So, what do I call you?  Aboriginal  First Nations  Inuit  Innu  Metis  Indian  Indigenous  Native

Important Legislation  1763 Royal Proclamation  The first time the inherent rights of Indigenous people in Canada is explicitly recognized  This right still exists, it has NOT been extinguished  1876 Indian Act  Defined Indians, bands and reserves  1982 Constitution  Section 35 guarantees that Aboriginal rights exist by common law, Section 25 states the Charter of Rights and Freedoms cannot challenge those rights

Important Legislation (con’t)  1986 Bill C-31  Altered the Indian Act to restore status to those that lost it by marriage  Complications are still felt today  Matrimonial rights  Property rights  Self-governance

Residential Schools   “When the school is on the reserve, the child lives with his parents who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write, his habits and training and mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write”.

Residential Schools  Gordon Residential School closed in 1996  June 11, 2008 Formal Apology  Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement  Common Experience Payment  Independent Assessment Process  Truth and Reconciliation

Cultural Practices  Things you might encounter  Smudging  Prayers  Ceremony  Sweatlodges  Round dances  Powwows

Traditional vs. non- traditional  I’m a hybrid!  The influence of residential schools and missionaries  Why it still matters

Is your education free?  Nope! We signed treaties that guaranteed education, yet the Canadian gov’t has underfunded post-secondary education for decades  In 2006, INAC spent an estimated $294 mil to support 22,303 FN students in Canada ($12,420/student)  In 2007 it was estimated the backlog was 10,589 students- students DENIED funding

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