The Indian Act Resources
Perhaps the greatest betrayal of the original intention of the Treaties from an Indigenous point of view was the Indian Act of 1876 and its subsequent Amendments. This series of documents was foundational to disenfranchising First Nations of their rights, giving extraordinary powers to the Canadian federal government over them including governance (replacing traditional governance systems with Chief and Council systems), imposed identification systems (status/membership), enfranchisement provisions (losing one's status, therefore Indian rights which also meant losing membership/being removed from band/reserve list), bans on cultural practices and ceremony, denial of the right to vote, and of course the Pass and residential school systems.
“The great aim of our legislation has been to do away with the tribal system and assimilate the Indian People in all respects with the other inhabitants of the Dominion as speedily as they are fit to change.”
Articles
“21 Things® You May Not Have Known About The Indian Act,” Bob Joseph, Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.
“Historical Background: The Indian Act and the Indian Residential Schools,” Facing History & Ourselves
“The Indian Act Said WHAT?,” Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC)
“The Indian Act,” Kory Wilson and Colleen Hodgson, Pulling Together: Foundations Guide
“Introduction to The Indian Act,” Assembly of First Nations
“The Secret Life of Canada: What do you really know about The Indian Act?,” CBC Radio
Videos
Other Resources
The text of The Indian Act of 1876, Government of Canada
The Unjust Society, Harold Cardinal
To learn more about specifically environmental justice in the Indigenous context, check out our resources on the water crisis and environmental racism.
We have also curated a list of resources to learn more about the legacy of residential schools and the future of Indigenous (& non-Indigenous) education.
Image detail: Government of Canada official coat of arms.