The Indian Act

The Indian Act

The Numbered Treaties 1871 - 1908

First Nations people with Indian status also cant get a mortgage, business loans or lease a car.

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The View of the Settlers

The View of The First Nations

First Nations children attended residential schools organized by the government where they didn't learn their language or culture.

Treaties With the First Nations

The First Nations lived on the prairies for thousands of years.

The Government of Canada wanted to expand west-ward but because they had very a different view from the First Nations on how to use land it would become a challenge.

The way they did it was the Indian Act, one of the worst things done to the First Nations people.

The government can also override the last will and testament of an Indian when they die.

In 1876, the government passed the Indian Act.

The Act created the concept of Indian status which is what defined one as an Indian. One without Indian status would not fall under the rules of the Indian Act.

In the treaties with the First Nations they agreed they would give up their land and in return the government promised to...

The First Nations' people believed that land was not owned but instead they were trusted by the Great Spirit (like G-d) to take care of the land. In return they could use the land's resources for their needs not their wants, this would ensure the land would stay intact forever.

In 1885 the rule was added that religious ceremonies and dances were prohibited.

In 1895 the rule was added that all dances, ceremonies and festivals that involved the wounding of animals or humans or the giving away of money or goods were illegal.

In 1920 it became a law that all aboriginal children were to be sent to residential schools.

Getting a university degree would revoke your Indian status.

If an Indian man dies their wife would not own the property anymore.

The here are some of the things stated in the Act

• Only "full-blooded" First Nations People could have Indian Status, meaning Métis would not be eligible.
• First Nations people on the reserves became ward of the state. Wards of the state are forbidden to vote or drink alcohol. Those who lived off the reserves were not wards of state.
• First Nations women who married non-First Nations men were revoked of their Indian status and right to live on the reserve. Non-First Nations women who married First Nations men gained Indian status
• The federal government could license companies to take timber from the reserves.
• First Nations people who committed crimes could be tried in the courts of Canada which took away the traditional right of First Nations Elders to deal with lawbreakers among their people.

• recognize the First Nations' rights to live on individual reserves
• recognize the First Nations' rights to hunt and fish on their reserves according to their ancient customs
• provide annual payments to reserves to compensate for the lands they have given up
• supply farming implements, seeds, and livestock, as well as instruction in new farming techniques
• build schools on reserves

The settlers and government believed in land ownership and doing what ever you would like with it because it belongs to you.

There was no way for the First Nations to know if the Crown representatives were telling the truth and because the First Nations didn't want to end up with nothing so they agreed.

The Numbered Treaties did not have names and were just numbered the first seven cover modern day Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Western Ontario

The agreements were in English and French so they were translated by Crown representatives.

They were told that this was the best deal they would get and if they refused they could end up with nothing, rien, nada, zilch, .

The First Nations were new to the concept of signing contracts for treaties because all of their agreements are oral, but to them they mean something and are sacred. Now we sign our lives away over agreements because people don't trust each other like in the past.

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Sources: Pearson Canadian History 8 Textbook

My Brain

YouTube - Indian Act Project (https://youtu.be/C2TyaIi9Umc)

YouTube - The Indian Act (https://youtu.be/pHefD-cdTxU)