Transcript First Nations in Canada during the 20th Century

First Nations in Canada
th
during the 20 Century
The Indian Act (1876)
"A person means an individual
other than an Indian."
Section 12 of the Indian Act (1880).
• The Indian Act - was a series of racist social control laws enacted by
the Federal government of Canada to place Aboriginal Peoples of
Canada in the position of a colonized people.
• Assimilation – the process through which a person or group of a
minority culture is absorbed into the majority culture, losing the
distinct features of the minority people.
– Examples: The Canadian government assimilated First Nations people by
putting them on reservations, which were often too small for traditional
hunting.
• The Indian Act regulated and controlled virtually every aspect of
Aboriginal people’s life, including Sundance and Potlatch gatherings,
which were the major social, economic and political institutions of
the First Nations tribes.
• It wasn’t until 1951 that Parliament repealed the laws prohibiting
potlatch.
• The Indian Act still exists today, although it is now used to protect
First Nations rights.
Potlatch Ceremonies: Past and Present
First Nations right to vote
• In British Columbia, First
Nations didn’t get the right to
vote in provincial elections until
1949.
• It wasn’t until 1960 that all First
Nations people got the right to
vote in Canadian 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.
Residential Schools
• Attendance at residential schools was made mandatory by the
government in 1920 for Native Canadian children between the
ages of 7 and 16.
• The "aggressive assimilation" program was dedicated to
eradicating the languages, traditions and cultural practices of
native Canadians.
• Children were forced to leave their parents and were harshly
punished for speaking their own languages or practicing
their religions.
• Students also suffered from poor diet and inadequate housing
• The Canadian government forced about 150,000 First Nations
children into government-financed residential schools where
many suffered physical, mental and sexual abuse.
• The residential schools have been linked to the widespread
incidence of alcoholism, suicide and family violence in many
First Nations communities.
• In June 2008, Prime Minister Harper made an official apology at
the House of Commons for the governments treatment of
children in Indian residential schools, stating "Today, we
recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused
great harm and has no place in our country."
• The federal government agreed to pay $1.86 billion to surviving
residential students, and to establish a truth and reconciliation
commission to document the experiences of children who
attended the schools.
Land Claims (Aboriginal Title)
• Cut-off Lands – Even thought the Federal government
had set aside reservations for First Nations to live on, the
government had taken reserve land without the consent
of the Aboriginal bands.
• 1906 – Chief Joe Capilano presented an unsuccessful
land claim to British King Edward VII in London, England
• 1927 – Andrew Paull & Peter Kelly petitioned the House
of Commons & Senate for the government to begin land
treaty negotiations with the First Nations
– The Federal Government disagreed, and changed the Indian
Act so that it became illegal for First Nations to pursue land
claims
Chief Joe Capilano
Delegation sends Chief Capilano off on
his way to England (1906)
Resistance
• National Indian Brotherhood (1968)
– First Nations organized pressure group to lobby on
behalf of Aboriginal people living on reserves
White Paper (1969)
• Government document proposed by Pierre Trudeau’s
Liberal Government, and his Minister of Indian Affairs
Jean Chretien.
• Trudeau wanted to end the protective attitude by the
Federal government towards First Nations people,
essentially which would cancel the Indian Act
– Cree leader Harold Cardinal and the National Indian
Brotherhood led the attack on the White Paper,
demanding self-government to control their own affairs
• They presented their own paper called Citizens Plus (Red Paper),
and Chretien decided to cancel the White Paper
Assembly of First Nations
• The National Indian
Brotherhood
changed their name
to the Assembly of
First Nations in 1980
• The Assembly of First
Nations is still
lobbying the
government today
Environmental Victories
• Inuit, Metis and the Dene of the Yukon and
Northwest Territories successfully lobbied
government to halt construction of the Mackenzie
Valley oil and natural gas pipeline
– The pipeline would deliver energy from Alaska and the
Arctic to Alberta
• The Berger Commission was created to hear the
First Nations environmental concerns. In 1977,
Judge Berger’s recommended stopping the
Mackenzie Pipeline for 10 years until
environmental surveys could be done
James Bay Hydro Project
• Cree residents halted construction of two new
phases of the James Bay Hydro Project
– The project threatened to flood part of their
ancestral lands
Oka Confrontation (1990)
• Oka Town Council wanted to expand a golf course
into land that Mohawks at the Kanesatake Reserve
considered sacred (holy)
• Mohawk Warrior Society decided to stop the project
by blocking the land
• Oka Town Council called the police, and gunfire
broke out between the police and Mohawk
warriors, and one policeman was killed in the
fighting
• The Police blockaded Kanesatake, and the Mohawks
blocked a bridge to Montreal that went through
their reservation
• Aboriginals across Canada
demonstrated (protested)
in support of the Mohawk
• Railways, bridges, and
highways that went
through reservations were
blocked (civil disobedience)
• Premier Bourassa called in the Canadian Army
• Eventually the tense stand-off ended after the
Federal Government bought the disputed land
and gave it to the Kanesatake Reserve
• The Oka Standoff proved that the First Nations
could stand up to the government (and win!)
Self- Government
• 1982 – First Nations rights were entrenched in
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• 1985 – Bill C-31 gave Aboriginal band councils
the power to decide who had the right to live
on Aboriginal reserves.
– This power used to belong to the Federal
Government’s Department of Indian Affairs
Land Claims
• Specific Land Claims – Treaties between
Aboriginal peoples and the Federal
Government have been signed, but the terms
were not kept (Ex. Cut-off Lands)
• Comprehensive Land Claims – The land was
never surrendered in a treaty, which makes it
harder to prove in a land claim case in court
(Ex. Oka Standoff)
History of Land Claims
• 1763 – Royal Proclamation stated that “any
lands whatever, which have not been ceded to
or purchased by us… are reserved to
the…Indians”
– But Western and Northern Canada were not
known to the British at this time, so many
government people believe the Royal
Proclamation is not valid there
Nisga’a Treaty
• 1887 – The Nisga’a began claiming their land
• 1912 – The Nisga became the first group to make a land claim against
the Canadian government (even though it was illegal under the Indian
Act)
• 1993 – Supreme Court of Canada acknowledged that Aboriginal Title
(the right to land) in a comprehensive land claim case could exist
• 1996 – The Federal government and British Columbia provincial
government signed the Nisga’a Treaty (8% of original land claim, $190
million over 15 years, fishing, forestry and hydro rights, self-government)
– In exchange, the Nisga’s have agreed to give up their rights under the Indian
Act and become regular tax paying citizens (Trudeau’s dream)
– The Nisga’a finally got their self-government and land after 130 years, and
many other Aboriginal groups now want a similar deal from government
involving their land claims
Delgamuukw Case (1998)
• The Supreme Court of Canada officially
defined Aboriginal Title:
• “Aboriginal groups could claim ownership of land if they
can prove that they occupied the land before the
Canadian government claimed sovereignty, and that
they occupied it continuously and exclusively.”
• This decision has really worried land owners in
disputed land areas, as Aboriginals in BC have
already claimed 110% of British Columbia land
• See Map on pg.214
Nunavut (1999)
• The territory of Nunavut was created in 1999,
giving the Inuit people of Northern Canada the
right to self-government. It is Canada’s largest
territory (1.6 million square kilometres)