Indigenous Studies 12 Midterm- Unit #1-3

Indian Act of 1876

Native women losing status after marriage to non-natives. Rights restricted. Education restricted. Native children sent to residential schools.

What Is a cookie person?

those who believe in us even when we don't believe in ourselves.

What are the blankets of Resilence?

Self, Family, Community or Culture and Language

why are indigenous protocols important?

it is a sign that you respect and value deeply held cultural beliefs

What territory do you live in?

Traditional territories of the Lkwungen (Lekwungen) peoples

What are examples of indigenous protocols?

- getting permission to tell stories
- learning from Elders to play songs on drums

What is resilience?

the ability to adapt effectively and push through any obstacles that one may face

3 groups of Indigenous Peoples in Canada

First Nations, Metis, Inuit

How have we recently experienced effects of climate change?

heat domes, flooding, and forest fires

climate change

Change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades

two worldviews (of climate change)

Western science worldview
- system of knowledge that relies on the application of the scientific method
- most common + taught in schools

Indigenous worldview
- viewing the problem in a more holistic (looking at the WHOLE of smth, and considers everything to be interconnected) and observational way

What can we learn from a Western science worldview?

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas in our atmosphere, it absorbs heat and releases it back towards earth.
Too much CO2 = earth getting warmer = bad bad

How does CO2 affect oceans?

Ocean Acidification
- CO2 reacts w/ H2O to produce carbonic acid
- affects all ocean life, indirectly affects humans too
- humans rely on sea life has food, so we would have less food if all these marine animals died

What can we learn from an Indigenous worldview?

- applies a more interconnected approach
- focus more on traditional teachings on sustainability (maintain support a process over time) instead of CO2 emissions

What would both worldviews agree with?

- this is big problem in our world, that we cant ignore anymore
- long-term consequences such as forest fires, as we saw in 2021
- LONGER-term effect is the loss of trees, plants, and habitat for wildlife
- losing trees makes us susceptible to devastating floods
- trees maintain the ecosystems and the climate , TREES IMPORTANT
- we release large amounts of greenhouse gasses and disrupt that balance = not being sustainable

Causes for forest fires

Human activity - 40%
Lightening (other natural causes) - 60%

Consequences of forest fires

Consequences of forest fires

- destroy or damage infrastructure
- affect habitats of wildlife
- affect communities, and destroy homes
- claim human lives :(

What does the word "Act" in Indian act mean?

The word Act is a legal term that means a law that has been passed.

Indian Act

- 1876
- put many restrictions on Indigenous people
- many of the injustices we see today can be linked back to that Act
- several amendments added new restrictions on Indigenous people (between 1876 and today)
- was created to control and assimilate Indigenous peoples and their communities

What were reserves? (linked to indian act)

- a way for the government to take land away from Indigenous people
- to build the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
- controlled the areas in which Indigenous people could live
- reserves were either a portion of the traditional land that Indigenous people inhabited or they were other random remote areas of land unrelated to indigenous ppls

Reality + consequences of these reserves

- were forced into reserves
- they lost access to land that they had traditionally used for hunting, fishing, trapping and harvesting traditional foods
- lost the ability to manage the land according to their traditions

How did the reserve system affect cultural burning

gov bc passed the Bush Fire Act of 1874, which banned cultural burning

Which piece of legislation was used to create reserves?
- Indian Act
- Bush Fire Act
- Indigenous Land Management Act
- None of these is correct

Indian Act

Reserves were portions of land that the Government of Canada allowed Indigenous peoples to live on. Reserves were part of the Indian Act of 1876.

Which of the following is NOT a reason for the government creation of reserves?
- They could choose where Indigenous peoples could live
- To ensure that Indigenous people have adequate access to natural resources, such as food and water
- It was easier to control the Indigenous population
- Canadian land could be used to build a railway

To ensure that Indigenous people have adequate access to natural resources, such as food and water

Reserves were portions of land that the Government of Canada allowed Indigenous peoples to live on. When they were forced onto reserves, they lost access to land for hunting, fishing, and harvesting food. By doing this, the government could have more control over the Indigenous people and could do what they wanted with the land, such as build the Canadian Pacific Railway.

What was the first province to restrict people leaving open fires burning on forested land between June and September?

- British Columbia
- Alberta
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba

British Columbia

British Columbia was the first province to restrict forest burning, starting with the Bush Fire Act of 1874. Other provinces joined in with this restriction by the early 1900s.

The Bush Fire Act was created in 1874; however it wasn't given province-wide application until April of 1887. What event in 1887 brought about the realization that more control over forest fires was needed

- A petition by two-thirds of the settlers
- The profitable lumber industry was interrupted by a lack of supply
- The Canadian Pacific Railway needed more trees to build railway tracks
- The Great Fire of Vancouver

the great fire of vancouver

The need for care in forests was realized after Vancouver was virtually destroyed in a matter of minutes. This brought about support for the law that if a person leaves open fires that damages someone else's property, that person would be liable to prosecution.

The Bush Fire Act applied to:

- Crown Land only
- Reserve Land only
- Private Land only
- All of these

Question feedback: Re-read the passage from John Parminter. All of these is the correct answer.

TRICK QUESTION MWAHAHAHA

Cultural Burning (Controlled burning)

Cultural Burning (Controlled burning)

- used to strategically burn to help reduce forest fires
- reduced the dead biomass in the forest and it also promoted the growth of new vegetation
- created good grazing lands for deer, which helped with hunting

how long did the cultural burning ban last for? and why was it brought back all of a sudden? hmmm????

125 years

The Filmon Report made 74 recommendations but only 17 were implemented. One of these recommendations was to restore the practice of controlled burning. So more funding was put into cultural burning.

How did the The Tsilhqot'in Nation revive the practice of cultural burning, since it was forgotten after not being used for so long.

they revived the knowledge by collaborating with Australians where there has also been a resurgence of using Indigenous knowledge to prevent forest fires.

What is the work being done as ocean stewardship?

What is the work being done as ocean stewardship?

- they are protecting our oceans and making sure all creatures and plants are in balance
- its not an easy job, people have to physically go diving and see, and count how many animals there are
- measuring and continuesly gaining knowledge to spread to the public and necessary people, for example about invasive species to make sure they are dealth with is important to keeping our local ocean life alive

How many times higher is the homicide rate for indigenous women, rather than nonindg women?

seven times

What date was tina fontaines body found, and in what river

August 17, 2014
In the red river, in winnipeg manitoba

How was Tina Fontaine let down by the system?

- She was not recognized as a missing person by the police
- She was let to leave from the hospital, despite not having a legal guardian
- She was found in the car with someone who had a suspended license, but police just let her go

How many children were taken to residential schools, and how many of them died?

- 150,000 kids were taken to residential schools, but 6000 died

What would women lose if they "married out" (married a white/non indg man)

- she'd lose her indg role
- wouldn't be allowed to live on the reserve
- denied rights to inheritence
- would have lost connection to family

who was Jeannette Corbiere Lavell

- she was a indg women who married a white man and lost her indg role in 1970
- she had been fighting for 15 years in court for smth to be changed
- bands were allowed to control who were a part of the band and who wasn't once bill-31 was passed
- not EVERYTHING was fixed, but change happened bc of her

what was MMIWG stand for?

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commission

How are political changes at the federal level influenced by pronvincial changes?

- between 2012 and 2016 the bc gov took steps to improve transportation in locations where many indg women went missing
- provided police training on indg culture + history
- bc steps forwards has helped canada as a whole move forward and create things like MMIWG

What steps did BC take to investigate the issue of violence against Indigenous women.

What steps did BC take to investigate the issue of violence against Indigenous women.

- made a list of all the missing/murdered indg women
- report was released and there was advice given on how to improve for the bc gov
- another 2014 report found that indg woman were more likely to be murdered/missing than normal

what does the MMIWG do?

- look into and report on the systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women and girls
- helps look to the future from a place of experience, resilience, and hope
- they gather this information through past research, community hearings, collaboration w elders, and analysis of police forensics
- 231 calls to justice

what grassroots actions are being taken to address the issue of violence against Indigenous women and girls?

- grassroots organizations are made by people who experienced stuff first hand, and who work as community to solve these issues of violence
- engaging with people on the front lines has been helpful to seek change
- community based organizations are helping find solutions to reduce cynicism (lack of trust), and solve issues regarding indg womens violence

Which three groups helped the MMIWG when they concluded in 2014?

the Families of Sisters in Spirit, No More Silence and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network