Aboriginal Peoples of Canada Living Cultures, vibrant stories

Main Street Commercial Drive Granville Island

The Squamish, the Musquem, the Tsleil-Watuth

 A Coal Harbour Longhouse (1886)

First contact: misunderstandings

Gift giving and trade

Land ownership vs. land use

Stories: what are they and who gets to tell them?

Case study: genocide of the Beothuck

Shawnadithit: captured for service and study

Shawnadithit’s drawings

Mortal viruses: smallpox and tuberculosis

An Interconnected Continent

Biological warfare

 Important Terms:  1) Royal Proclamation of 1763  2) Constitution Act, 1867  4) Indian Act  5) Victoria Conference, 1911  6) Richard-Mcbride Commission,  7) 1927 Indian Act Amendment

Royal Proclamation of 1763  The American Colonies caused a lot of trouble for the English.  Raided the Ohio Valley, taking land without permission, sought to occupy aboriginal land (Mostly Iroquois, Creek peoples)  Royal Proclamation recognized all land west of the Appalachians as belonging to Aboriginal peoples  Only the Crown could extinguish aboriginal claim (not individuals) and only through Treaties.  Canada inherits this recognition through British Case Law and the Constitution Act

Aboriginal Peoples know their rights: Know how the Law works  Protest in New West by Sto:lo. 50 chiefs, hundreds of protesters.  Sign of clear active engagement among aboriginal peoples with understanding of British Law.  1887: Nisga and Tsimshian both most active early on in understanding of law. Met with Premier.  Premier claims to have never heard of concept of treaties, demands ‘proof of which law book you have read’ and tells them they are lucky for the reserves they have.

The Indian Act  Passed in 1876, it’s goal was to define:  Who was or was not considered aboriginal  What obligations (if any) the government had to care for aboriginal peoples  Where they could travel, work, acquire land (Reserve System)  Governed how their reserves/governments were run  Banned ceremonies and practices that bound aboriginal culture together  Potlatch on the west coast, Sun Dance for Interior peoples  Required children to attend Residential Schools.  Goal: “Kill the Indian, save the Child”

Nisga’a Liems On May 11 th, 2000, the Federal and Provincial Governments, together with the Nisga’a government, established the first treaty in BC since 1850 In 1973, Frank Calder, hereditary chief of the Nisga’a nation took the tribe’s land claim to the Supreme Court. The Court Ruled that aboriginal title existed and must be recognized and compensated.

 The Nisga’a gave up for this agreement: 1) Claim beyond the 2,019 square kilometers of land agreed to  2) Exception from Income and Sales Taxes Nisga’a Liems

How long was this treaty in negotiation?  In 1888, government surveyors had appeared in Nisga’a territory near Gitlaxt’aamiks.  “What’s that in your canoe?” asked Sim’oogit Israel Sgat’iin, pointing to survey equipment.  The surveyors replied that they were going to give land to the Nisga’a.  “How could you give us land that is already ours?”  Chief Sgat’iin aimed his gun at the belly of the lead surveyor, took away their instruments, and sent them packing downstream.

Joe Capilano and A Trip to the King (1906)

Reserve System: differences in perspective  The Government of Canada established the Reserve system for 2 purposes:  1) To open land for settlement through restriction of aboriginal title  2) To facilitate ‘civilizing’ of aboriginals by encouraging them to assimilate in order to acquire land like any other ‘good British Citizen’ Aboriginal signatories to treaties understood: 1)Agreements were for land sharing and their traditional practices respected 2)The reserves were not ‘permanent restrictions’ but rather recognized village sites 3)In exchange, the Federal Government would support transition to farming and other modernization through providing materials and equipment

1910s Events  Indian Act Amended: Allows for corporations and cities to expropriate portions of reserves without compensation  Reserve lands, already small, could be broken up or traded for poor land  Examples Include Park Royal Mall and Lions Gate Bridge (West Vancouver)

1910’s Events  March 1911: Victoria Conference  Aboriginal Chiefs and clergymen to meet with Premier Richard McBride.  Bring forth power of law and precedent Peter Kelly: Haida Nation Methodist Minister Cofounder of Allied Indian Tribes Chief Spokesman Richard Mcbride Campaign Tobacco Tin

1910’s Events  McKenna-McBride Commission  Established to meet with all bands and consult on land use needs and provide additional reserve land if ‘deemed necessary’.  Many groups refused  Result: Some increased but useful land removed, usually where land values had gone up  1914 Order in Council: declares that FN will take all compensation provided with no argument

1927:Indian Act Amended 3 Main Revisions of importance 1) Residential School is mandatory for all children  -Somewhat voluntary before, though many groups will continue to resist 2) Path to Citizenship Proposed:  -Aboriginal Peoples become citizens in 2 ways:  A) Voluntarily giving up status  B) Gaining a University Degree (Considered ‘civilized’)  3)……

Wealth  First Nations Cultures determined wealth as a measure of how much one could provide for the group.  Accumulation of supplies becomes of paramount importance  Also, cultural objects take on greater meaning (Art is produced when there is an excess of necessities)

Potlatch Cultures  Coast Salish, Haida, and other West Coast peoples practice a Potlatch  Sometimes a week long ritual, families gather from all around the region to share stories, songs Perform marriages, cement alliances

Potlatch Cultures  Status was determined by how much you gave away  People saved up the entire year to have enough goods to give away at a potlatch  1884: Potlatch banned under the Indian Act  Considered a wasteful, unproductive custom

BC Industry in the late 1800s  Highly dependant on Aboriginal labour  Aboriginal peoples worked in lumber mills, fish camps, and other industries  Every few months, the labour just walked away to go to a potlatch  Huge problem… but it’s a matter of two different cultures  Perfectly willing to give everything away..

A Story…. Of a bridge  Built in 1937, by James Taylor, and paid for by the Guinness Family to help bring people to the North Shore to sell houses…  Built in the depression, when there was no money.

 To build the bridge, they took land from the Squamish Reservation  When the King and Queen were to drive by for the opening, the Chiefs were asked to show their support, so that they could be shown to be willing.  The people agreed, wore their full regailia, hoping that their support would help show that they were good citizens, hoping they could speak regarding their claims  The King and Queen drove by.. Without stopping..