Skip to content
  • FR
FR
  • About us
    Building, illuminated glass towers on either side of an old, square, stone building.

    About us

    We're here to help you understand what the Bank of Canada does and how it matters to you.

    About the Bank of Canada

    Find out what the Bank does, who runs the Bank and how it is separate from the political process.

    Connect with us

    We’d love to hear from you! Contact us by email, phone or mail—or join us on social media.

  • Visit

    Visit

    • Plan your visit
    • Accessibility and special needs
    • Code of conduct
    • COVID-19 protocols

    Sensory Sundays

    We’re turning down the lights and the volume for our sensory-sensitive visitors—explore the Museum using more than eyes and ears.

    Connect with us

    We’d love to hear from you! Contact us by email, phone or mail—or join us on social media.

  • Explore

    Exhibitions

    • Permanent exhibition
    • Special exhibitions
    • Travelling exhibitions
    • Past exhibitions

    Blog

    Collection

    • About the Collection
    • Collection Services
    • Canadian Bank Notes Series
    • Search the Collection

    New acquisitions—2024 edition

    Bank of Canada Museum’s acquisitions in 2024 highlight the relationships that shape the National Currency Collection.

  • Learn

    Learn

    • Activities and games
    • Education blog
    • External resources
    • Lesson plans
    • School programs
    • Video discussion guides
    • Upcoming webinars

    Entrepreneurship: Kids edition

    Learn from the experiences of successful young entrepreneurs, then create your own business model and pitch your business.

    You are the economy

    A set of six lessons to explore economics with your students.

  • Home
  • The Museum Blog

Treaties, money and art

By: Krista Broeckx, Frank Shebageget


August 6, 2024
Share this page on Facebook
Share this page on Facebook
Share this page on X
Share this page on X
Share this page on LinkedIn
Share this page on LinkedIn
Share this page on Google Classroom Created with Sketch.
Share this page on Google Classroom
Share this page by email
Share this page by email

The Bank of Canada Museum’s collection has a new addition: an artwork called Free Ride by Frank Shebageget. But why would a museum about the economy buy art? Assistant Curator Krista Broeckx talks to Shebageget about the artwork and its relevance to the Museum.

Photo, colour, framed artwork, grid of 50 Canadian 5-dollar bills.

To create Free Ride, Shebageget collected fifty $5 bank notes, one from each year of his life. He arranged them in a grid as a record of his treaty annuity payments. The artwork’s title is engraved repeatedly inside the frame.
Source: Frank Shebageget, Free Ride, framed bank notes, 2022, NCC 2022.36.1

The following interview was conducted at the Bank of Canada Museum on May 1, 2023. It has been edited and condensed for the blog.

Meet the artist

Can you start by introducing yourself?

My name is Frank Shebageget. I am Ojibway Anishinaabe from Northwestern Ontario. I grew up in a small town called Upsala, which is about 100 kilometres west of Thunder Bay. My dad’s reserve, Lac des Milles Lacs First Nation, is close by. And my mother is from Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation, which is closer to the Ontario border with the United States, near Minnesota. I went to the Ontario College of Art and Design and graduated in 1996. Then I went to the University of Victoria for my fine arts master’s degree. My disciplines are sculpture and installation. My work is conceptual, and numbers have an important meaning for me. I like to mix materials together to see how they work with each other to give you a visual history of my culture.

Photo, colour, an Indigenous man and a white woman in conversation in an office meeting room.

Assistant Curator Krista Broeckx meets with Ojibway artist Frank Shebageget to talk about his artwork entitled Free Ride, now part of the National Currency Collection.
Source: Michelle Beauchamp

Tell me about Free Ride : how and why did you make the artwork?

I’ve always wanted to do something with the $5 bill because it has cultural and historical references for me. What you have is fifty $5 bills, which is because I’m 50 years old now. The artwork has to do with the treaty payments that some Indigenous people in Canada get. I’m from Treaty 3, which was signed between First Nations and the Crown in 1873. That’s what the artwork is based on. The whole point of Treaty 3 was that the Crown wanted to have road and waterway access from Fort Garry (now Winnipeg) to Fort William (now Thunder Bay). It was a treaty about goods, land rights, and hunting and fishing rights. As part of the treaty, we get a $5 annuity payment for life. And 150 years later, it’s a contract that’s still being honoured—at least parts of it are.

Photo, black and white, a group photo of Indigenous people and a small number of White people in front of a tent in the woods.

Treaty 3 negotiations took place over three years. The treaty was signed at the Northwest Angle, near Minnesota along the border of Ontario and Manitoba, on October 3, 1873. This photo shows treaty negotiators, some of whom are wearing treaty medals and holding ceremonial pipes.
Source: Wright Bros. Photographers, Rat Portage [Kenora], Ontario, 1873.
Image: Courtesy Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg, Manitoba

But Indigenous people deal with racism and stereotypes: some people think that their tax dollars are paying for me—that I get everything for free and that my people have it easy. Yet we face many issues in our communities: poverty is rampant, suicide is rampant, alcoholism is rampant. So the artwork acknowledges that history and layers it with my personal history as well.

How did you come up with the title of the artwork?

The title relates to racism and the stereotypes about Indigenous people. One of the terms that I’ve heard a lot is “free ride.”
I saw—I think it was on social media—someone said Indigenous people get a free ride from the government. It always felt like no one had an accurate understanding of my people, so I was always doing a lot of explaining. For example, if you live on a reserve, you don’t own the land. You don’t even own the house you’re in. Also, a lot of things were illegal back in the day: we couldn’t have a lawyer; we couldn’t have a job off reserve. We couldn’t sell things off reserve. So it was hard for Indigenous people to make a living.

But because of this treaty agreement, I have rights within Canada to do certain things. Maybe that’s part of where all the stereotypes and racism come from. Do those rights get honoured? Sometimes. Most of the time they don’t, but that’s what was agreed upon in the treaty. I went the route of engraving “free ride” within the frame, so the title is part of the artwork. It’s serious, but it kind of pokes fun at things as well. It plays on the idea that the $5 payment is the answer—that it will solve all the problems in our communities.

Photo, colour, close up of framed artwork, grid of Canadian 5-dollar bills.

The title Free Ride is an important part of the artwork. It is engraved twelve times on the inside of the frame, subtly referencing the unfair stereotypes that frame the way many non-Indigenous people understand the treaties.
Source: Detail of Frank Shebageget, Free Ride, framed bank notes, 2022, NCC 2022.36.1

Treaties and annuity payments

What is an “annuity,” and how did you learn about it as a kid?

It’s a yearly payment that is part of the treaty. It was negotiated, and it represents a monetary value for sharing the land in the Treaty 3 area. My first experience was getting a government cheque in the mail when I was a kid, then I asked my mother about it, and she said, “You’ll get this for the rest of your life.” And then I found out more about it and that it was all part of that treaty—part of our hunting and fishing rights as well. It’s something that kind of stuck with me.

But back in the day, the government would come to the community. They had a ledger book and the money, and you had to show up in person to get it. My wife once volunteered at a treaty payment event when she worked in government. She went to a community outside of Winnipeg, and the treaty event had a carnival aspect to it, to make it fun for the kids.

When you look at the historical treaty document, you can see some contentious parts of the treaty that are still active to this day, but you also see the names of the people that had negotiated and signed the treaty. Treaty 3 took at least four meetings to negotiate with numerous communities and leaders, and some things that were promised orally were not written into the treaty. Today, more than 150 years later, we are still trying to fight for those things. It’s important to celebrate the elders who signed these treaties. They knew the value of what was there and what we should get.

Photo, black and white, Indigenous people standing at a table covered with documents and money, White people behind it.

Though most treaty annuity payments are now made remotely, either by direct deposit or mailed cheque, First Nations treaty signatories used to have to travel—great distances, in some cases—to receive their payment in person.
Source: Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Treaty payment, Lac Seul, Ontario, 1900–76; Library and Archives Canada; Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development fonds; e011308331

What do the annuity payments represent to you?

I think some people just see it as money, but it’s more symbolic for me. It’s about an ongoing relationship. It’s important to honour what was said and what was negotiated and not forget about it. I think in the last 10 to 15 years—maybe even 20—we’ve made huge strides in improving the visibility of our culture. We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. So remembering that history—that’s why it’s important.

More than just money

Why did you use genuine $5 bank notes in the artwork?

I thought it would be great to have all the bank notes from 1972 to 2022 to show the history within my lifetime. I wanted to focus on ideas that I’m familiar with—that I’m living with. And I think it shows how connected Indigenous people are to the government or to the Crown.

We made room for newcomers—we signed these agreements to share the land. Whatever the monetary value of the treaty is, that’s what pays for the reserves, for health care, education. But some people would rather believe that it comes out of their tax dollars. It’s frustrating, you know. Using the actual $5 bills, it just reinforces all of that.

Photo, colour, unframed artwork, grid of Canadian 5-dollar bills.

By using real $5 bills from each year of his life in his artwork, Shebageget illustrates his ongoing relationship with the federal government through treaty. It’s a relationship that is often misunderstood by non-Indigenous people, leading to unfair stereotypes.
Source: Detail of Frank Shebageget, Free Ride, framed bank notes, 2022, NCC 2022.36.1
Image : Michelle Beauchamp

It’s striking to see Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s portrait repeated across the artwork. What does that image mean to you?

He is probably the most iconic Canadian prime minister other than Sir John A. MacDonald. Laurier was prime minister when Treaty 8 was signed. Like Treaty 3, Treaty 8 was about expansion westward. Part of Wilfrid Laurier’s legacy is getting a railway built. He was definitely into nationalism as well: separating more from the Crown and forging relations with the United States. But like most prime ministers, his relationship with Indigenous Peoples was, you know, good and bad. So having any prime minister on the bank note reinforces those connotations with history and prompts the question: what was that relationship like?

I think maybe the next step for me would be to look at some of the older bank notes, especially ones with images of trains, railways and Indigenous people. That kind of imagery would be something interesting to work with.

Photo, collage, a photograph and a drawing of an elderly White man in a high collar and old-fashioned suit.

Shebageget visited the Bank of Canada Museum to examine artifacts related to his artwork, Free Ride, including this printing test of Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s portrait. The portrait appeared on the $5 note from the Scenes of Canada series (issued 1969–79).
Source: Canadian Bank Note Company, die proof, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, 1971, NCC 2011.67.796
Image : Michelle Beauchamp

Bank note, old, Indigenous man wearing a blanket, sitting and watching a steam train pass by.

The Dominion of Canada issued its first bank notes in 1870. The $2 note featured an image of a stereotypically dressed Indigenous man gazing at a passing train—a supposed contrast of past and present.
Source: Dominion of Canada, 2 dollars, bank note, 1870, NCC 1963.14.111

Free Ride and the Bank of Canada Museum

A storage space, an Indigenous man and a White woman bend over a table covered in old bank notes and drawings.

Shebageget visited the Bank of Canada Museum to examine artifacts in the National Currency Collection. Many artifacts in the collection provide valuable context to his artwork Free Ride.
Source: Michelle Beauchamp

How do you see Free Ride fitting in with the National Currency Collection?

I think the idea of visibility and representation is important for reconciliation. You have bank notes from the time of the treaty, the Hudson’s Bay Company tokens, the trade silver—you can make connections to Indigenous cultures. You know, we are a founding people of this country. But there was a history of erasure here, especially around the time of the treaty and with the residential schools. So just showing that history is important. But personally, I don’t know what reconciliation will look like—that’s the big question everyone has.

Token, round, brass-coloured, initials in block lettering.

This token from the Hudson’s Bay Company was used to help tabulate transactions at its fur trading posts. Trade between Indigenous Peoples and Europeans involved ceremonial protocols, gifts and negotiating the value of natural resources—much like a treaty relationship.
Source: Canada, Eastmain District, Hudson’s Bay Company, 1 made beaver, token, c.1857, NCC 1961.9.2

Brooch, round, silver, shield-like with a pin across the middle.

Settlers often offered silver ornaments as gifts to Indigenous trading partners during the time of the fur trade. Gifts are also an important part of treaty relationships, given as a symbol of the obligations each treaty partner has to the other.
Source: Canada, trade silver, brooch, around 1817–28,
NCC 1966.160.1335

What do you hope the artwork will communicate to viewers?

I hope that it will be a positive learning opportunity. Maybe it will make people want to research the Numbered Treaties. You know, the French–English founding narrative is very ingrained in our nationalism. So inserting the Indigenous view might help people understand that the original intent was to share and prosper together. Everyone just wants to succeed. Even 150 years ago, Indigenous people just wanted to succeed and look after their families.


Learn more about treaties in Canada:
  • Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba
  • Treaties with Indigenous people in Canada | CBC.ca
  • Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada: About Treaties
  • The Numbered Treaties—Canada’s History (canadashistory.ca)
Content type(s): Blog posts
Subject(s): Arts, History
We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea for a blog post you’d like to see?

Subscribe to The Museum Blog
The Museum Blog

New acquisitions—2024 edition

Bank of Canada Museum’s acquisitions in 2024 highlight the relationships that shape the National Currency Collection.

Money’s metaphors

Buck, broke, greenback, loonie, toonie, dough, flush, gravy train, born with a silver spoon in your mouth… No matter how common the expression for money, many of us haven’t the faintest idea where these terms come from.

Rai: big money

An item is said to have cultural value when it can be directly associated with the history, people, beliefs or rituals important to a society. It’s the same with a rai—its value can be greater depending upon who authorized it, who carved it and who subsequently owned it.

30 Bank Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0G9, CANADA
613‑782‑8914

  • Things to do

  • Plan your visit
  • Find educational resources
  • Search the Collection
  • Connect with us
  • Things to see

  • Canadian bank notes
  • Exhibitions
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Things to know

  • Accessibility and special needs
  • Careers
  • Code of conduct
  • COVID-19 protocols
  • Privacy
  • Social media
●●
Bank of Canada Museum

Visit the Bank of Canada web site ›

We use cookies to help us keep improving this website.

Accept and continue