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Aboriginal People in Canada

1982-present: Nisga'a Land Treaty

Joseph Gosnell: Joseph Gosnell was a native leader of the Nisga'a people of British Columbia. He was determined to the betterment of Nisga’a people and his province. As a member of the band council, he was a big influence in introducing modern education, medicine and resource management to the Nass Valley. In 1992, he became the president of the Nisga’a Tribal Council. He was the leader in the long lasting negotiations of the Nisga'a treaty which ended up being an amazing achievement for the First Nations people of Nisga'a.

Summary: In the year 1998, the Nisga'a Land Treaty was approved. The treaty involved approximately 5,500 B.C First Nations, the Federal government, and the Victoria government. The treaty confirmed hundreds of square kilometers of the Nass River Valley for the First Nations. Most importantly, it confirmed them the right to self-government, and nearly 2,000 square kilometers of land. It also gave them $190 million in compensation for the release of their traditional territory.

Significance: For Nisga'a, the acceptance of the treaty was a huge victory for them. It was in 1887, where their leaders first travelled to Victoria to request for a treaty giving them access to land they had occupied for others. But British Columbia's premier at the time, William Smithe, rejected their plea. Finally, in the mid-1970s, a series of court decisions favoring aboriginal rights that Ottawa agreed to enter treaty talks with the band. It took more than a decade for the province to join the negotiations. The agreement was reached in 1996, but took taken another two years to finalized. This shows that they had to fight for a long time to finally get what they wanted.

1945-1982:

Status Indians given right to vote in Federal Elections: On March 31 1960, segments of section 14 of the Canada Elections Act were repealed in order to grant the federal vote to status Indians. This allowed the First Nations to be able to vote without giving up their Indian Status as it was like in 1867 where the only way to vote if you were a First Nations citizens was to give up your Indian Status. The reaction from the First Nations was mixed as some feared that voting in federal elections would mean loss of historic rights and Indian status

Harold Cardinal/Red Paper: Harold Cardinal was a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation. He was elected president of the Indian Association of Alberta. During his 9 terms in office 1968-77, he created many programs to support Indigenous culture, religion and traditions. In 1969, when the government introduced the White Paper, Cardinal helped create the "Red Paper" titled Citizens Plus, and he authored 2 critical statements on Canadian Indian Policy, The Unjust Society and The Rebirth of Canada's Indians. In 1970, the Indian Association of Alberta, which was run under Harold Cardinal, rejected the white paper in their document, Citizens Plus. In response, Pierre Trudeau cancelled the White Paper and stated: “We’ll keep them in the ghetto as long as they want.”

Significance: The controversy between the White and Red Paper contributed to the creation of the Aboriginal rights movement. Four Aboriginal organizations and 33 provincial organizations emerged after the conclusion of the controversy. The Alberta Native Federation, Alberta Native Youth Society, Treaty Voice of Alberta, and the Native Human Rights Association were created between 1968 and 1972. Indian friendship centers increased across the country. The Red Paper helped citizens and the government realise the pain and discrimination they faced everyday such as terrible living conditions, lack of job opportunities etc.

1929-1945:

Indigenous Women's Service: During the war, First Nations and Métis women enlisted with the women’s services of the Army, filling many different clerical, first aid and mechanical roles, both in Canada and overseas. There was a total of 72 women who served overseas during the war.

https://canadianhistory.ca/natives/timeline/1910s/1919-frederick-loft-and-the-league-of-indians

Tommy Prince: Tommy Prince was a Aboriginal veteran born in Manitoba. He is known as Canada most-decorated Aboriginal veteran ever. He was awarded 11 medals, just from WW2 and the Korean War. Unfortunately, he was homeless when he died, however, he was honored at his funeral by governments of Canada, the US, France, and Italy. He enlisted in the Canadian Army on June 3 of 1940 and was assigned to the 1st Field Park Company of the Royal Canadian Engineers. In 1944 in France, Prince underwent a tiring journey to locate an enemy camp. He travelled without food or water for 72 hours. He returned to the allied position and led his brigade to the German troops, resulting in the capture of more than 1,000 German soldiers. For his efforts in France, he was awarded the following medals: Military Medal from King George VI, silver star with ribbon, 1939-1945 star, Italy star, German star, Defence medal, Canadian volunteer service medal, and the war medal. Back in Canada, Prince faced racism from the Canadian government. As an Aboriginal man, he was not allowed to vote in federal elections, despite of his wartime service, and was refused the same benefits as other Canadian veterans.

Indigenous participation in WW2: A minimum of 3,000 (official numbers are way higher) First Nations members enlisted in WW2, as well as an unknown number of Inuit, Métis, and other Indigenous people. Among this small number of identified Indigenous members of the forces, 17 decorations for bravery were awarded. On the home front, Indigenous people participated frequently and enthusiastically in the war effort. They participated in drives to collect scrap metal, rubber, bones. They held public and ceremonial gatherings of support and loyalty and they worked in war industries and production. Indigenous peoples returning from the war looked forward to the military benefits provided by a the nation. However, Status Indians’ access to advising, application forms and all programs was not equal, as Indian Affairs handled most of their case files in ways that disadvantaged many veterans. First Nations returning home had a harder time adapting back to the civilian way. Many turned to alcohol as a way to cope with life problems such as housing, or finding jobs etc.

1914-1929:

Francis Pegahmagabow: Francis Pegahmagabow was a Aboriginal man born in Ontario. In 1914, became one of the members of the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion, which landed in France in February 1915, along with the rest of the 20,000- 1st Canadian Division. Francis took part in the Battle of Ypres, where the Germans used chlorine gas. He was able to survive, and after the Battle of Ypres, he was promoted to lance corporal. Francis was then known as a great sniper, recording 378 kills. In June 1916, in the Battle of Mount Sorrel, he was recorded of capturing 300 prisoners. He received his first Military Medal in 1916 for facing enemy fire to communicate critical messages. When the war ended, Francis had become one of the most highly decorated Indigenous soldiers in Canadian history. He received a military medal with 2 bars, which only 38 other men did so ever, he was awarded the British war medal and the Victory medal. Although he was considered a war hero, Francis returned to Canada only to face the same conditions that he had experienced before the war, poverty, discrimination etc. Angered, he became the chief of the Parry Island Band in 1921-1925. During this time, he sent letters to the prime minister, asking better treatment for Aboriginal peoples

Henry Louis Norwest: Henry Norwest was one of the most famous Canadian snipers ever to participate in a war. Norwest was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He served about 3 years of service with the 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion, recording 115 fatal shots. Norwest possessed all the skills required of a sniper: excellent marksmanship, an ability to keep still for long periods of time and good camouflage techniques. Much of his time during action was spent in No Man's Land. Norwest earned the military medal in 1917 for his role in Vimy Ridge dubbed "the Pimple". Norwest was later awarded a bar to his military medal. Also, in August 1918, he showed his bravery once again. During the Battle of Amiens, in France, Allied forces advanced about 20 kilometers in three days. Norwest destroyed several enemy machine-gun posts and achieved a sniping record that was a battalion high. The same month, a few moths before the end of the war, he was struck by a sniper bullet which killed him instantly. He was seen as a hero.

Aboriginal Contribution to WW1: Before the first war, only a few First Nations men volunteered, as the army was hesitant on recruiting them for fear the Germans might refuse to extend to them the privileges of civilized warfare. During the First World War, thousands of Aboriginal people voluntarily enlisted in the Canadian military. With the absence of such a large number of aboriginal men, farming, hunting and other jobs fell to the women, children, and elderly. Many Aboriginal men served as snipers or scouts, some of the most hazardous roles in the military. Others served in support units in the CEF, such as railway troops. Many Aboriginal veterans returned with illnesses, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, which they had contracted overseas. Through their service together, non-Aboriginal Canadian soldiers came to better appreciate Aboriginal people, seeing them as another person they went to war with. Although their fellow veterans saw the Aboriginal veterans as equals, racism was still on going at home. The equal treatment that Aboriginal veterans experienced disappeared once they returned home to Canada. The Soldier Settlement Act, meant to help soldiers begin farming, did not help the Aboriginal's at all. It was almost impossible for Status Indians to qualify, but the government confiscated an additional 85,000 acres from reserves to provide for non-Indigenous soldiers.

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