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Aboriginal Peoples: Indigenous peoples of Canada are identified in Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 as including Indians (status and non-status), Metis and Inuit people. These are three separate peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. They are the descendants of the original inhabitants of North America. Aboriginal rights: Rights that some Aboriginal peoples of Canada hold as a result of their ancestors' long-standing use and occupancy of the land. The rights of certain Aboriginal peoples to hunt, trap and fish on ancestral lands are examples of Aboriginal rights. Aboriginal rights vary from group to group depending on the customs, practices and traditions that have formed part of their distinctive cultures. Aboriginal self-government: Governments designed, established and administered by Aboriginal peoples under the Canadian Constitution through a process of negotiation with Canada and, where applicable, the provincial government. Aboriginal title: A legal term that recognizes an Aboriginal interest in the land. It is based on the long-standing use and occupancy of the land by today’s Aboriginal peoples as the descendants of the original inhabitants of Canada. Assembly of First Nations: A national organization that promotes the interests and concerns of all First Nations in Canada, including justice, health, education, family and children’s services and Aboriginal rights. Band: An organization structure defined in the Indian Act, which represents a particular body of Indians as defined under the Indian Act. A body of Indians for whose collective use and benefit lands have been set apart or money is held by the Crown, or declared to be a band for the purposes of the Indian Act. Each band has its own governing band council, usually consisting of one chief and several councillors. Community members choose the chief and councillors by election, or sometimes through custom. The members of a band generally share common values, traditions and practices rooted in their ancestral heritage. Today, many bands prefer to be known as First Nations. There are approximately 600 bands in Canada, 198 are situated in BC. Band Council: Body elected according to the provisions of the Indian Act, charged with the responsibility for “the good government of the band” and with federally delegated authority to pass by-laws on Indian Reserve Lands. Bill C-31: The pre-legislation name of the 1985 Act to Amend the Indian Act. This act eliminated certain discriminatory provisions of the Indian Act, including the section that resulted in Indian women losing their Indian status when they married non-Status men. Bill C-31 enabled people affected by the discriminatory provisions of the old Indian Act to apply to have their Indian status and membership restored. Chief and Council: The elected representatives of a community who are responsible for the affairs of a band, much as a board of directors is responsible for the management and administration of a non-profit society. Community Health Nurses (CHN): Community health nurses are funded by the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch to work in First Nations communities. The services they provide include communicable disease control, environmental health, treatment services (where applicable), emergency response planning and health promotion and prevention. Custom: A traditional Aboriginal practice. For example, First Nations peoples sometimes marry or adopt children according to custom, rather than under Canadian family law. Band councils chosen “by custom” are elected or selected by traditional means, rather than by the election rules contained in the Indian Act. Disability: That which disables, as illness; deprived of normal strength or power, as a broken leg disables. Extended Family: A group of individuals associated by birth, marriage, or close friendship that nurture and support one another. First Nation: An Aboriginal community or governing body organized and established by an Aboriginal community. Usually used interchangeably with “Band”. A term that came into common usage in the 1970s to replace the word “Indian,” which some people found offensive. Although the term First Nation is widely used, no legal definition of it exists. Among its uses, the term “First Nations peoples” refers to the Indian peoples in Canada, both Status and non-Status. Some Indian peoples have also adopted the term “First Nation” to replace the word “band” in the name of their community. Indians: A term used historically to describe the first inhabitants of the “New World” and used to define indigenous people under the federal Indian Act. The term has generally been replaced by “Aboriginal people”, as defined in the Constitution Act of 1982. Indian peoples are one of three groups of people recognized as Aboriginal in the Constitution Act, 1982. It specifies that Aboriginal people in Canada consist of Indians, Inuit and Métis. Indians in Canada are often referred to as: Status Indians, non-Status Indians and Treaty Indians. Indian Act: Canadian federal legislation, first passed in 1876, and amended several times since. It sets out certain federal government obligations and regulates the management of Indian reserve lands, Indian moneys and other resources. Among its many provisions, the Indian Act currently requires the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development to manage certain moneys belonging to First Nations and Indian lands and to approve or disallow First Nations by-laws. In 2001, the national initiative Communities First: First Nations Governance was launched, to consult with First Nations peoples and leadership on the issues of governance under the Indian Act. The process will likely take two to three years before any new law is put in place. Indian Reserve: Defined in Section 2 of the Indian Act as a tract of land that has been set apart by the federal government for the use and benefit of an Indian band. The legal title to Indian reserve land is vested in the federal government. Indian status: An individual's legal status as an Indian, as defined by the Indian Act. Inuit: Aboriginal people whose origins are different from people known as “North American Indians”. An Aboriginal people in Northern Canada, who live in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Northern Quebec and Northern Labrador. The word means “people” in the Inuit language — Inuktitut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk. “Inuit” has replaced the term “Eskimo”. Innu: Naskapi and Montagnais First Nations (Indian) peoples who live in Northern Quebec and Labrador. Inuvialuit: Inuit who live in the Western Arctic. Land claims: In 1973, the federal government recognized two broad classes of claims — comprehensive and specific. Comprehensive claims are based on the assessment that there may be continuing Aboriginal rights to lands and natural resources. These kinds of claims come up in those parts of Canada where Aboriginal title has not previously been dealt with by treaty and other legal means. The claims are called “comprehensive” because of their wide scope. They include such things as land title, fishing and trapping rights and financial compensation. Specific claims deal with specific grievances that First Nations may have regarding the fulfilment of treaties. Specific claims also cover grievances relating to the administration of First Nations lands and assets under the Indian Act. Medicine People: From a Western perspective, this concept refers to a branch of medicine encompassing treatment by drugs, diet, exercise and other non-surgical means. From an Aboriginal perspective, it refers to people who promote wellness usually by using herbs, sweats, diet, exercise and other non-surgical means. Mental Health: Balance and harmony within and among each of the four aspects of human nature: the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Over-focusing or under-focusing on any one aspect upsets the value of the four parts. Métis: A term for people of mixed ancestry whose history dates back to the days of the fur trade when Aboriginal people, particularly the Cree, and French or French-Canadian or Scottish and others married. Métis people have historically been refused political recognition by the federal government and have since been recognized as Aboriginal people in the Constitution Act, 1982. The Métis have a unique culture that draws on their diverse ancestral origins, such as Scottish, French, Ojibway and Cree. Non-Insured Health Benefits for Status Indians (NIHB): The Non-Insured Health Benefits Program provides a limited range of health related benefits to eligible beneficiaries who are status Indians, recognized Inuit and recognized Inuu people. The NIHB Program offers specific health related benefits not provided by other agencies such as provincial and territorial health plans or other third party plans. These include premium coverage for MSP, transportation from remote and isolated areas to centers where needed services are available, prescription drugs, medical supplies and equipment, dental care and vision care, and other limited benefits. Non-status Indian: Not a federally registered member of an Indian Band. An Indian person who is not registered as an Indian under the Indian Act. The North: Land in Canada located north of the 60th parallel. INAC's responsibilities for land and resources in the Canadian North relate only to Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon. Nunavut: The territory created in the Canadian North on April 1, 1999 when the former Northwest Territories was divided in two. Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut. Inuit, whose ancestors inhabited these lands for thousands of years, make up 85 percent of the population of Nunavut. The territory has its own public government. Off-reserve: A term used to describe people, services or objects that are not part of a reserve, but relate to First Nations. Oral history: Evidence taken from the spoken words of people who have knowledge of past events and traditions. This oral history is often recorded on tape and then put in writing. It is used in history books and to document claims. Registered Indian: Person who is defined as an Indian under the Indian Act and who is registered under the Indian Act. Reserve: Tract of land, the legal title to which is held by the Crown, set apart for the use and benefit of an Indian band. Status Indian: A person who is registered as an Indian under the Indian Act. The act sets out the requirements for determining who is an Indian for the purposes of the Indian Act. See also registered Indian. Surrender: A formal agreement by which a band consents to give up part or all of its rights and interests in a reserve. Reserve lands can be surrendered for sale or for lease, on certain conditions. Treaty Indian: A Status Indian who belongs to a First Nation that signed a treaty with the Crown. Tribal Council: A voluntary association of First Nations that may be based on cultural, economic or other ties among those communities. A regional group of First Nations members that delivers common services to a group of First Nations. References Fleischer, J. (N.D.). BC First Nations Health Handbook. British Columbia: Unpublished Manuscript. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. (2003). Terminology. Retrieved March 20, 2006, from http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/info/tln_e.html |
