Foundations: A Very Brief Overview of Aboriginal Peoples History in Canada

Foundations: A Very Brief Overview of
Aboriginal Peoples History in Canada
College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
First Nations • Indian Act- 1876- Developed to administer
services to Indians and to facilitate their
assimilation
• Status or registered or non-status

• Registered under Federal Indian Act
• Non-status-lost for many reasons or
somehow never received status
• Treaty or non-treaty
• Traceable to First Nations people who
signed treaty’s
• Administered at community level
• Lists kept by each First Nation
• Treaty and status not interchangeable
Waldram et al., 2005; Smylie et al., 2000

Métis
• Métis
• Ancestry can be traced to the intermarriage of European men
and First Nations women during 17th century.
• Distinct language (Michif), culture, and economic roles.
• Excluded from treaty negotiations and Indian Act
• Métis Today
• Canadian Métis Councils says: “Métis are persons of mixed blood -

European/Aboriginal blood (Indian ancestry); Someone who is
distinct from Indian and Inuit, someone who has genealogical ties to
Aboriginal ancestry.”
• Métis do not have Indian status
• http://www.canadianmetis.com/Qualifying.htm
• Legal status in most ways no different than other Canadians

Métis people post-colonization
• Canadian Government saw Métis as a big problem because they impeded
settlement.
• 1969 Louis Riel and his provisional government created a list of rights for
the Métis that were included in the Manitoba Act of 1870.
• Province of Manitoba created and land was set aside for Métis people
(who had already been on their land for centuries) called scrip
• 1.4 million acres
• Most scrip never made it in the hands of Métis children and families
• Dispute of terms of distribution, allotment that did not fit with
current occupancy patterns, sharp dealings by land agents, corruption
of government officials.
• Métis were dispersed, many went west (Batoche). Similar actions of Riel
and Métis people at Batoche as the west opened up further.
• 1885 Northwest Rebellion, Riel hanged.
Sprague “Government Lawlessness in the Administration of Manitoba

Land Claims, 1870-1887,”
Métis People post “Too white for Aboriginal
rights, too brown to be
colonization treated as Canadian
citizens”.
• Road Allowance
– Marginalized
– No box to check off
Métis
– No taxes, no education
• Resiliency
– Despite hardships a
rich culture emerged
• Experimental Farms
– Poorly planned
– Furthered problems
Inuit
• Traditionally live about tree line in

Canada
• 1939- Supreme court stated that Inuit
were included in the term ‘Indian’. This
was done for government jurisdiction but
they weren't included in the Indian Act.
• They were registered, similarly to
Indians.
• No legislation in Indian Act defining
them.
• Federal government has assumed
responsibility for these people and
provides or delegates many services to
them.

Pre-contact health
• Remains from many regions in Canada show that

disease was present prior to contact.
• Fungal, parasitic, bacterial infections were present

• TB, ring/hook worms, dental caries, lice
• Often related to human/animal interaction
• Affected groups differently dependant on socio-

ecological factors
• For example the Iroquois of Southern Ontario lived in dense
villages with Longhouses housing many people, and animals.
• The current diseases that burden many Aboriginal

communities are post-contact related.
(Waldram et al., 2006)

Treaties and
Reserves
Treaty Purpose: “Remove the
Indians’ title to the lands, and to
remove Aboriginal people
themselves, to allow for settlement
and exploitation of the natural
resources by European Immigrants”
(Waldram et al., 2005)
Reserves: Parcels of land held by

Canada on behalf of the First
Nations.
Lack of choice in signing treaties due

to declining health.
Sociodemographics
• Rapidly growing
Today
• Young
• Increasingly urban
Diversity Among
• Aboriginal peoples in Canada are incredibly
diverse in backgrounds, beliefs, and
communities.
• Aboriginal people can not be generalized

into simple groupings based on their
government status.
• There is a rich diversity in different

communities and families.
Language
•11 Different language families
•Saskatchewan has 5 main languages

http://www.sicc.sk.ca/heritage/sils/ourlanguages/cree.html
•Cree-most spoken Aboriginal language in Saskatchewan

• 3 dialects-Swampy, Woodland, Plains
• http://www.giftoflanguageandculture.ca/medicalterm-sample_pa
ge.htm
•Dene
• 6,300 Dene people, 5,100 speakers (high retention)
• It is a tone language-distinguished means between high and low
tone for same syllable
•Mitchif
• Blend of Cree and French
•Ojibwa- aka Saulteaux
•Lakota, Nakota, Dakota (Siouan) Canadian Plains Research Centre
& Gov. of Saskatchewan (2006)
Much of the information about
Discussion Aboriginal peoples shared with

you so far comes from a non-
Aboriginal sources. What and
who are these sources? What
Questions are the issues surrounding this?

Who are you and who defines
your history and current legal
status?
Canada has two official

languages. Often English and
French patients expect that
their physician can
communicate with them.
Many of you are going to
communities where you will
likely not speak the language
that some of the people you
interact with do. Analyse how
this affects power imbalances.

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Foundations: A Very Brief Overview of

Aboriginal Peoples History in Canada

• Status or registered or non-status

Waldram et al., 2005; Smylie et al., 2000

• Canadian Métis Councils says: “Métis are persons of mixed blood -

• Legal status in most ways no different than other Canadians

Waldram et al., 2005; Smylie et al., 2000

Sprague “Government Lawlessness in the Administration of Manitoba

• Traditionally live about tree line in

Waldram et al., 2005; Smylie et al., 2000

• Remains from many regions in Canada show that

• Fungal, parasitic, bacterial infections were present

• Affected groups differently dependant on socio-

• The current diseases that burden many Aboriginal

(Waldram et al., 2006)

Reserves: Parcels of land held by

Lack of choice in signing treaties due

• Aboriginal people can not be generalized

• There is a rich diversity in different

•Saskatchewan has 5 main languages

•Cree-most spoken Aboriginal language in Saskatchewan

Discussion Aboriginal peoples shared with

Questions are the issues surrounding this?

Canada has two official

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