First Nations

First Nations is a term of ethnicity used in Canada. It refers to indigenous peoples of North America located in what is now Canada, and their descendants, who are not Inuit or Métis. Collectively, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are known as Aboriginal peoples, First peoples, or Indigenous peoples, bands, or nations. A national representative body of the First Nations in Canada is the Assembly of First Nations.

First Nations people have been referred to as Indians, Native Americans, Native Canadians, Aboriginal Americans, Amerindians, Autochtones (a term used by French Canadians), and Aboriginal peoples. They are known officially by the Government of Canada as registered Indians if they are entitled to benefits under the Indian Act.

Controversial terminology

A First Nation is a legally undefined term that came into common usage in the 1980s to replace the term "Indian band". It was coined by Elder Sol SandersonAssembly of First Nations in the early 1980s. A band is defined as "a body of Indians for whose collective use and benefit lands have been set apart or money is held by the Canadian Crown, or declared to be a band for the purposes of the Indian Act" Terminology Guide Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. There are currently over 600 First Nations governments or bands in Canada. Roughly half of these are located in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia.

There is some controversy over the use of the term "First Nations" to either self-describe Indigenous peoples within Canada, or for non-indigenous peoples to refer to Indigenous peoples in this fashion. The reason for this controversy is that under international law covenants, "First Nations" per se, have no standing in international law. Indigenous peoples or nations, however, do.

The Canadian government, many Indigenous peoples within Canada, and many non-indigenous people use the term First Nations, because they are attempting to be respectful of the right of Indigenous people to use whichever word that they want to describe themselves. However, a careful distinction is often made about the use of the term "First Nations".

In general, those Indigenous peoples within Canada who describe themselves as "First Nations" do not believe or hold with the concept of sovereignty of Indigenous peoples as nation-states, while those who do not use the term, or insist upon the term "Indigenous peoples" are sovereignists. There are also Indigenous people in Canada who use the term "First Nation" for any tribal and or nomadic ethnic group deprived of self-determination as a political recognition of colonialization. These groups work internationally on minority rights and self-determination.

Indian reserves, if arranged in Canadian law by treaties such as Treaty 7, are the contemporary lands of First Nations. Some reserves are located within a city, such as the Opawikoscikan Reserve in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. There are more reserves in Canada than there are First Nations, as some First Nations were ceded by treaty more than one reserve.

Other terms include status Indian and non-status Indian, the latter designating a member of a First Nation who is not entitled to benefits. The use of the word "Indian" in day-to-day language is erratic in Canada, with some seeing the term as offensive while others prefer it to alternate terminology such as "Aboriginal person" (or people). All members of First Nations who are entitled to benefits are entered in the Indian Register, which serves as the official record of members of First Nations. Administration of the Indian Act and Indian Register is carried out by the federal government's Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.

Under the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the document many people refer to as the "Indian Magna Carta", the Crown refers to the Indigenous people in British territory as "Tribes or Nations".

History

Interaction with European-Canadians

As far back as the late 18th century, First Nations believe they have been targeted for assimilation into what they call European/Canadian culture. Stage Three: Displacement and Assimilation, Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 6 of the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 26 August 1991 These attempts reached a climax with the establishment of the Canadian residential school system, the prohibition of Indigenous cultural practices, and the Indian Acts of the late 19th and early 20th century.Conceptions of History Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 3 of the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 26 August 1991

In 1885, some First Nations in (modern day) Western Canada became involved in the North-West Rebellion, as part of their resistance to Canadian westward expansion. In much of Canada, First Nations became subject to the controversial Numbered Treaties, while in other areas like British Columbia, treaties are still being negotiated today.

Late 20th century

Early 21st century

Currently many First Nations, along with their peers the Métis and the Inuit, claim to receive inadequate funding for education, and allege that their rights have been overlooked in many instances. Recently James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, listed the encouragement of indigenous young people as one of his key priorities, and during his term (which began in 2002) has launched several initiatives to promote literacy and bridge building.

As of 2006, over 75 First Nations communities exist in boil-water advisory conditions ^{^*}. In late 2005 the drinking water crisis of the Kashechewan First Nation received national media attention when E. coli was discovered in their water supply system, following two years of living under a boil-water advisory.

Diversity

There are many distinct First Nations cultures in Canada. These distinct cultures have origins from six geographic areas of Canada:

Pacific Coast and Mountains
Plains
Northeast Woodlands
Atlantic Coastal Region
St. Lawrence River Valley
Canadian Arctic

While diversity is also found in the number of languages of First Nations peoples, many of them are presently endangered with generally a decreasing number of speakers.

References

External links

Naming guidelines of the Government of Canada's Department of Indian and Northern Affairs
First Nation Profiles from the Government of Canada's Department of Indian and Northern Affairs
Union of BC Indian Chiefs
First Nations Studies Essays by Elmer G. Wiens
Maple Leaf Web: Native Social Issues in Canada
First Nations Artifacts from the McCord Museum's online collection
Museum of Anthropology at UBC - Pacific Northwest First Nations Culture
CBC Digital Archives - The Battle for Aboriginal Treaty Rights
A History of Aboriginal Treaties and Relations in Canada This site includes contextual materials, links to digitized primary sources and summaries of primary source documents.
First Nations - Land Rights and Environmentalism in British Columbia This "First Nations" website documents in pictures with commentary the havoc caused by European settler society to the pre colonial world of what is now known as British Columbia. It argues that the road back to environmental sanity must go through the restitution of past wrongs to First Nations by means of strong support for their land rights over and against the continuing rapacious and short-sighted destruction of ancient trees, salmon runs, grizzly bear habitats, etc. Combining historical representations with images of current affairs, this website links the results of scientific and scholarly studies with political activism.