Introduction to Canada’s First Nations



Introduction to Canada’s First Nations

Their is a need to educate non-Aboriginal people about Aboriginal history and culture - emphasize equality, recognition and respect. The web site below will help in this.



Dreams of the Past, 1928. Photographer: Henry Metzger (1876-1949), National Archives of Canada, Neg no.C102583.

History of Aboriginal Peoples

The relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans was initially harmonious and mutually advantageous during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. At first, Aboriginal peoples served as partners in exploration and trading. Later, as the English and the French became locked in an imperialistic struggle for control over the North American continent, the relationship with the Aboriginal peoples evolved into a military alliance.

The movement westward by Europeans in the later eighteenth and nineteenth centuries caused increasing displacement and conflict for the Aboriginal peoples who lived on the land that the newcomers wanted for agriculture and homesteads.

Washisca and family, Calgary, Alberta. Photographer: Dept. of Mines, National Archives of Canada, Neg no.C1320.

Land Treaties

With the signing of land cession treaties with the Aboriginal peoples and with the adoption of a succession of Indian Acts, the government of Canada changed its relationship with the continent's first inhabitants in the later nineteenth century.

Meeting of City of Ottawa officials and Chief Crowfoot and other Chiefs, 1886. Photographer: unknown, National Archives of Canada, Neg no.PA66624

Colonization

Definition: subjugation of another’s culture

Seven aspects of colonization:

[pic]geographical incursion

[pic]destruction of social, spiritual and cultural systems and relations

[pic]external political control

[pic]economic dependence

[pic]lower quality health and social services

[pic]social interaction based on racism

[pic]colour-line established

Bishop Breynat and AAboriginal pupils of Roman Catholic Mission, Fort Resolution, N.W.T.. Photographer: Dept. of Interior, National Archives of Canada, Neg no.PA42122.

|Canadian Government Policy Goals |

|Roger Gibbins and Rick Pointing in Arduous Journey: Canadian Indians and Decolonization, 1986, outlines |

|what they call the major goals or policy motifs of national government public policy towards Aboriginal |

|peoples. |

|  |

| |[p|[pic] |

| |ic| |

| |] | |

|Aboriginal children at Red Cross centre after | | |

|being evicted from Caugnawaga Reserve. | | |

|Photographer: Gazette, National Archives of | | |

|Canada, Neg no.PA107974. | | |

|[pic] |

|[pic]Protection |

|Some officials developing Indian policy were very aware of the problems of alcoholism, greed and prostitution |

|that flourished on the frontier of Canada. Some had humanitarian goals which sought to protect Indians until |

|they could be assimilated into white society. This led to laws prohibiting the sale of Indian land, prohibiting |

|the use of alcohol by Indians, and prohibiting the prostitution of Indian women. They viewed the reservation |

|system as a way to isolate and protect Indians. It can also be argued that these goals of protection were mostly|

|illusions to gloss over the underlying goals of exploitation. For example, by isolating Indians on reservations |

|the government was free to exploit the other vast Indian lands. |

| |

|  [pic] |

|[pic]Assimilation |

|The central pillar or thrust of federal government Indian policy has been the goal of assimilation. |

|Unquestionably the goal was to prepare Aboriginal Peoples for absorption into Canadian society. It was desired |

|and expected that eventually all Indians would give up there native customs, culture, and beliefs and become |

|like the dominant society. If involved the extinction of Indians as Indians as the ultimate goal of Canadian |

|public policy. |

|The failure of this assimilation process can largely the attributed to barriers posed by systemic and societal |

|discrimination. As Gibbions and Pointing state "Government policy tried to induce Indians into a mainstream that|

|was unwilling to receive them". Another aspect of this failure is the extent and says of success Indian |

|activism. |

| |

|  [pic] |

|[pic]Christanization |

|A central component of assimilation was the process of Christanization. To the colonial government civilising |

|the Indians was synonymous with Christanization. Aboriginal ceremonies and cultural practices were officially |

|discouraged or out-lawed. In its place education through residential schools of the churches was seen as a way |

|to destroy the social spiritual and cultural systems and relations of the Indians and replace it with the |

|beliefs of the dominant society. Because the residential schools isolated Indians from the mainstream it served |

|at cross purposes to the goal of assimilation. They were the source of great antagonism within native |

|communities, and the extent of sexual and physical abuse that occurred in residential schools led to a hostile |

|relationship in later years. |

| |

|  |

|[pic]Enfranchisement |

|As we discussed this was the method envisioned for Indians to obtain citizenship and thus be fully recognized a |

|Canadians until the 1960s. |

| |

|  [pic] |

|[pic]Land Surrender |

|The desire by the government to obtain land held by Aboriginal peoples for the settlement of non-aboriginal |

|people was a primary goal for much of the policy directed towards native peoples. Reservation were seen as a way|

|to move Indians into agriculturally-based communities, both to assimilate them and also to free-up vast tracks |

|of land for non-aboriginal settlement. As immigration increased the government would move to make more and more |

|"excess Indian land available for non-Indian settlement. |

|Further to this numerous treaties were signed between Indians and colonial officials between 1670 and 1923. |

|While the treaties were quite different in their terms and complexities generally they served to establish |

|peaceful relations, institute payments, and gain the surrender of land. The major treaties were signed in the |

|west starting with treaty #1 in 1871 ending with treaty #10 in 1906. This allowed the vast territories of the |

|west to be settled and the construction of the CP railway. |

|It is important to note that no treaties were signed between the peoples of Quebec, the Maritimes and most of |

|BC. In fact, almost half of the population registered Indians did not sign land treaties. |

| |

|  [pic] |

|[pic]Government Authority |

|As we discussed a major goal of the Indian Act was to give sweeping power and authority to the colonial |

|administrators. This external political control is a fundamental aspect of colonization. In the case of Canada, |

|it was explicitly embodied in the Indian Act. As Munro, the assistant deputy minister of Indian Affairs Branch, |

|Described the Indian act: |

|The Indian Act is a Lands up. It is a municipal act, an educational act, and a societies up. If is primarily |

|social legislation, but if has a very broad scope: there are provisions about liquor, agricultural and mining as|

|well as Indian lands, band membership and so forth. If has elements that are embodied in perhaps 2 dozen |

|different acts of any of the provinces and override s some federal legislation in some respects... If has the |

|force of the criminal Code and the impact of a constitution on those people and communities that come within its|

|purview. |

|Indian Act, 1876 |

|  |

| |[p|[pic] |

| |ic| |

| |] | |

|Aboriginal children in Residential school, 1894. | | |

|Photographer: Unknown, National Archives of Canada, | | |

|Neg no.C26448. | | |

|[pic] |

|[pic]Defined Indian |

|fragmented Aboriginal peoples |

| |

|  [pic] |

|[pic]Legislated Colonization |

|These social control aspects of the Indian Act placed Indians in the position of a colonized people. As |

|Harold Cardinal asserted "Instead of implementing the treaties and offering much needed protection to |

|Indian rights the Indian Act subjugated to colonial rule the very people whose rights if was supposed to |

|protect". |

| |

|  [pic] |

|[pic]Concentrated Gov. Authority |

|The Indian Act extended speaking dispute power to government to regulate and control the Aboriginal |

|Peoples of Canada. It was, and still is a piece of social legislation of very broad scope which regulates|

|and controls virtually every aspect of Native Life. The act was administered directly in Aboriginal |

|committees by the Indian agent. These new white chiefs were to displace traditional Aboriginal leaders in|

|order to bring in a new way of living which was in line with the governments. They had extraordinary |

|administrative and discretionary power. Clause 25 of the Act obtained the governments guardianship over |

|Indian lands. |

| |

|  [pic] |

|[pic]Defined Enfranchisement Process |

|The Act spelled out a process of enfranchisement whereby Indians could acquire full Canadian citizenship |

|by relinquishing system there ties to their community. This involved giving up once culture and |

|traditions, and any rights to land. The cost of Canadian citizenship for an Aboriginal person are |

|surpassed the cost for a immigrant from another country. The government of Canada saw the Indian Act as a|

|temporary measure to control Aboriginal Peoples until they were fully assimilated through |

|enfranchisement. Accumulation through enfranchisement clearly failed in Canada, as the rate of |

|enfranchisement was extremely low. If was not until the 1960s that this policy changed and Indians were |

|granted the right to vote in federal elections. This was the first time that the government acknowledged |

|citizenship for Aboriginal Peoples without the condition of the assimilation into the Canadian white |

|society. |

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