Canada First Nations

Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and other agency records.

Online Records

 * Metis National Council Historical Online Database

Introduction
In Canada, native races (Aboriginal peoples) include:


 * First Nations - the indigenous peoples of Canada, sometimes called North American Indians.
 * Inuit - (often referred to as Eskimos 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.

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

Agency Headquarters
Some of the most useful records specifically about First Nations ancestors were created by their agencies. Locations of agency headquarters and settlements are in:


 * A Survey of the Indians of North America. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Institute of American Indian Studies, 1963. (Family History Library book .)

A bibliography of maps of Indian reserves is:


 * Maps of Indian Reserves and Settlements in the National Map Collection. 2 Vols. Ottawa: Public Archives of Canada, 1980–81. (Family History Library book .)

Locating Other Records
An excellent Web site for learning how to do First Nations research in Canada is the Library and Archives Canada's Aboriginal Heritage.

Another excellent guide to First Nations research and sources can be found in:
 * Brenda Dougall Merriman, Genealogy in Ontario: Searching the Records. 4th ed. (Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2008), 180-84 and 287-89. (Family History Library Book ). Discusses Library and Archives Canada, and Archives of Ontario sources; also Indian Loyalists.

Researching First Nations ancestors can be particularly challenging because use of the records is often restricted. When you know the tribe your ancestor belonged to and the areas where he may have lived, then determine if records are available. Administrative and Indian land records created by the federal Department of Indian Affairs before 1970 are now at the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa. An inventory of these is in:


 * Gillis, Peter, ed. Records Relating to Indian Affairs. Ottawa: Public Archives of Canada, 1975. (Family History Library book no. 1.) Some of these records have been microfilmed and are available to public libraries through interlibrary loan.
 * Russell, Bill,Records of the Department of Indian Affairs, at Library and Archives Canada: A Source for Genealogical Research.  WorldCat

Church Records
Early Roman Catholic Church records on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border list names of aboriginal Canadians. Many such names are in:


 * Munnick, Harriet Duncan. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest : St. Louis, Gervais, Brooks. Portland, Ore.: Binford & Mort, 1982. (FHL book 979.537 K2m.) See the FamilySearch Catalog, Author/Title section for call numbers of additional volumes in this series.

Land Records
A collection of Métis land claims on microfilm at the National Archives of Canada may be borrowed through inter library loan. Portions of these records have been indexed and transcribed as:


 * Morin, Gail. North West Half-Breed Scrip, 1885. Pawtucket, R.I.: Quintin Publications, 1997. (Family History Library book .) This book contains transcriptions from more than 1,800 land claims. It contains much family information, including each applicant’s name, residence, date and place of birth, parents’ names, and children’s names and birth dates.

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.

Métis
Métis, meaning "mixed blood," is usually limited to "non-status" persons of mixed Plains Indian and French Canadian ancestry, although there were also some Scottish Métis. The original home of many Métis was the Red River colony of what is now Manitoba. At the 1870 census of that area, 9,700 of the 12,000 inhabitants were listed as Métis. Data from that census and other sources was used to compile the family information in:


 * D. N. Sprague, and R. P. Frye. The Genealogy of the First Métis Nation (Winnipeg: Pemmican Publications, 1983). ;.
 * Diamond Jenness. The Indians of Canada (Toronto [Ontario] ; Buffalo [New York] : University of Toronto Press, 1977) ;.
 * Public Archives of Canada. National Map Collection, Maps of Indian Reserves and Settlements in the National Map Collection = Cartes des réserves et agglomérations indiennes de la Collection nationale de cartes et plans, 2 vols. (Ottawa, Ontario : National Map Collection, c1980- ). ;.

Métis Scrip Records (free) --Library and Archives Canada. The records generally consist of the following: affidavits and applications, land and money scrip notes, scrip certificates, receipts, and a number of textual files consisting of letters and memoranda outlining government policies, rulings, and procedures.

Near the Border
If your Canadian First Nations ancestor lived near the United States border, check appropriate U.S. sources covering border areas. For further records of aboriginal people in the United States see also American Indian Genealogy.

Periodicals
See also the periodical indexes listed in Canada Periodicals.

FamilySearch Catalog
However, 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 Algonquin Indians, or Cree Indians. In the catalog’s Places  search look under:


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

Some sources for the Métis people are listed in the Subjects  search under:


 * Indians of North America - Canada - Mixed descent

Inuit sources are listed in the Subjects  search by two categories: either under Eskimos or under Inuit.

Archives and Libraries
Archives and Libraries. Many large libraries in North America have province or tribal histories of Canadian First Nations.

Some provincial and private archives have records of native peoples. Addresses and brief descriptions of their holdings are in:


 * Directory of Canadian Archives. 5th ed. Ottawa: Association of Canadian Archivists, 1990. (Family History Library book 1990.)
 * The Official Directory of Canadian Museums and Related Institutions, 1987–1988. Ottawa: Canadian Museums Association, 1987. (Family History Library book .)

Addresses of many private Canadian archives and museums, educational centers, tribal headquarters, newspapers, and other nongovernmental organizations controlled by or serving American Indian, Inuit, and mixed-blood groups are listed in:


 * Snyder, Fred, ed. Native American Directory: Alaska, Canada, United States. San Carlos, Ariz.: National Native American Co-Operative, 1982. (Family History Library book 680.) This also lists names, but not addresses, of all Indian reserves in Canadian provinces.

The Glenbow Archives and Library, has an excellent collection of resources for the study of Métis genealogy. Their sources cover predominantly Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and some parts of the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Most of our sources pertain to people who were living in the Prairie Provinces in 1900 or earlier.

One unique collection is the Gail Morin who donated her 40,000 name data base to the archive in 2011. The data base is ancestral quest format and all in families with sources.


 * Glenbow Archives 130 - 9 Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta T2G 0P3 Reference Desk telephone: 403-268-4204 Email: archives@glenbow.org

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.

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
 * Administrative records of Aboriginal people from 1872 to the 1950s from Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Currently [June 2006], volumes 1855 to 2151 in the Red Series are available in digital format; these volumes were scanned in black and white from microfilm reels C-11103 to C-11169. There are textual records for all of the volumes that were not digitized this year, which can also be searched in this database.
 * Aboriginal Treaties, Surrenders and Agreements. An essay by John Leslie. Contents include: Introduction • The Origins of the Treaties, Surrenders and Agreements Collection • The Organization of the Collection • Terminology and Conventions • Published Versions of the Collection • Completeness of the Collection • Treaties in Historical Perspective • Notes • Comprehensive and Specific Claims: The Modern Treaties • References • Appendix A - Peace and Friendship Treaties
 * Aboriginal Soldiers in the First World War. An Essay by James Dempsey. Contents: Introduction • Why Enlist? • Voluntary Service • Military Service Act • Government Response to Recruits • Experiences of War • Life on the Home Front • Post-war Experiences • Post-war Rise of Political Organizations • Conclusion • Notes • References

Treaty


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

For Further Reading

 * The Inuit of Canada. Prepared by Public Communications and Parliamentary Relations, Indian and Inuit Affairs program, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Ottawa. Published by Authority of the Honorable Mark MacGuian, Secretary of State for External Affairs, Government of Canada,1980.
 * Indian Tales of the Canadian Prairies. b y James Francis Sanderson. Calgary, Historical Society of Alberta, 1965. WorldCat
 * The Micmac Indians of Restigouche: History and Contemporary Description. By Philip K. Bock. Ottawa: [Dept. of the Secretary of State], 1966 WorldCat
 * Indians of Quebec and Maritime Provinces. Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. WorldCat
 * Indians of Yukon and Northwest Territories. Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. WorldCat
 * Indians of the Prairie Provinces. Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. WorldCat

See also Canada Inuit.