Canada 1

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

The indigenous people of Canada

Lesson goals

At the end of this lesson the student:

• Understands the key issues of Indigenous Peoples today
• Remembers facts about population and territory and is aware of the changes to Canada's borders
• Develops awareness of the Indian Act and Residential Schools   
• Knows the history of the First Nations, the Inuit and the Métis 

Key issues of Indigenous Peoples today

• Poverty
  
• Poor Health
• Educational Failure
• Family Disfunction
• Violence and substance abuse
• Poor water systems on many Canadian reserves

Poor water systems

Despite the fact that Canada has the world's third largest per-capita freshwater reserve, the water many Indigenous communities depend on is contaminated, difficult to access, or at risk due to faulty treatment systems (BBC News, Finding a solution to Canada's Indigenous water crisis. August 2018)

High suicide rate

• The suicide rate for First Nations people living on a reserves is twice as high as those living off reserve
• For those who self-identify as Métis, the suicide rate is twice as high as the rate of non-Indigenous people
• For Inuit, the suicide rate is nine times higher than non-Indigenous people

(Report Statistics Canada, 2019)

Inadequate housing and crowded living conditions

"Indigenous people are more likely to suffer inadequate housing and negative health outcomes. As a result, they have disproportionately high rates of homelessness and they are extremely vulnerable to forced evictions, land-grabbing and the effects of climate change" (Leilani Farha, UN special rapporteur, report UN General Assembly 2019)

What was the total number of the Aboriginal Population in Canada in 2016?

1. 977,230
2. 1,673,785
3. 587,545

Territory Indigenous people

• The First Nations (South of the Arctic Circle; Canada)
• The Inuit (Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada and Alaska)
• The Métis (Waterways of Ontario, the Great Lakes and the historic Northwest)

Click here to see a time-lapse map showing the changes to Canada's borders from 1867 to 2000

Indian Act 

The Indian Act is a Canadian federal law that governs in matters pertaining to Indian status, bands, and Indian reserves. Throughout history it has been highly invasive and paternalistic, as it authorizes the Canadian federal government to regulate and administer in the affairs and day-to-day lives of registered Indians and reserve communities.

Background: The Indian Act

Residential Schools

In the 19th century, the Canadian government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for aboriginal people in Canada. It thought their best chance for success was to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs. Ideally, they would pass their adopted lifestyle on to their children, and native traditions would diminish, or be completely abolished in a few generations.

Residential School System

The residential school system operated from...

1. 1800's until the late 20th century
2. 1876 until 1969
3. 1876 until 1900

Two primary objectives of the residential schools were...?

Indigenous history in Canada

The history of Indigenous peoples in Canada is rich and diverse. This history stretches long into the past before the arrival of the European newcomers with diverse interactions among different peoples, flourishing trade and fierce conflict, and competition for lands and resources.

Six groups of First Nations

1. Woodland First Nations
2. Iroquoian First Nations
3. Plains First Nations
4. Plateau First Nations
5. Pacific Coast First Nations
6. First Nations of the Mackenzie and Yukon River Basins

Background info

First Nations

First encounters

European Colonial Settlements and the Fur Trade

Military Alliances and Conflict

Royal Proclamation 1763

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Inuit

The Inuit's history was first recorded when they conquered the previous people, the Tuniit, when they started moving east from Alaska, across the Arctic Circle at around 1000 AD. The Inuit reached the Atlantic Ocean around 1400 AD. They had an advantage over the other groups who had settled in the region because they had dogs and boats.

The Métis

In the 17th and 18th centuries there were two groups of Métis - one English speaking and one French speaking. Both originated during the fur trade of the 17th and 18th centuries. The English and Scottish traders and trappers of the Hudson’s Bay Company and Northwest Company often married women of indigenous nations, especially the Cree and Ojibwa. The Métis lived near Hudson Bay trading posts, often working there.

Name two important groups of Métis?

1. English and Scottish speaking
2. English and Brazilian - Portuguese speaking
3. English and French speaking

End

What is the living area of the Inuit?

1. South of Canada
2. Waterways of Ontario
3. Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada and Alaska

Which Indigenous groups are NOT governed by laws of the Indian act?

What important events occured in the 1500's?

1. Europeans returned to the shores of North America
2. First concept of what is now known as The Indian Act
3. First disputes between the French and English

Who inhabited the southernmost area; a fertile land suitable for planting corn, beans and squash?

1. Woodland First Nations
2. Plains First Nations
3. Plateau First Nations
4. Iroquoian First Nations

When did the Inuit reach the Atlantic Ocean?

1. Around 1400 AD
2. Around 1200 AD
3. Around 1983