Project 57 Week 17: The Indian Act

Passed in 1876, the Indian Act combined previous pieces of legislation on “Indians” in Canada; it does not include the Métis or Inuit. This document “regulates Indians and reserves and sets out certain federal government powers and responsibilities towards First Nations and their reserved lands” (Joseph, 2018, p. 111). The Act has been referred to one of the most racist and paternalistic documents, and instigated gender-based discrimination against First Nations women. It has been modified over other years and is still current Canadian legislation. Bob Joseph’s (Kwakwaka’wakw) blog post 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act gives readers insight into how this Act, and the Indian Agents who enforced it, controlled every aspect of First Nation communities.  

For more on the Indian Act see Indigenous Foundations, The Indian Act, or the Canadian Encyclopedia, Indian Act. CBC’s podcast The Secret Life of Canada did an episode on the Indian Act in season two, or watch this interview with Bob Joseph talking about his book and blog post.