Early Wabanaki Diplomacy and Broken Treaties

European settlement raised the issue of sovereignty in an acute form for the Wabanaki People.  Their major goals throughout years of conflict with the English were to retain their land and to continue to govern themselves.  The Wabanaki People relied a lot on diplomacy to accomplish their goals.  They signed numerous treaties with English representatives in an effort to create clear and separate areas of interest as the basis for peace. 

Treaties often were broken or appeared to be broken.  This sometimes resulted in skirmishes or war.  One reason treaties failed was because of misunderstandings on both sides based on vastly different concepts of property and land.  Another reason treaties failed was insincerity.  The British Government and many English settlers did not view treaties as a means to peaceful co-existence.  Treaties were honored until it was safe to ignore them.