Nov 28th, 2020
Chapter: The Indigenous People as Minorities
The Two Row Wampum Belt
Categorization and Control
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According to the 1982 Constitution of Canada, the large Indigenous umbrella is made up
of three groups:
o Status Indians (first nations)
o Metis
o Innuit
o Non- Status Indians
 Refers to individuals who lost their legal status as Indians (which are no
longer a part of the Indian Act)
Enfranchisement
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Those who lost their status through enfranchisement provisions:
o postsecondary education; living outside of the country more than 5 years; joining
various professions (e.g. doctor, lawyer)
o intermarriage: Indian women who married non-Indian lost their status, as did their
children
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Bill C-31 allowed for the reinstatement of status to those who lost it due to the previous
enfranchisement provisions
Critical Thinking Zone
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Why don’t we just abolish the Indian Act?
“We do not want the Indian Act retained because it is a good piece of legislation. It isn’t. It is
discriminatory from start to finish. But it is a lever in our hands and an embarrassment to the
government, as it should be. No just society and no society with even pretensions to being just
can long tolerate such a piece of legislation, but we would rather continue to live in bondage
under the inequitable Indian Act than surrender our sacred rights.” (Cardinal 1969)
Indigenous Political Rights
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Did not have right to vote until 1960
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Working on land claims was illegal until 1951
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Now issues of self-determination and land claims are highly political and contested
The Sixties Scoop
Do we recognize these names?
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Verna Simard
Tanya Marie Hill
Azraya Ackabee-Kokopenace
Carol Lynn Prudhome
Cheyenne Santana Marie Fox
Brooklyn Moose
Nadine Machiskinic
Rocelyn Eleanor Gabriel
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
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Indigenous women are three times more likely to be victims of violence than non-aboriginal
women, while they make up only 3% of the female population.
Tina Fontaine report: “Not enough has changed” since teen’s death, says advocate (2.19
mins)
What is your major takeaway from this video?
Quote by Stephen harper: “I think we should not view this as a sociological phenomenon. I
think we should view it as a crime… and it needs to be addressed as such.” Stephen Harper,
August 21, 2014
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
In 2016, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was
launched as a key government initiative to end the disproportionally high levels of violence
faced by Indigenous women and girls.
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THE REDress POJECT
o Focuses on the issues of missing or murdered indigenous women
o These dresses act as a visible reminder of the staggering (unbelievable) # of women
who no longer with us
o Purpose: to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes
against aboriginal women
The Contemporary Structure of Inequality
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Colonialism and discrimination have led to severe inequality for Indigenous peoples.
o Institutional Racism: Housing
 Fails to meet basic standards of amenities and structure, including proper
sewer and water connections and mould contamination problems
 The number of Aboriginal homes with more than one person per room is
200–300 times higher than that of the overall Canadian population
 In 2011, 12 percent of First Nation communities had to boil their drinking
water.
o Institutional Racism: Income
 The income of Indigenous individuals and families is 60% of the national
average
 Almost 50% of Indigenous peoples live under the poverty line, compared to
17% of the nation as a whole
o Institutional Racism: Health
 Average life expectancy is 6.3 years less for Indigenous people than the
population as a whole
 Infant mortality is twice the national average for Indigenous peoples
 More than 33% of Indigenous deaths are related to violence (compared to 8%
national average)
 Tuberculosis rates are nearly six times higher for on-reserve Indigenous
peoples than they are for Canada as a whole
o Institutional Racism: Education
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
ALL OTHER
Less than a grade 9
29%
12%
education
Youth 18-20 who left school 40%
16%
Some post-secondary school 48%
65%
o Institutional Racism: Justice
 The ratio of Indigenous people in the federal and provincial prisons increased
steadily over the course of the twentieth century.
 Although 4% of the population, Aboriginal people account for 23.2% of
federal prison admissions (2013)
 Saskatoon freezing deaths (Indigenous men) aka starlight tours
Explaining Indigenous Conditions
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There are generally four different ways to explain the differences in living conditions
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people:
o Socio-biological explanations
o Cultural explanations
o Structural explanations
o Historical explanations
Documentary
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Colonization Road (44 mins)
Discussion Questions
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What was the aim of the construction of the road system in the 19th century?
- To encourage British and American settler to come and turn forests into
farmland.
o Cheap to acquire the land that was “unimproved”
What is the importance of Royal Proclamation Act, 1763?
- Set out the guidelines for European settlement of aboriginal territories