{ Aboriginals Political, social and economic views of the past and the present of the first nations and how it impacted the opening of the west

Indian Act and Reserves

 Indian act was made in 1867 for aboriginal people by the government. This act allows the government to control most aspects of aboriginal life: Indian status, land, resources, wills, education, band administration and so on. After that the gov’t made aboriginal to live in reserves. The gov’t supplied their food and medicine and education however made them to be farmers which aboriginal did not like it. Aboriginal were made for hunting and fishing not farming.

Treaties

 The first treaty was made in Treaties are essentially documents that set out the conditions under which the British or Canadian governments could gain access to lands traditionally occupied by Indian people. The first five treaties, signed between 1871 and 1875, cover what are now parts of Northwestern Ontario and southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The purpose of these treaties was to secure land from the Aboriginals for settlement and agricultural and industrial development. In other words it meant that aboriginal had to give up their land forever.

 In return for giving up their land rights, the Aboriginals received:  Reserve lands to live on. At first there was just 600 square meters provided to each family of five. But after that, in Treaties Three and Four only, the Aboriginals were able to successfully negotiate 2.5 square kilometers for each family of five, An allowance for blankets and hunting/fishing tools, Farming assistance. Schools on reserve land, whenever desired by the Aboriginals, A census to keep track of how many Aboriginals there were in each band, mainly for financial compensation purposes. The right to hunt and fish on all ceded land not used for settlement, lumbering or mining. However, this was only promised in writing from Treaty Number Three onward. The right for the government to build public buildings, roads and other crucial pieces of infrastructure.

 But in return aboriginal had to make their promises too. They made 2 promises to the gov’t. 1. Promise they would keep the peace and maintain law and order. 2. Never possess any liquor on their reserves. (The introduction of alcohol to the Aboriginals had led to instances of disorder.)

 Treaty number six is very similar to the other first five however this time the gov’t aced more resistance as the Aboriginals had some very serious concerns. For example More European settlers were moving onto the Prairies at an alarming rate, and, as they moved westward, they displaced Aboriginals from their land.  2. The buffalo had virtually disappeared from this region as well, and other big game animals like deer were not as plentiful. Therefore, more and more Aboriginals were now facing starvation.  3. Diseases like smallpox were effectively wiping out Aboriginal nations. Treaty number 6 (1876)

 This treaty was made to provide health care. One clause allows a medicine chest to be kept in the home of an Indian agent for the use and benefit of the Aboriginals. Some Aboriginals have felt that this provision extends to everyone who signed the Numbered Treaties. Others even went so far to later interpret this provision as an eternal promise by the federal government to provide free health care to every Aboriginal person in Canada.

 This treaty was signed by a number of Aboriginal bands, including the Blackfoot and Stoney Indians, among others, in present-day southern Alberta. It is very similar to the ones the preceded it, with just a few notable exceptions:  There was no health care provision as there had been in Treaty Six.  These bands were more successful in negotiating for more money and supplies than previous Aboriginal negotiators. Treaty number 7 (1877)

 Treaty Eight was signed in 1899 so the federal government could obtain Aboriginal lands to the north of Treaty Six found in present-day northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and south-central Northwest Territories. Treaty Eight was the creation of small family reserves for individual families. This was to meet the needs of small band groupings like the Woodland Cree and Dene tribes that lived in this area.  Despite the fact that northern Aboriginals were not faring well, the government learned in 1898 that some bands were not interested in signing Treaty Number Eight. These bands did not want to live on reserves like their southern counterparts, and they feared signing the treaty would virtually destroy their way of life. Treaty number 8 (1899)

Residential Schools

 The gov’t wanted to maintain schools on reserves, provide education al help and teachers. So they made residential schools. They made it for aboriginal to get educated for the development of themselves, learn English and adopt to Christianity. However this move did not turn that well. Children were taken away from their homes and communities and placed in residential schools. Children were physically and verbally punished and abused. Over 15,000 aboriginal were told to forget their families and culture.

 Hunting and fishing nights are special nights given to aboriginal people. The protest have been made against the special night- the nativee nights to regulate hunting and fishing on their land Reserves (present day)

 The federal gov’t offers financial aid to post- secondary student support program so they can attend post-secondary education. From 2001 to 2006 approximately 10,500 students were denied funding and 3,000 more students denied every year. Today only 8% of the aboriginals hold a university degree and 64% of the non aboriginals hold a university degree which shows clear that inequality and that the gov’t focusses more on delivering service to the non-aboriginals. Education (present day)

Economics

 Aboriginal economies were subsistence oriented, organized around activities like fishing, hunting and gathering. Economic activities depended on geographical availability and seasonal patterns of major food sources. These factors influenced the organization of Aboriginal groups, including settlement size and duration, the division of labour between genders and interaction with other groups. The terms of the Indian act also set out instructions regarding the sale of aboriginal lands. It allowed the gov’t to set licences allowing timber to be cut and removed from these properties. Aboriginals thought they were given away land for settlement purposes only and did not understand that the gov’t could take resources – their forests away from them.

 Aboriginal then had new concerns: European settlers were moving onto the prairies at an alarming rate, and as they moved westward, they displaced aboriginals from their land. After the buffalo had disappeared more and more aboriginals were facing starvation on top of this, diseases like smallpox were decimating aboriginal populations. Also the residential schools had a economically impact on aboriginals. After the children were taken away,the reserves population would gotten less and less.

Economics (present day)

 the majority of Aboriginal people in Canada participate in the formal labour market. It can be difficult to gain an accurate picture of the labour force participation of Aboriginal peoples due to inconsistencies in data collection. Statistical data regarding Aboriginal people, as well as the Canadian population in general, often exclude individuals living in the territories, as well as those living on reserves. This can result in an incomplete picture of the economic conditions of Aboriginal people.

 the employment rate for Aboriginal people is much lower than for the general population of Canada, while the unemployment rate for Aboriginal people is much higher than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. According to the 1991 Aboriginal People's Survey, which looked at the labour force activity of Aboriginal people aged 15 (and over living both on and off reserves), only 43 per cent of Aboriginal people were working for a monetary income, compared to 61 per cent of the total Canadian population. over 15. Fifteen years later, data from the 2006 Census shows the employment rate for Aboriginal people of core working age (25 to 54) increased to 65.8 per cent. Despite this increase, the employment rate for Aboriginal people is still far less than the general population (81.6 per cent). In addition, Aboriginal people are twice as likely to be unemployed than non-Aboriginal people

Social

 Aboriginal people have a long and proud history that includes rich cultural and spiritual traditions. Many of these traditions, however, were altered or even taken away upon the arrival of European settlers. The forced introduction of European culture and values to Aboriginal societies, the dispossession of Aboriginal lands began a cycle of social, physical and spiritual destruction. You can see the effects of this today. Some effects include poverty, poor health, and substance abuse. Underlying these problems is a loss of identity and a learned helplessness from having their values oppressed and their rights ignored.

 Contact between aboriginal people and European fur traders and settlers rapidly accelerated societal change, which had traditionally moved much more gradually. Aboriginal people also were treated differently because of their culture and race. Social

{  Many Aboriginal people died due to lack of shelter, food, health care and money. To worsen the problem the Canadian government put tight restrictions on relief efforts to reserves, resulting in an even higher level of poverty.  Once Aboriginal people were allowed off reserves, many came to larger urban centres in an attempt to rid themselves of poverty. Instead of employment opportunities or even relief in the form of charity, many Aboriginal people were faced with racist attitudes that had already been long entrenched in Canadian society. 52.1% of all aboriginal children were poor in INEQUALITY Social (Present Day)

 All this things are how aboriginal impacted the opening of the west.