TASC First Nations Studies key terms

A legal right that Indigenous peoples hold to their traditional lands and waters, arising from long use and occupation before European contact, rather than from a written treaty or statute.

Rights held by Indigenous nations that are set out in historic or modern treaties with the Crown, including rights to land, resources, harvesting, and self-government, protected under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

A British royal order that recognized Indigenous peoples' title to lands not ceded to or purchased by the Crown, and reserved those lands for Indigenous use, shaping later Canadian law on land surrender.

Eleven treaties signed between the Crown and First Nations across much of Canada between 1871 and 1921, covering land surrender, reserve allocation, annuities, and promises of education and other benefits.

A Canadian federal law first passed in 1876 that governs many aspects of First Nations life, including band membership, reserves, and local government, and has historically imposed restrictive and assimilative controls.

A person registered under the Indian Act as entitled to registration, a legal category that carries certain rights and programs but has also been used historically to divide communities and exclude people.

The list of people recognized as members of a particular First Nation band, which determines who may live on reserve, vote in band elections, and share in certain community benefits.

The elected local government of a First Nation band under the Indian Act, typically led by a chief and councillors who make decisions on reserve services and community matters.

Land set aside by the Crown for the use and benefit of a First Nation band, where the band holds collective interests rather than individual fee-simple ownership, and where the Indian Act applies.

A 1985 amendment to the Indian Act that removed some discriminatory rules that had stripped status from Indigenous women and their children, and created a process for bands to control membership.

Government-funded, church-run boarding schools that operated in Canada into the 1990s, separating Indigenous children from families and aiming to assimilate them, causing widespread and lasting harm.

A period from the 1960s into the 1980s when large numbers of Indigenous children were removed from their families by child-welfare authorities and placed, often transracially, in non-Indigenous homes.

A Canadian commission that heard testimony from residential school survivors between 2008 and 2015 and issued 94 Calls to Action addressing reconciliation in areas such as education, health, and justice.

Deliberate actions aimed at destroying a people's language, religion, traditions, or identity, such as banning ceremonies or separating children from their culture, without necessarily killing group members.

A policy or process that pressures a group to abandon its distinct language, culture, and identity and adopt the dominant society's ways, often through schooling, law, or removal of children.

An ongoing process of building respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples by acknowledging harms, addressing their legacies, and sharing power and resources more fairly.

The authority of a First Nation to make and enforce its own laws and manage its own affairs, institutions, and services, often recognized through negotiated agreements with federal and provincial governments.

The right of Indigenous peoples to freely pursue their own economic, social, cultural, and political development and to govern themselves in matters affecting them, recognized in international human rights law.

The view that Indigenous peoples' right to govern themselves comes from their own long-standing laws, cultures, and existence as nations, not from being granted by a colonial government.

A 2007 international declaration setting out minimum standards for Indigenous rights, including self-determination, culture, language, land, and free, prior, and informed consent; Canada endorsed it in 2016.

The principle that Indigenous peoples must be fully informed about and agree to projects or decisions affecting their lands, resources, or rights before those activities begin.

A legal obligation of Canadian governments to consult Indigenous peoples in good faith when a proposed decision or project may adversely affect their established or asserted rights, and to accommodate concerns where appropriate.

The part of Canada's Constitution Act, 1982 that recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and treaty rights, giving them constitutional protection that courts interpret and governments must respect.

A formal assertion by an Indigenous nation that its rights to lands or resources have not been properly recognized or compensated, pursued through negotiation or litigation with governments.

A modern treaty negotiated between an Indigenous nation and governments that settles undefined land rights over a large area in exchange for defined rights, benefits, money, and often self-government arrangements.

The taking or use of elements of a marginalized culture, such as sacred designs, regalia, or ceremonies, by outsiders without permission, often for profit or fashion, and often causing harm.

An approach in services and institutions where people feel respected and safe expressing their identity and culture, with power imbalances acknowledged and Indigenous knowledge and practices valued.

Authority over the protection and care of children; First Nations have sought to exercise this authority themselves, leading to federal legislation recognizing Indigenous laws and agencies in this area.

The national crisis of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people who have been killed or gone missing at disproportionately high rates, addressed by a 2019 national inquiry and its Calls for Justice.

Racism built into the policies, practices, and culture of institutions, producing unequal outcomes for Indigenous peoples even when individuals do not hold overtly racist beliefs.

A term used by some Indigenous people to describe a gender or sexual identity that blends masculine and feminine roles and is rooted in traditional Indigenous cultures and teachings.

Efforts by Indigenous communities to keep their languages alive and bring them back into daily use, through immersion schools, elder-led teaching, and documentation, after generations of suppression.

An Anishinaabe set of guiding values, often described as wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth, used to teach good conduct and community responsibility.

Knowledge held and passed down within Indigenous communities about land, ecology, medicine, history, and law, gained through generations of experience and often tied to ceremony and oral tradition.

The recording and passing on of history through spoken accounts, stories, and testimony from elders and community members, treated as a valid and important source of knowledge.

A formal agreement between nations; in Canada, historic treaties are often understood by Indigenous signatories as nation-to-nation relationships of sharing, not as simple land sales.

Organized action to influence policy or public opinion on behalf of a cause; for First Nations, it includes lobbying, litigation, protest, and public education aimed at advancing rights and well-being.