fbpx

KidsKonnect

Indian Act Facts & Worksheets

The Indian Act is a Canadian federal law that governs in matters pertaining to Indian status, local First Nations governments, bands, and Indian reserves.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /World History /Indian Act Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Indian Act Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

The Indian Act is a Canadian federal law that governs in matters pertaining to Indian status, local First Nations governments, bands, and Indian reserves.

See the fact file below for more information on the Indian Act or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Indian Act worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

THE FIRST NATIONS

  • In Canada, the First Nations are the predominant indigenous peoples living south of the Arctic Circle.
  • There are 634 recognized First Nations governments or bands inhabiting across Canada. About half of them are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia.
  • First Nations peoples had settled and established trade routes by 1,000 BCE to 500 BCE. Thus, before the colonizers, their communities were already developed, each with its own culture and traditions.
  • In the northwest were the First Nations: Athapaskan-speaking peoples, Slavey, Tłı̨chǫ, Tutchone-speaking peoples, and Tlingit.
  • Then along the Pacific coast were the Haida, Salish, Kwakiutl, Nuu-chah-nulth, Nisga’à, and Gitxsan.
  • In the plains were the Blackfoot, Kainai, Sarcee, and Northern Peigan.
  • In the northern woodlands were the Cree and Chipewyan.
  • Around the Great Lakes were the Anishinabe, Algonquin, Iroquois, and Wyandot.
  • Along the Atlantic coast were the Beothuk, Maliseet, Innu, Abenaki, and Micmac.
  • John Cabot was one of the first European explorers to come to Canada. He was followed by Jacques Cartier, Martin Frobisher, Samuel de Champlain, and Henry Hudson.
  • As European nations competed for control of lands in the New World, including old Canada, they appointed agents to secure support or neutrality from First people.
  • Christian missionaries and commercial trading companies regularly interacted with them until political control began to reach the First people.
  • Between 1875 and 1885, European settlers and hunters of hunted the North American bison almost to extinction, constructed the Canadian Pacific Railway, and brought more settlers who eventually encroached on Indigenous territory.
  • From the late 18th century, European Canadians eventually encouraged First Nations to assimilate into the European-based culture, known as “Canadian culture”.

THE INDIAN ACT

  • The Royal Proclamation of 1763 laid down the basis for how colonial administration would interact with First Nations peoples; guaranteeing certain rights and protections and establishing the process of eminent domain by the
  • Other laws such as the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857 and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act of 1869 aimed at removing any rights of First Nations peoples in order to assimilate them into the larger settler population.
  • 10 years later, the Canadian Constitution Act assigned legislative jurisdiction to Parliament over “Indians, and Lands reserved for the Indians”.
  • In another 10 years, the Gradual Civilization Act and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act became part of the Indian Act.
  • The Indian Act aimed to generalize the First People and assimilate them into non-Indigenous society.
  • Over the years, the following rules were implemented:
    • Forbidding First Nations peoples from expressing their identities through governance and culture.
    • Replacing traditional structures of governance with band council elections. Hereditary chiefs — representing different houses or clans and acquiring power through descent — were not recognized by the Indian Act.
    • First Nations peoples were forbidden to practice religious ceremonies and various cultural gatherings.
    • The potlatch, a gift-giving feast, was banned.
    • “Any Indian festival, dance, or other ceremony”, which would include powwows (social meeting) and the sundance (pray for healing, etc.), were also banned.
    • In 1914, the act outlawed dancing off-reserve, and in 1925, dancing was outlawed entirely.
    • They were not allowed hire lawyers or bring about land claims against the government without the government’s consent.
    • First Nations children were required to attend industrial or residential schools for assimilation.
    • Enfranchisement – A first nation person losses status if he/she graduated university, married a non-status person or became a Christian minister, doctor, or lawyer.
  • Oppressed by many restrictions, the First Nations representatives demanded amendments.
  • Bans on ceremonies like the potlatch and sundance were removed. Communities were also able to bring about land claims against the government.
  • However, a person’s First Nations heritage became deficient to qualify for “Indian Status” unless they were registered.
  • By the 1960s, the Canadian Bill of Rights was implemented, giving the Indigenous Peoples the equal right to vote as Canadian citizens.
  • During this time, indigenous women began to fight for their rights regarding their status. They declared that a woman’s status depending on her husband’s was a form of discrimination against women.
  • In 1985, in response to the growing national and international concern over the lack of equality in the Indian Act, the government passed Bill C-31.
  • It removed all enfranchisement provisions. Further, those who had lost status through marriage were reinstated as Status Indians and as band members. Their children also gained status, but would gain band membership only after two years.

FURTHER AMENDMENTS OF THE INDIAN ACT

  • Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples called for the abolition of the Act with the hope for self-government and reconciliation, contributing to a change in government-indigenous relations.
  • Currently, there are intentions to abolish authority of the government to create residential schools and take indigenous children away from their homes.
  • Further, the proposed Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act aims to ensure that people living on reserves have similar rights to marital property as other Canadians.
  • Yet, despite controversy, the Indian Act is still significant for indigenous peoples as it acknowledges and affirms their unique historical and constitutional relationship with Canada.

Indian Act Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Indian Act across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Indian Act worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Indian Act which is a Canadian federal law that governs in matters pertaining to Indian status, local First Nations governments, bands, and Indian reserves.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Indian Act Facts
  • Indian Act Perspective
  • First Nations
  • The Chief
  • The Inuits
  • The Metis
  • Equal Rights
  • Worldwide Natives
  • Our Local Natives
  • Acrostics
  • Pocahontas

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Indian Act Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 5, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources