The Indian Act from 1876 to 1951 – Since its introduction in 1876, the Indian Act has undergone several amendments and reforms. The following provides a summary of key changes to the Indian Act during the period 1876 to 1951. Between 1876 and 1950, the purpose of the Indian Act was to strengthen the philosophy of civilization …
The first Indian Act adopted an explicit vision of assimilation, in which Indians would be encouraged to leave behind their Indian status and traditional cultures and become full members of the broader Canadian society. In this context, Indians were viewed as children or wards of the state, to which the government had a paternalistic duty …
Part One: A historical view of the Indian Act: Before it became a colonizing force, the Crown acted as a mechanism that enabled settlers to engage in meaningful negotiations and ceremony with civilizations that were different from their own. Confederation later disrupted these relationships, eclipsing treaties and placing them under the control of Canada – …
Treaty 2 Territory – The Anishinaabek of the Treaty 2 territory face racism on regular basis. There are many forms of racism including overt acts of racism, systemic racism entrenched into institutions, and microaggressions enacted through subtle comments and/or body language making them more difficult to prove and call out. Some sources refer to microaggressions as “unintentional”. If this is the case, …
RED SUN RISING When Canada commissioned the Montréal silversmith, Robert Hendry, they wish to depict a scene of equal stature of a Queen’s Councillors taking the Indian by the hand saying through treaties we are brothers. A stylized Indian encampment at sunset representing “As long as the shine shines and the grass grows.” As Treaties with …
THE TREATY MEDALS By 1872, the medals were seen as not impressive enough and to attempt to mollify the resentment, the government of Canada quickly commissioned the Montréal silversmith, Robert Hendry, to produce 25 replacement medals for the Chief’s of Treaty 1 & 2. The new Chief’s Medal of agriculture theme was now replaced by a …
DOMINION OF CANADA CHIEF’S MEDAL Not long after Confederation, in 1871, Canada negotiated treaties with various Anishinaabe and Mushkego (Swampy Cree) peoples of what is now southern Manitoba (Treaty Nos. 1 and 2) as a means of opening up new land for immigration and settlement, while the Indigenous signatories hoped to gain some measure of …
FRENCH/BRITISH INDIAN PEACE MEDALS King George III and his iconic “Peace Medal,” which were given to the Chiefs dating back to the 17th century. The silver medal perfectly symbolizes the three founding peoples of Canada. The medal was struck in France under Louis XV (1715-1744) for distribution to the leaders of Indigenous allies or to …