A VERY BRIEF INTRO TO…ABORIGINAL AWARENESS

So, what do I call you?

Aboriginal First Nations Inuit Innu Metis Indian Indigenous Native

Important Legislation

1763 Royal Proclamation The first time the inherent rights of Indigenous

people in Canada is explicitly recognized This right still exists, it has NOT been

extinguished 1876 Indian Act

Defined Indians, bands and reserves 1982 Constitution

Section 35 guarantees that Aboriginal rights exist by common law, Section 25 states the Charter of Rights and Freedoms cannot challenge those rights

Important Legislation (con’t) 1986 Bill C-31

Altered the Indian Act to restore status to those that lost it by marriage

Complications are still felt today Matrimonial rights Property rights Self-governance

Residential Schools

1883-1996 “When the school is on the reserve,

the child lives with his parents who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write, his habits and training and mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write”.

Residential Schools

Gordon Residential School closed in 1996

June 11, 2008 Formal Apology Indian Residential School Settlement

Agreement Common Experience Payment Independent Assessment Process Truth and Reconciliation

Cultural Practices

Things you might encounter Smudging Prayers Ceremony

Sweatlodges Round dances Powwows

Traditional vs. non-traditional I’m a hybrid! The influence of residential schools

and missionaries Why it still matters

Is your education free?

Nope! We signed treaties that guaranteed education, yet the Canadian gov’t has underfunded post-secondary education for decades

In 2006, INAC spent an estimated $294 mil to support 22,303 FN students in Canada ($12,420/student)

In 2007 it was estimated the backlog was 10,589 students- students DENIED funding

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