Lecture 1 HIST 382

This lecture deals with the native peoples of Canada and makes three main points: the diversity of native peoples, which is discussed according to geographic groupings; the distinctive aspects of Canadian native policies; and the continuing importance of native affairs in Canada.

Introduction	We begin with some definitions of terms: Indian, Native American, Inuit, Metis, First nations.
Culture Areas of First Nations	The bias of environmental determinism notwithstanding, a traditional way or organizing a survey of native cultures in Canada is to designate culture groups defined by physiographic regions. Following the usage of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, this lecture examines the following culture groups: Woodland, Southeastern Ontario, Plains, Plaeau, Pacific Coast, and Mackenzie & Yukon Basins.
European Contact & Indian Policy	It is a commonplace to say that the impact of European contact was disastrous. This is true, but generalities mask the complexities of contact. Another commonplace is that Canadian Indian policy was humane and enlightened. Again, there is some truth in the common belief, but it masks serious injustices and dysfunctions. Eventually, in the late 20th century, assertive First Nations organizations began to make an influential place in national discourse.
Metis, Inuit, & the Return of the Native	The official recognition of the Metis, and the presence of the Inuit in the North, are distinctive features of native affairs in Canada. More generally, Canada illustrates trends evident in many colonized lands: the fallacy of what was known as the “fatal contact,” and the re-emergence of native peoples as enduring, sometimes influential, populations in the nation.

Resources
WWW	Aboriginal Peoples exhibition by the National Archives of Canada, featuring Indian portraiture and one of the numbered treaties, No. 8
	Assembly of First Nations – the national leadership and lobbying organization, check out current issues
	Canada’s First Nations – excellent tutorial from the University of Calgary
Film	Black Robe
Reading	Kerry, Drum Songs
	Buckley, From Wooden Ploughs to Welfare
	Fisher, Contact and Conflict
	Peers, The Ojibwa of Western Canada

HIST 382