The treaties were agreed upon overall because of much misunderstanding. As Governor James Douglas stated the aboriginals were looking for a payment and as he says “I thought it advisable to purchase the whole of the Sanitch Country, as a measure that would save much future trouble and expense.” Chief lactase states that the trade goods the whites gave in return for the furs were highly regarded. He also says “I say truly that I have no knowledge of payments of money, as mentioned in papers supposed to have been signed by Chief Hotutston and Whutsaymullet and their subchiefs. I know of no act of signing such papers and believe that no such signatures were in fact made by those tribesmen.” Here we can see where the misunderstanding comes in few Hudson’s Bay Company employees understood the Salish language, and few local Indigenous people understood or read English. Hamar Foster law professor believed that “Whatever the different perceptions, it seems tolerably clear that the Saanich people could not have understood the significance of their actions in English law, although they were certainly aware that the newcomers wanted to stay and to share their land and resources.” This more a less means that the aboriginals didn’t understand what they were actually signing. John Elliot Sr. member of Saanich people and aboriginal language instructor also, talks about how the natives didn’t understand the English language. Joseph McKay who, was Hudson’s bay trader and treaty witness says “Douglas was very cautious in all his proceedings. The day before the meeting with the Indians, he sent for me and handed me the document [the legal wording of the treaties] telling me to study it carefully and to commit as much of it to memory as possible in order that I might check the Interpreter Thomas should he fail to explain properly to the Indians the substance of Mr. Douglas’ address to them.” As we can see the the whites didn’t understand the native people’s language and vice versa. Saanich chiefs and councillors say “Indians fully understood what was said as it was Interpreted by Mr McKay, who spoke the Saanich language very well Mr McKay, saying these blankets is not to buy your lands, but to shake hands in good Harmoney and good tumtums (heart). When I got enough of your timber I shall leave the place When James Douglas knew he had enough of our timber he left the place.” Gabriel Battleman talks about how the native people pardoned the damage that Douglas had done as, they though signing crosses was a piece offering. By singing a (Christian) cross. Governor James Douglas’s view of the agreement is that “After considerable discussion it was arranged that the whole of their lands should be sold to the Company, with the exception of Village sites and enclosed fields, for a certain remuneration, to be paid at once to each member of the Tribe.” Dave Elliot was an elder of the Saanich people and he talks he talks about how the aboriginals saw these bundles of blankets and goods and they were asked to put X’s on the paper. They asked each head man to put an X on the paper. He explains that his people didn’t know what the X’s were for. They didn’t even call them X’s they called them crosses. The aboriginals then had the idea that they were signing crosses because James Douglas wanted to keep the peace. Then later they found out they were actually signing their land away. As, they had no idea what the paper said. Overall, we can say that James Douglas tricked the aboriginals because the aboriginals didn’t even get to see the contract.