First Nations In Canada

First Nations people in Canada comprised the different cultures the six geographical groups. The differences occurred in spiritual beliefs, food resources, and social organization. The first group, the woodlands first nations comprised of independent groups who possessed great courage and skills for hunting. The Iroquoians were excellent farmers and had permanent settlements that enabled them to have democratic systems of government. The Huron-Wendat based their leadership on councils that made laws that governed people. The Plains composed of the migration groups. The differences in these groups made Canada to be a diverse society in the 20th century. The First Nations was separated from the other Canadians on social, political and economic …show more content…
The Indian Act was a consolidation of previous restrictive measures that targeted the First Nations. The legislation gave the federal department authority to intervene and have control over the resources of the First Nations. The Indian Act was the most amended legislation in Canada. Most of the amendments that were done almost yearly made it more restrictive by imposing more authority over the lives of the First Nations. The Act emphasized on the abandonment of traditional ways of life and the adoption of new spiritual ceremonies like the sun dance and the …show more content…
It was the key element for the government policy in the 20th century. For instance, few members of the First Nations became enfranchised. It was a requirement for the members of the First Nations to possess a university degree to be enfranchised. The government continued to add more restrictions to the Act to forbid members of the First Nations from pursuing land claims. The Act was used as a tool to implement restrictive policies over the members of the First Nations. However, regardless of the painful conditions that the members of the First Nations experienced, by the late 1940s, there was hope on the social and political transformations that would mark the beginning of a new era in the Canadian society. The First Nations across the nation started forming region-based groups that forcefully expressed people’s grievances to have equality among all Canadians. By 1946, the First Nations had fought for their rights to parliament. The crusaders of equality in the First Nations wanted to have an equal Canadian society, but at the same time, they wanted to preserve their cultural practices and beliefs. They opposed the idea of enforced enfranchisement contained in the Indian Act and the extent to which the government controlled their lives. Although most improvements have been done on the policies that control social status in the Canadian society, the First Nations still fell sort of the