First Nations Rights

The Treaty System

• a legal agreement between two parties, oftentimes involving land ownership

• European settlers manipulated the treaty system in order to exploit the Natives for their land

• translators would translate incorrectly

• Unfair ideology in general considering that Native land was shared

• Natives were afraid of ending up as slaves like in America

• European Settlers took all of the watered land

• promised schools in turn for land (residential schools)

Reservation System/Land Claims

• Aboriginal rights are enforced in Canada today considering that many indigenous peoples who didn’t even sign treaties also lost their land (consequently their culture)

• land rights + Aboriginal rights are in the charter (section 25) as a result

• even then, the claimed land has substandard living circumstances

Residential Schools

• indigenous children were forced to leave their homes, their land and go to catholic schools

• forcefully assimilated into Euro-Canadian culture

• Indigenous parts of their identities were stripped away (hair, names, language)

• brutally abused (most not even able to name because of the lack of accountability and credit)

Indian Act of 1976

• act passed by the government to assimilate indigenous people into Canada (another form of erasure)

• labeled as ‘Indian’ on government official papers

• was given fishing rights, hunting rights, medical care, subsidized living, free education

• took away indigenous right to own land or vote

• extremely problematic

Status vs. Non-Status “Indians”

• those who were ‘awarded’ Indian status from the Indian act, they were given more euro-centric rights and values in trade for their culture

• non-status Indians lost the rights to the Indian act but were able to preserve their culture

The White Paper

• an act that was attempted to pass though legislation ultimately ending the division between Indigenous Canadians and Canadians by dissolving the Indian act

• indigenous people felt this was another form of assimilation and that the paper did not actually care for indigenous rights (cultural genocide)

• the paper was revoked in the 70s

The Oka Crisis

• town of Oka Quebec wanted to expand a golf course onto Mohawk land

• no one was willing to defend the land so the Mohawk set up a human border n their land with firearms for 6 months

• Canadian army was forced to have a standoff with the mohawk army

• one officer killed

• to resolve this issue, Canadian government bought the land and gave it to the Mohawk to protect them

Healing Circles and Restorative Justice

• a form of legal restoration for criminals done by the indigenous peoples

• criminals forced to converse and openly admit to their crimes in a circle of family and friends + a judge and then work as a group towards a solution that will forgive the person

• alternative to traditional federal punishment (jail) + seems to be more effective