Over the course of a century, until the late 1700s, the British Crown, the Iroquois, and other Aboriginal groups of eastern North America developed an alliance and treaty system known as the Covenant Chain. Bruce Morito offers a philosophical rereading of the historical record of negotiations, showing that the parties developed an ethic of mutually recognized respect. This ethic, Morito argues, remains relevant to current debates about Aboriginal and treaty rights because it is neither culturally nor historically bound. Real change is possible, if efforts can be shifted from piecemeal legal and political disputes to the development of an intercultural ethic based on trust, respect, and solidarity.

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Bruce Morito is a professor of philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Athabasca University.

Bruce Morito gives vibrant voice to an important yet long-ignored topic. He makes a compelling argument for the existence of the Covenant Chain’s moral framework, using historical evidence to inform present-day indigenous–settler relations. This is an engaging and original book.

Douglas Sanderson, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto