noahfor

What's the deal? Is it the same as the US?

Boo

In what respect? Is what the same?

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noahfor

I mean everything. I just want to know as much as I can about Natives in canada.

IC3

I am not Native..But some live on reservations and some live off the reservation. I don't think there is much difference in Native Canadians & Native Americans.

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DonnieBoy

Canada has Natives its called they're called the French

shakran

That's kind of like asking what USA Indians are like. You can't really answer it. A Pueblo is going to have a radically different background from an Ojibwe. Same with Canadian Indians.

noahfor

Well I meant are they as scarce, do they live on reservations, are they so isolated, were they massacred as they were here, do they hate white canadians, is alcoholism a problem within their population, are they more a part of things, are they more apparent, or are they just like not there the way they are here(PA at least).

matteo101

In Canada "Natives" are called Aboriginals. Aboriginals is used to described First Nations, Metis and, Inuit.
First Nations people are made up of many nations, and many cultures. They are the first people of Canada and North America for that matter. Examples of First Nations are Cree, Ojibwe, Nakota, Dakota, Saulteaux, etc. Each Nation has there own culture, language, beliefs etc.
Metis meaning mixed blood , is the culture formed by the intermarriage of French men(fur traders) , and First Nations women. Metis were formed at Red River Manitoba.
Inuit people are the first people of the North. Mistakenly known as "eskimos". Inuit is the the name of themselfs in there own language.
Treaties were signed with First Nations during the 18 and 1900s, with these treaties land was given up by the First Nations, with such things as education, healthcare, land etc being recieved by First Nations.
Treatie or status Indians include First Nations, and Inuit people, they are recognized and recieve the benefits granted by the Government. Metis are non-status Indians, and do not recieve treatie rights.
Traditional Aboriginals hold culture, values and beliefs very close to them. Spirituality is very important, and the belief in the holistic perspective(that everything is interconnected to everything else). An example of this is that the Spiritual Realm is connected to the physical world, and that actions that happen in the physical world can affect the Spiritual realm. The dream catcher is a way of showing the holistic perspective, every sting is connected, and if one is cut then the rest will fall.
Common symbols include the number four. Which has huge relavants to life: four seasons, four elements, four races, four parts of the day, four parts of life etc etc. The medicine wheel, which is a circle with four equal parts, is probably the most common symbol.
There is alot more history, and many many things to learn from such an amazing culture such as the Canadian Aboriginals.

neddy65

A poor treatment history has left many First Nation peoples striken with poverty and substance abuse. That is not to say in any way that Abouriginal people are lazy and drug addled. As a people they are working very hard to resurrect thier cultural values and instill pride in thier children.

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Averett

matteo has it right. A good friend of mine is Metis. I've never heard him describe himself as Aboriginal though, but I don't disagree with you there. He just says Native.

He's adopted but his birth mother was/is/whatever a First Nations woman, and his birth father was/is/whatever of European decent. He's not sure if he was of French decent, but I think that Metis would describe somebody who's mother is First Nations and father was of European decent.

I don't think that he really identifies strongly with being Native. He does to an extent, but it doesn't drive him or anything. His parents also adopted 2 girls who are both Natives as well which I think is really cool.

If I'm not mistaken my friend does recieve some sort of government assistance in the form of school loans for being Metis.

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Yakk

A friend of mine from highschool learned that he possibly qualified as Metis a few years back, and if so he would have gotten some education benefits from the government.

In general, the Canadian colonization of north america was less bloody than the American conquest of the nation. This isn't saying there was no blood, just that there was less.

The "first nations" have treaties with the government that grants them many powers of autonomy and the like. In some ways, they have more independance than a province, in others less.

The bigest recent stress between Aboriginal populations and the Federal government was the residential schools mess. A generation of kids where placed in boarding schools in an attempt to assimilate and 'civilize' them. These residential schools where harmful: abuse, punishment for not speaking english, and a cultural disconnect from their parents resulted.

Going back in history, similar farces occur. Laws preventing aboriginals from farming using modern technology and the like have existed, if I recall correctly.

There is a reservation system in Canada: namely, there are some lands on which Aboriginals are guaranteed under treaty. Because these places tend to be economically isolated, togather with all the stupid things done throughout history, they tend to be poor regions, with the usual social results.

Not all reservations have this problem.

The North is also relatively unique. The new territory of Nunavut actually as an aboriginal majority (Nunavut was formed by splitting the "north west territories" in about half). Living in the north, in isloated communities, is a strange life. I spent a week there on a student exchange.

Politically, there are currently various land claims going on: land that was guaranteed to the aboriginals through treaties in the past, whose observance has lapsed. In BC in particular these seem to be relatively common.

As a random anicdote, Aboriginal troops on the Canadian side where probably key to the victory in the war of 1812.

Edit: Minor spelling/grammer mistakes.

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.

Averett

Yup, that's for sure.

I saw a few reservations while I was in Alberta. They were pretty desolate.

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james t kirk

I worked with several aboriginal Canadians on a large construction project. They were from several different "rez's" (their terminology, not mine) around Ontario.

The foreman was from six Nations outside of Brantford and he was one of the finest people I have ever met. He was very active in his community in sports, etc. and never ever drank even a sip.

The other guys were actually some of the funniest guys I have ever met in my life.

As far as the history goes, to the best of my knowledge, there were never any Indian Wars, but the French and the British did "use" various Indian tribes to further their own goals. I believe, and I could be wrong, that the Iroquois were the fiercest and most war-like and were quite close to the French.

And yes, Canada owes its existence to the warriors who fought with Tecumseh against the Americans in the War of 1812. It is my understanding that the aboriginal warriors paid the highest price in terms of sacrifice against the American invaders. Higher than the Canadians, higher than the British Regular Forces.

Supposedly Isaac Brock had promised Tecumseh a country of his own in exchange for his allegiance with the British. That country was to be the thumb of Michigan. When Brock was killed at the Battle of Queenston Heights early in the war, that promise died with him, and later when peace was signed, the thumb was returned to the US and there was return to the pre-war boarders.

SLM3

Anyone here read "Kiss of the Fur Queen" by Thomson Highway? It's semi-auto biographical and covers things like residential schools. It's beautifully written and I would recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in the topic.


SLM3