June 17 - It Was Called the Steal Treaty...

Posted on June 17, 2020

On this date in 1960, the Nez Perce tribe was awarded $4 million for land that had been "bought" from them - really, stolen from them! - for just 4 cents per acre, way back in 1863.

The seven million acres (about 28 thousand square kilometers) was very much undervalued by the treaty, even for 1863 prices. The land was in Eastern Washington and Oregon and a central chunk of Idaho. The compensation for the land was so unfair, the nickname for the treaty became "the steal treaty."

By the way, the reason for the land grab was that gold was discovered within the boundaries of the land that had been given to the Nez Perce by the Treaty of 1855! The U.S. government, instead of sticking to its promise to the tribe, enforcing reservation boundaries by keeping gold-seekers out, and allowing the Nez Perce to profit from the resources on their own land - yeah, instead of all of that, the U.S. just grabbed about 90% of the reservation!

You probably know that European settlers in the "New World," and their descendants, treated the native peoples who lived in North America really dreadfully. Obviously, not every interaction between European-American and Native American was awful, but as a whole, the British colonies and the United States has a terrible human-rights record. Stealing land; making and then breaking treaties; devaluing native cultures, languages, and religions; kidnapping and murder, war and massacres - yikes, what a lot of horrific stuff!

Chief Joseph is one of the most famous of the Nez Perce.

In modern times, a few steps have been taken to right a fraction of the wrongs, and one of these steps was this 1960 payment. Today the Nez Perce own and operate two casinos in Idaho, and many people in this tribe are involved with the hatching, harvesting, and selling salmon.

Also on this date:

Eat Your Vegetables Day 

Iceland's National Day

Artist M. C. Escher's birthday

Stewart's Root Beer Day

Anniversary of the “discovery” of muskoxen

Bunker Hill Day

World Day to Combat Desertification

Father's Day in Guatemala and El Salvador

National Garbage Man Day

World Tessellation Day

Turtle Days

(June 17 - 20, 2020 - but it may be postponed or cancelled!)

Plan ahead:

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• June holidays

• June birthdays

• Historical anniversaries in June

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• July holidays
• July birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in July
  
  
  
  

July 23, 2012 - A Boundary Treaty Is Signed

—1881

Argentina and Chile both pulled away from their colonial overlord, Spain, declaring their independence in 1816 and 1818, respectively. You'd think that people in these two nations would want to get along—new nations often struggle with creating the constitutions and governmental organizations that will enable them to succeed—but in this case, the relationship between these two South American countries went sour right away.

And, of course, it was all about whose-owns-this-bit-of-land?

Chile was content, at first, to establish its eastern boundary at the Andes, but then someone started arguing that Chile deserves to own all of Patagonia, which is the entire region at the southern end of South America. (The island Tierra del Fuego is usually included in this region.)

Well, sure, you could make a case that Pedro de Valdivia got the rights to all of Patagonia from the Spanish crown, back in the 16^th Century, but you could also point out that Argentina had supported Welsh immigrants in parts of Patagonia. You could argue that Chile just cared about the Straits of Magellan (a bit of sea between mainland South America and the island Tierra del Fuego, through which ships can travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans) and that the Chilean government had seen Patagonia as a useless wasteland. But you could also say, “Hey, Argentina, you already have so much land, and poor little Chile is soooo skinny! Can't you give Chile some more land?”

At any rate, Argentina and Chile squabbled over the land and then signed this treaty, which split Tierra del Fuego and the rest of the disputed lands between the two nations, and which stated that the Straits of Magellan shall be “neutralized for ever, and free navigation assured to the flags of all nations.” In other words, NOBODY is allowed to build military bases there!

A treaty is generally a good thing, a sort of win-win. In this case, however, there still have been disputes over Patagonia. In 2010, for example, the two countries argued over the Southern Icefields, which contain the second largest reserve of potable water in the world!

For more info about Patagonia, check out this earlier post.

Also on this date:

Anniversary of a cloning success 

Anniversary of the opening of the first swimming school in the U.S.