TASC First Nations Studies flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

First Nations

Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis, comprising over 630 recognized bands and more than 50 distinct nations with their own languages and governments.

Indian Act

Federal statute first passed in 1876 that governs band membership, reserves, and local administration; it has been amended many times and remains contested by many First Nations.

Section 35

Provision of the Constitution Act, 1982 that recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

Status Indian

A person registered under the Indian Act; the category is legal and administrative rather than cultural, and many First Nations people are not registered.

Reserve

Land set apart for the use and benefit of a band under the Indian Act; reserves are not the same as traditional territories, which are usually far larger.

UNDRIP

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, endorsed by Canada in 2010 and given legislative effect federally in 2021, including free, prior, and informed consent.

Royal Commission 1996

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples produced a multi-volume report setting out a long-term agenda on treaties, self-government, lands, and social policy.

Oral history evidence

Testimony from Elders and knowledge keepers about land use, events, and law; courts have accepted it as evidence in Aboriginal title and rights cases.

Potlatch

Northwest Coast ceremony involving witnessing, naming, marriage, and redistribution of wealth; banned under the Indian Act from 1885 and effectively legalized in 1951.

Numbered treaties

Treaties numbered 1 through 11, signed from 1871 to 1921, covering much of the Prairies and North; First Nations generally view them as ongoing nation-to-nation agreements.

Residential schools

Institution system operating from the 1870s to 1996, funded by the federal government and often run by churches, that separated Indigenous children from families and languages.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Commission that released its final report in 2015 documenting residential school impacts and issuing 94 Calls to Action for governments and institutions.

Sixties Scoop

Period from the 1960s to the 1980s when child welfare agencies apprehended large numbers of Indigenous children, often placing them with non-Indigenous families.

Culture areas

Geographic and ecological regions used to compare First Nations lifeways, including Northwest Coast, Plateau, Plains, Subarctic, Arctic, and Northeast Woodlands.

Red River Resistance

1869-70 resistance led by Métis at Red River against Canadian annexation, resulting in the Manitoba Act of 1870 and recognition of Métis land rights.

Haudenosaunee Great Law

Constitutional framework of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy describing clan structure, council procedures, and the responsibilities of peace among member nations.

Enfranchisement

Indian Act process by which a registered person lost status, often by gaining a university degree or joining the military; it was repealed in 1985.

Water advisories

Long-term drinking water advisories on reserves have been a recurring federal issue, with commitments to eliminate them and dozens still unresolved in recent years.

MMIWG inquiry

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls issued its final report in 2019 with 231 Calls for Justice.

Duty to consult

Crown obligation to consult and accommodate Indigenous peoples before decisions affecting their rights, affirmed in Haida Nation (2004); procedural aspects may be delegated.

Bill C-92

2019 federal law affirming First Nations, Inuit, and Métis jurisdiction over child and family services, setting national standards and enabling community laws to prevail.

Impact Benefit Agreement

Agreement between a First Nation and a project developer covering employment, revenue sharing, environmental monitoring, and community benefits, often outside treaty processes.

On-reserve housing

Housing on reserve frequently involves overcrowding and repair deficits; crowding rates substantially exceed those for non-Indigenous Canadians, per national statistics.

Nisga'a Final Agreement

Comprehensive treaty effective in 2000 in British Columbia establishing self-government, land title, and resource arrangements for the Nisga'a Nation.

Data gaps

Many First Nations communities are excluded from standard surveys, so on-reserve statistics often undercount populations and understate social and economic conditions.

Inherent right policy

1995 federal policy recognizing an inherent right of self-government and negotiating it through comprehensive and sectoral agreements rather than a single model.

Calder case

1973 Supreme Court decision recognizing Aboriginal title as a legal concept, prompting Canada to create the modern comprehensive land claims process.

Sparrow test

1990 framework allowing infringement of section 35 rights only if justified, with conservation given priority and Aboriginal rights receiving constitutional protection.

Assembly of First Nations

National advocacy organization representing First Nations; it coordinates political positions but holds no governing authority over the governments of member nations.

Idle No More

Movement that began in 2012 opposing omnibus legislation affecting lands and waters, expanding into broader advocacy for treaty rights and sovereignty.

Modern treaty

Comprehensive agreement, such as in Yukon or Nunavut, that typically includes self-government, land ownership, resource sharing, and co-management boards.

Band council

Local governing body established under the Indian Act; its powers are delegated by federal statute, which many First Nations contrast with inherent jurisdiction.