Fundamental Definitions and Facts Let’s Get It Right.... Fundamental Definitions and Facts

Aboriginal peoples: The descendants of the original inhabitants of North America. The Canadian Constitution recognizes four groups of Aboriginal peoples: - Status Indian - Non-Status Indian - Métis - Inuit These are four separate peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

Indigenous: means "native to the area." In this sense, Aboriginal Peoples are indeed indigenous to North America. Its meaning is similar to Aboriginal Peoples, Native Peoples or First Peoples.

First Nations: refers to Aboriginal peoples before European contact, or to legally defined Indian bands and Status Indians today.

Status Indian: First Nations peoples whose ancestors signed treaties with the federal government or were recognized by the government as belonging to a First Nations community. Indian status can be gained by birth, marriage, or adoption. All Status Indians are registered with the federal government. Status Indians are governed by the rules of the Indian Act.

Non-Status Indian: First Nations people whose ancestors were never identified as Indians by the government or who lost their status. The Innu who live in Labrador, for example, did not receive Indian status when Newfoundland entered Confederation in 1949. Non-status Indians are not subject to the Indian Act.

Inuit: An Aboriginal people in Northern Canada, who live above the tree line in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Northern Quebec and Labrador. The word means "people" in the Inuit language – Inuktitut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk. Like Status Indians, the Inuit receive special rights from the government although they are not covered by the Indian Act.

Métis: People of mixed First Nations and European ancestry who identify themselves as Métis, as distinct from First Nations people, Inuit or non-Aboriginal people. The Métis have a unique culture that draws on their diverse ancestral origins, such as Scottish, French, Ojibway, and Cree. The Métis do not have the rights of Status Indians at this time, although they are recognized as a separate Aboriginal people in the Canadian Constitution.

Band: is a group of Indians for whom the government holds common lands called a reserve. There are about 600 Indian bands in Canada and 2300 reserves.

Indian Act: written in 1876, the Indian Act defined who was an “Indian” under the law and outlined what “Indians” could and could not do. It was a clear statement of the federal government’s policy to act as guardians over Aboriginal peoples, giving them “protection” but with the ultimate goal of assimilating them.

Bill C-31: The pre-legislation name of the 1985 Act to Amend the Indian Act. This act eliminated certain discriminatory provisions of the Indian Act, including the section that resulted in Indian women losing their Indian status when they married non-Indian men. Bill C-31 enabled people affected by the discriminatory provisions of the old Indian Act to apply to have their Indian status restored.

Treaty: is an agreement between government and a First Nation that defines the rights of Aboriginal Peoples with respect to lands and resources over a specified area.

Treaty Indian: A Status Indian who belongs to a First Nation that signed a treaty with the Crown.