CANADAS ABORIGINAL PEOPLES Who are Aboriginal Peoples Aboriginal

CANADA’S ABORIGINAL PEOPLES

Who are Aboriginal Peoples? � � � Aboriginal Peoples: descendants (offpsring/children of children) 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, others don’t.

Groups of Aboriginal Peoples � The Canadian government recognizes three groups of Aboriginal Peoples: �Indians (First Nations) �Métis �Inuit

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

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 (background) 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.

Largest land claim settlement in Canadian history… � https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=oy. XOWOkj. YKM

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

High living costs…

Case Study � Read the case study in your textbook on page 52 -53 to learn about more of Nunavut’s challenges