| GLOSSARY Aboriginal
peoples:
The descendants of the original inhabitants of North America. The Canadian Constitution
recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people; Indians, Metis people and Inuit. These are
three separate groups of people with unique heritages, languages, cultural practises and
spiritual beliefs.
Band:
A group of First Nation people for whom lands have been set apart and moneys held in
trust by the Crown. Each band has its own governing band council which consists of one or
more chiefs and several councilors. Community members choose the chief and councilors by
election, or by traditional band custom. The members of a band generally share common
values, traditions and practices from their shared ancestral heritage. Presently, many
bands prefer recognition as First Nations.
Indian:
A term which describes all Aboriginal people in Canada who are not either Inuit or
Metis. Indian peoples are one of the of the three groups recognized as Aboriginal in the Constitution
Act, 1982. The act defines Aboriginal people in Canada consists of Indians, Inuit and
Metis people. In addition, there are three legal definition which also apply to Indians in
Canada; Status Indian, Non-status Indian and Treaty Indian.
Status Indian:
An Indian person who is registered under the Indian Act. The act sets out the
requirements for determining who is a Status Indian.
Non-Status Indian:
An Indian person who is not registered as an Indian under the Indian Act. This
may be due to the individual's ancestors had never registered or due to lost Indian Status
under previous provisions of the various Indian Acts.
Treaty Indian:
A Status Indian who belongs to a First Nation or Band which signed a treaty with the
Crown.
Metis:
People of mixed First nation and European ancestry which identify themselves as Metis
people, as distinct from Indian people, Inuit or non-Aboriginal people. The Metis have a
unique culture which draws on their diverse ancestral origins which may include French,
Scottish, Ojibway and Cree.
Inuit:
An Aboriginal people in Northern Canada who live above the tree line in the Northwest
Territories, Northern Quebec and Labrador. The word essentially means "people"
in the Inuit language.
First Nation:
A term which became widely used in the 1970s to replace the word "Indian,"
which was considered to be derogatory. Although the term First Nation is widely used, no
legal definition of the term exists. Among the uses, the term "First Nations
peoples" refers to the Indian people in Canada, both Status and Non-Status. Many
Indian people have also adopted the term First Nation" to replace the word
"band" in the name of their community.
Indian Act:
This refers to a Canadian federal legislation, first passed in 1876, that sets out
certain federal government obligations, and regulates the management of Indian reserve
lands. The act has been amended several times. The most recent amendment was in 1985.
Among its many provisions, the act requires the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern
Development to manage certain moneys belonging to First Nations and Indian lands, and to
approve of or disallow First Nations by-laws.
Reserve:
Land set aside by the federal government for the use and occupancy of an Indian group
or band.
Off-reserve:
A term used to describe people, services or objects that are not part of a reserve but
relate to First Nations.
Treaty:
A term refers to treaties which the First Nations band had entered into with the
federal government to ensure and maintain certain aboriginal privileges and provisions in
exchange for the use of land by the federal government.
Robinson-Superior Treaty:
A treaty entered into by
First Nations located around Lake Superior entered into with the federal government in
1850. The treaty lands range around Lake Superior and north of the lake. The treaty is
officially entitled, " Robinson Treaty Made in the Year 1850 with the Ojibway Indians
of Lake Superior Conveying Certain Lands to the Crown.
Treaty Number 3:
A treaty entered into by First Nations located from the western portion of Ontario
(northwest of Thunder Bay) entered into with the federal government in 1873. Adhesions to
the treaty were made in 1874. The treaty lands range from the United States Border west to
the Manitoba border from which it traces the watershed line midway throughout Northern
Ontario to near Lake Nipigon. The treaty is officially entitled, "Treaty 3 between
Her Majesty the Queen and the Saulteaux Tribe of the Ojibway Indians at the Northwest
Angle on the Lake of the Woods with Adhesions."
Treaty Number 9:
A treaty entered into by First Nations located from the northern portion of Ontario
entered into with the federal government in 1905 and 1906. Adhesions to the treaty were
made in 1929 and 1930. The treaty lands range from Quebec to Manitoba from north of the
watershed line midway throughout Northern Ontario. The treaty is officially entitled,
"The James Bay Treaty - Treaty 9." |
