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CANADA’S ABORIGINAL PEOPLES. Who are Aboriginal Peoples?. Aboriginal Peoples: descendants of Canada’s original inhabitants Many Canadians have an Aboriginal heritage and some do not even know it Just under 1 million Aboriginal people in Canada. Traditional view.
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Who are Aboriginal Peoples? • Aboriginal Peoples: descendants of Canada’s original inhabitants • Many Canadians have an Aboriginal heritage and some do not even know it • Just under 1 million Aboriginal people in Canada
Traditional view This is what many of us think of when we think of Aboriginal Peoples.
Reality... Just like all other Canadians, Aboriginal Peoples have a range of lifestyles. While some Aboriginal Peoples lead a very traditional lifestyle, many lead lives just like you and I.
Indians (First Nations) Describes all the Aboriginal Peoples in Canada who are not Inuit or Métis Status vs. Non-Status Can be grouped into larger groups based on language--Ojibwa, Cree, Mi’kmaq, etc
Groups of Aboriginal Peoples • The Canadian constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal Peoples: • Indians (First Nations) • Métis • Inuit
Inuit • Aboriginal Peoples who live in the Canadian North • Nunavut, NWT, Northern Quebec and Labrador • Different sub-groups within the Inuit group
Metis • Individuals who have both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal ancestry • Reside in Ontario and provinces to the west • 26% of the total First Nations population in Canada
Other groups… • Cree • Innu • Iroquois • Diné • Ojibwe • Wendat • Haida • Mi’kmaq • Dakota • Algonquin
Where do Aboriginal people live? • Everywhere!!! • In cities • In rural or remote areas • On reserves • What is a reserve? • Area of land set aside for the use of a group of Aboriginal peoples—often a First Nation
A Brief History... • When Europeans began to settle in Canada, Aboriginal peoples became a minority • Hoping to establish and guard their rights, Aboriginal Peoples signed treaties (agreements) with the Europeans • Right to maintain economic base • Right to self-governance • Receive fair payment for land that was taken • The majority of treaties failed miserably and were unfair
So what happened next? • Aboriginal people were forced to give up their land claims through the Indian Act, 1876 • Forced to move to reserves—temporary at first, but became permanent
Residential Schools--Reality • Aboriginal children were removed from their homes and sent here to “take the Indian out of the child” • 130 schools, 150 000 students • Not allowed to practice native culture • Experienced abuse • When they returned home students often felt they did not belong • $1.9 billion in compensation now offered
Aboriginal Claims Today… When Aboriginal Peoples feel as though their rights are not being addressed, they will file a CLAIM
Self-government: The right to give input on issues that are important to your people. To regulate your own laws.
Nunavut • The largest land claims settlement in Canadian history • On April 1, 1999, the map of Canada changed. • The former Northwest Territories (NWT) was divided in two, creating a new territory called Nunavut. • In the Inuit language, Inuktitut, the word "Nunavut" means "our land.” • The Nunavut population is 85% Inuit
The settlement gives Inuit control of more than 350,000 square kilometres of land • It also gives Inuit more than $1 billion over 14 years • It also gives them guaranteed participation in making decisions for managing lands and resources.
The Nunavut government faces many challenges, including creating job opportunities for a large workforce of young people About 56% of Nunavut's population is under the age of 25. • Other challenges: how to increase residents' income and education levels, how to cope with a cost of living that is two to three times higher than the rest of Canadians
