First Nations

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(Redirected from First Nations of Canada)

Image:Carved mask3-vancouverBC.png 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, tribes, 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.

1 Controversial terminology
2 History
- 2.1 Late 20th Century
- 2.2 Early 21st Century
3 Diversity
4 See also
5 External links

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Controversial terminology

A First Nation is a legally undefined term that came into common usage in the 1970s to replace the term "Indian band". 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 ^[1]." There are currently over 600 First Nations governments or bands in Canada. Roughly half of these are located in the provinces of Ontario or 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 nations, while those who do 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". 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.

Image:YVRsalmon-statue.jpg 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".

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History

Until the late 1960s, First Nations were often treated in order to try to assimilate them into Canadian culture. A common institution for assimilation at this time were residential schools . 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.

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Late 20th Century

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Early 21st Century

As of 2006, over 75 First Nations communities exist in boil-water advisory conditions ^[2]. 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.

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Diversity

Template:Main 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 amount of speakers.

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