Canada First Nations

Canada First Nations

Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and other agency records. In Canada, native races (Aboriginal peoples) include:


 * First Nations - the indigenous peoples of Canada, sometimes called North American Indians.
 * Inuit - (often referred to as Eskimo in the United States).
 * Métis- (mixed blood).

More than half of the 410,000 Canadians claiming descent from native races at the 1981 census were "status Indians" affiliated with bands living on reservations or otherwise registered with the federal government.

If you have First Nations ancestry certain additional records can help better identify those ancestors. Before you can effectively search First Nations records:


 * 1) Identify a First Nations ancestor and learn where he lived. Use records described on the Canada Wiki page, particularly census and church records.
 * 2) Identify the tribe or band. When you know the general area where an ancestor lived, you can usually identify his or her tribe. Use various handbooks that describe the tribes that lived in an area, such as:
 * 3) *John R. Swanton, Indian Tribes of North America (1952, Reprint. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974). Available online; ; FHL Book.
 * 4) *Handbook of Indians of Canada (Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada, 1912). ; FHL Book.
 * 5) Study the history of the tribe. You will need some background information about the tribe, such as (a) migration patterns, (b) marriage and naming customs, and (c) affiliations with government agencies or churches. If the tribe moved several times, records may be in many locations.

Archives and Libraries. Many large libraries in North America have province or tribal histories of Canadian First Nations. The FamilySearch Catalog does not use the term First Nations  as a subject heading. Rather, look in the FamilySearch Catalog Subjects  search under Indians of North America - Canada, or under the name of the tribe, such as Cree. In the catalog’s Places  search look under:


 * Canada - Native races 
 * [Province] - Native races

Provinces and Territories
For additional information about the First Nations in each of the Provinces and Territories, see the links below:

Calendar

 * 1850 First of a series of treaties between Indians and the Crown.
 * 1860 The Crown Lands Department took over responsibility for Indian Affairs from the Imperial Government.
 * 1867 Indian Affairs became the responsibility of the Secretary of State
 * 1873 Indian Affairs became a branch of the Department of the Interior
 * 1876 The Indian Act was passed. Provided the foundation for the administration of Indian affairs in Canada. Parliament had authority with respect to Indians and their lands.
 * 1880 A separate Department of Indian Affairs was established
 * 1936 Indian Affairs became a branch of the Department of Mines
 * 1939 The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the tern "Indians", as used in the British North America Act, included Inuit inhabitants of Quebec. (A later ruling extended the BNA Act provision for Indians to all Inuit throughout Canada)
 * 1950 The Department of Citizenship and Immigration assumed responsibility for Indian Affairs.
 * 1951 The Indian Act was revised.
 * 1966 Indian Affairs was incorporated into a new Department Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
 * 1969 The government's "white paper" aroused controversy and was rejected by the Indian people. The government subsequently agreed that provisions of the Indian Act would not be amended without consulting the Indian people.
 * 1975 The government announced its intent to redefine its relationship with the country's 280,000 (at the time) status Indians to maintain their identity within Canadian society and to safeguard their unique constitutional rights.

Land Records
A Lands and Membership Branch of the Indian Affairs department identifies, protects and records the interest in the lands to which Indian people are entitled. Its responsibility lies fundamentally in the administration of 6.4 million acres of Indian lands divided into 2,233 reserves, set apart for 575 bands and the administration of the status rights of Indian people.

Research Tools
Resources that may be helpful in the search for your Canadian Indian ancestry include:


 * Join theFacebook or Skype Canada First Nations Genealogy Research Community!
 * List of Tribes of Canada.
 * Aboriginal Communities in Canada
 * Canadian First Nations by Province
 * Finding the Tribe or Band of a Canadian Aboriginal (American Indian)
 * An online guide: Aboriginal Peoples—Guide to the Records of the Government of Canada.
 * A list of Annual Reports 1864-1990, including Canadian government agencies responsible for Indian affairs over the years, can be found at Library and Archives of Canada
 * A reference work that provides a history of the major Indian tribes of Canada is: Jenness, Diamond. Indians of Canada. Ottawa, Canada: National Museum of Canada, 1967. Seventh Edition. FamilySearch Catalog book(no film)
 * Colden, Cadwallander. The History of the Five Indian Nations of Canada Which are Dependent on the Province of New York, and are a barrier between the English and French in that Part of the World. WorldCat
 * Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Linguistic and Cultural Affiliation of Canadian Indian Bands. WorldCat
 * Leechman, Douglas. Native Tribes of Canada. WorldCat
 * Montour, Enos T. The Feathered U.F.L's (United Empire Loyalist): An a Account of the Life and Times of Certain Canadian Native People. WorldCat

Treaty


 * 1796 May 31, at New York with the Seven Nations of Canada