning.

References / Further Reading

1. Barbara Graymont, The Great Law and the Longhouse: A Political History of the Iroquois Confederacy (1988).

2. Ella Deloria, Speaking of Indians (1944).

3. Anton Treuer, The Assassination of Hole in the Day (2010).

4. Haudenosaunee Confederacy, “Two Row Wampum (Guswenta).”

5. National Archives, “Treaty of Fort Laramie with Sioux, Etc., 1851.”

6. Haudenosaunee Confederacy official website.

7. Lawrence Gross, Anishinaabe Ways of Knowing and Being (2014).

8. Vine Deloria Jr., Behind the Trail of Broken Treaties (1974).