Aboriginal Peoples

1
Aboriginal Peoples

• Of Canada

2
The Importance of Words

• The word Aboriginal includes all First Nation,
  Metis and Inuit people, according to the
  Constitution Act of 1982.
• You may have heard other names, including
  Indian, Native, and Indigenous, but these
  have different meanings to different people.
• To some, these words do not properly represent
  the huge variety of cultures found in Canadas
  aboriginal community.

3
Aboriginal People

• Before European settlers arrived in Canada about
  500 years ago, First Nations and Inuit peoples
  had the country pretty much to themselves.
• They lived in groups called tribes, with many
  different ways of life and traditions.
• A tribe was usually subdivided into bands or
  villages of a few families.
• As time passed the tribal community began to
  develop a national identity. Each community
  shared the same language and culture and it also
  developed its own political organization and
  power over its own territory. For this reason,
  the different groups of Aboriginal peoples are
  now called nations.

4
Aboriginal People

• Some were nomadic, which means they moved from
  place to place while hunting and gathering food.
• Others were farmers who settled down in a
  particular area.
• The weather and the type of land where each tribe
  lived helped to shape their traditions and
  culture.

5
Aboriginal People

• There are 52 aboriginal languages spoken in
  Canada!
• There are many different aboriginal languages in
  Canada, but some of them are related to each
  other by a common ancestral language.
• In fact, different tribes across Canada can be
  grouped together into 11 language families
  based on how their languages are related.
• Some examples of language families include
  Athapaskan, Algonquian and Iroquoian.
• Video http//www.youtube.com/watch?vULyRPpYHxdo
  featurerelated

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Eastern Woodlands
7
Eastern Woodlands

• Two main First Nations groups lived in the
  eastern woodlands the Iroquois, who were
  farmers, and the Algonquians, who were hunters.

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The Algonquian

• The woodlands were home to deer, bear, moose,
  caribou, fish and even seals and whales on the
  coast. The Algonquian tribes had developed great
  skills and tools to hunt them.
• They also gathered food that grew wild, like wild
  rice and berries. You can imagine why they needed
  to move around a lot more than the Iroquois! They
  usually built smaller homes that could be taken
  down easily, like tipis and wigwams.

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The Mikmaq Nation

• Maritime Provinces
• Algonquian
• The were migratory, which means they moved from
  place to place according to the seasons.
• In the spring, summer and fall, they lived near
  the seashore (salmon, eel, lobster, clams, seals)
• In the winter, they moved closer inland to hunt
  larger animals (moose, caribou, bear)
• The continuing search of food was a central part
  of their life. The main job of the chiefs was to
  assign hunting and gathering territories to each
  family

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Shelter

• 1.Homes are called wigwams2.Usually put together
  by women.3.Made using poles tied
  together.4.Birchbark was used for the
  covering.5.There was a hole in the top for smoke
  to escape.6.Floor was made of animal fur.7.The
  door was also animal hide.

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Mikmaq nation

• Glooscap Legend
• Glooscap, the first human, was created out of a
  bolt of lightening in the sand and remains a
  figure that appears in many of the Mikmaq
  legends. These legends are stories that are
  passed down from generation to generation and
  tell of the Mikmawq culture.
• Glooscap is also believed to have brought the
  Mi'kmaq stoneware, knowledge of good and evil,
  fire, tobacco fishing nets, and canoes, making
  him a cultural hero.

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The Mikmaq NationGovernment

• Basic unit in Mikmaw society was the extended
  family (30-200 people), which was led by a chief
  or sagamore (elected ruler among First Nations
  of Eastern Canada)
• 2 fundamental principles
• Respect for the rights of the people
• Respect and preservation of the environment

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The Mikmaq NationGovernment

• System of self-government
• Leaders were appointed by the people
• Elders opinions were important
• Disputes were settled through mediation
• Contact and trade with Europeans eventually led
  to the expansion of their political structure.
• Mikmaw territory was divided into 7 geographical
  districts.

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The Mikmaq Nation3 levels of Government
 
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Local Council Chief

• Presides over the Council of Elders
• Council of Elders was usually made
• up of the heads of families or
• representatives
• Responsibilities consisted of
• Making decisions within local areas
• Take care of supplies, dogs, canoes, hunting,
  emergencies (providing for villages)
• Were teachers and role models for the young
• Training hunters

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Local Council Chief contd

• The Local Chief was always male and came from a
  prominent family
• They were of good character and they were very
  good hunters

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District Council Chief

• Total of 7, 1 for each of the 7 MiKmaq districts
• Presides over council of local chiefs
• Responsible for several villages/communities
  within his district
• Met during spring, summer or fall to settle
  problems such as peace and war
• Act as arbitrator - would listen to both parties
  and settle dispute

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District Council Chief

• The responsibilities of the Chief included
• Attending Local Council meetings
• Take care of problems among districts, villages,
  nations
• District Chief was eldest male of large powerful
  family
• Good hunters

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Grand Council Chief

• Grand Chief is most important
• When he speaks, everyone listens.
• Presides over Grand Council
• Responsibilities included
• Defending territory
• Taking care of any orphaned children
• Help with providing food and supplies

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Grand Council Chief

• The Grand chief had to have an exceptional
  character
• Was an excellent hunter
• 2 ways to become a Grand Chief
• Hereditary (unless the father did not feel they
  were worthy of the position)
• Survive in woods for several days without food or
  water. Must make a camp for 2 people and wait to
  see if another person arrives. If this occurs,
  he is capable of being Grand Chief

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Mikmaq Government Pre Contact
Local Council Chief District Council Chief Grand Council Chief
Powers Presides over Council of Elders Presides over local chiefs Presides over Grand Council and local and district councils
Duties Made decisions for local areas, took care of supplies dogs, canoes, hunting. Took care of emergencies, acted as teachers and role models, trained hunters Acted as arbitrator, attend local council meetings, took care of problems among districts, villages Defend territory, took care of orphaned children, help with providing food and supplies for community.
Geographic Constituency Local area, village or community There is one for each of the 7 districts each made up of several villages, communities Responsible for all 7 Mikmaq districts
Leadership Characteristics Male from a prominent family, good character, good hunters Eldest male from a large powerful family, good hunters Exceptional character, excellent hunters, hereditary, survive in woods and create a new camp
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The Iroquois

• Southern Ontario
• The Hurons lived north of Lake Ontario and the
  Iroquois confederacy lived south of the lake.
• The name Canada comes from the Huron-Iroquois
  word Kanata, which means village or community.
• Video http//www.youtube.com/watch?vO1jG58nghRo
  featurerelated
• Every Iroquois belonged to a clan, named after an
  animal for example, Bear, Turtle, Wolf.
• The basic unit was the matrilineal family
  (combination of all the individual families
  descended from the oldest living woman)
• If she was a member of the Bear clan, all
  daughters, grandsons/daughters belonged to the
  Bear clan. Husbands were from other clans or
  nations.

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The Iroquois

• The Iroquois used the rich soil where they lived
  to grow corn, tobacco, squash and beans. In fact,
  they were so good at farming that they traded
  their extra corn and tobacco with tribes further
  north for animal pelts and porcupine quills.
• Corn, beans and squash were called the Three
  Sisters, as they were grown together
• They lived in towns of up to 2500 people and
  shared large longhouses made from elm or cedar
  trees.

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Longhouses
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The Iroquois Confederacy

• Founded by Dekanahwideh, who convinced the 5
  nations to stop the war amongst one another.
• Their motto was one heart, one mind, one law.
• The Confederacy originally consisted of 5
  nations the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga,
  the Cayuga, and the Seneca.
• They were later joined by the Tuscaroras and the
  Confederacy became known as the Six Nations.
• Known today as the Haudenosaunee

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The Iroquois ConfederacyGovernment

• Men became chiefs, but were chosen by the Clan
  Mother (oldest woman, who had the power to remove
  a chief and appoint another.
• Village Council Looked after village matters.
  Council members were all men, headed by the
  village chief. All village council members
  represented various clans in a village and were
  appointed by their clan matrons.
• Council of a Nation Dealt with affairs of the
  nation. Members were head chiefs from all the
  villages in a nation.
• Confederacy or Grand Council Looked after
  issues affecting all the nations in the
  confederacy. Members were a delegation of chiefs
  from each of the nations (50 chiefs in all). All
  were men, but were chosen by women. All members
  were equal there was no council chief. They
  practiced a form of representative democracy in
  which votes were given to delegates from all
  Nations in annual meetings. Decisions required a
  consensus.

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The Hurons

• Lived north of Lake Ontario
• They were successful traders who wanted to build
  a monopoly and discouraged other nations from
  trading with one another.
• They used birch bark canoes to transport the
  produce from farms.
• They were rivals with Iroquois confederacy and
  both groups often raided the other.

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Shelter

• The Iroquoians were farmers who did not need to
  move around so their houses could be much larger
  and sturdier. They built elm or cedar-bark
  longhouses which were big enough for several
  families to live in together.

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Plains Tribes
30
Plains Tribes

• One time, there were as many as sixty million
  bison (or buffalo) roaming the plains region!
  They thrived in the extreme weather of the
  Canadian prairies and were the single most
  important animal to the tribes living there
  (including the Blackfoot, the Plains Cree and the
  Sioux).
• The culture of these peoples had everything to do
  with the bison. They were used for food, tipis,
  clothing, containers and tools. Their traditions
  were also closely tied to these animals and to
  their natural surroundings.
• Later on, horses became very important to their
  culture when Europeans brought them to Canada.
  Before horses, they walked on foot or used dogs
  to pull their packs.

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Plains Tribes and the Travois

• The travois was made from 2 long poles lashed
  together and contained netting to carry goods.
• The Plains people developed it to easily
  transport children and belongings.

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The Blackfoot

• Plain Tribe in Alberta
• Two examples of their religious beliefs were the
  medicine bundle and the Sun Dance

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The Blackfoot

• The Medicine Bundle
• Protection against harm
• A rawhide bag that contained medicine pipe,
  feathers from an eagle or owl, sweet grass,
  chokecherry wood, pieces of tobacco, stones etc
• They were passed on to members of the nation
  during a ceremony or a young Blackfoot could go
  into the wilderness for days without food or
  sleep. He would pray to the spirits for advice.
  Eventually he would fall asleep and dream of the
  items that had special powers to him. He would
  then go and collect those items.

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The Blackfoot

• The Sun Dance
• Held in early summer
• People who suffered from bad luck during the past
  year, or hoped for special help in the year
  ahead, took part.
• Young men who took part stayed in a tipi together
  for several days. They fasted and were prepared
  by the shaman (medicine man).
• The shaman would make pairs of cuts in each
  persons chest or back. Under the skin he looped
  leather strips, which were connected to the
  center pole.
• Each person then danced, gazing into the sun and
  seeking power there. He pulled on the ropes,
  until the flesh gave away and he was free.
• The scars that formed after a few weeks were
  looked upon as a badge of courage.

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The Sun Dance
36
Shelter

• On the Plains most tribes moved around a lot to
  hunt buffalo and gather plants for food. The most
  common home was a tipi, built with long poles
  that were tied together at the top and covered by
  buffalo hides.
• Often they had to travel great distances to find
  tall straight trees that would make good tipi
  poles, so they brought them along whenever they
  moved camp. Tipis were built and set up very
  precisely so that they would stay dry, keep extra
  warm in the winter and stand up against strong
  winds.

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Plateau Tribes
38
Plateau Tribes

• The tribes of the Plateau in British Columbia
  depended on two very important rivers, the Fraser
  and the Thomson, to support their life. These
  rivers were full of prized salmon which they ate
  and traded, as well as trout and whitefish.
• Deer, caribou, elk, and mountain sheep living
  nearby were important for food too. The tribes
  also used the rivers for traveling by canoe and
  for transporting goods to trade with other
  groups.
• Since there were many trees on the land around
  the rivers, many tribes made log huts covered
  with bark for shelter. The major tribes from the
  Plateau include the Interior Salish, Kootenay,
  and Athapaskan.

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Shelter

• Many of the Plateau tribes lived in log huts
  covered with bark or grass. In the winter, some
  lived in pit houses. These houses were holes
  dug into the ground, with a cone-shaped roof held
  up by wooden poles, and covered with branches and
  dirt. They used a ladder to enter and leave
  through an opening at the top.

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Northwest Coast
41
Northwest Coast

• Known as the salmon people
• The Haida, Tlingit and the other groups from that
  area.
• There was plenty of food everywhere, from deer
  and bear to ducks, seals and fish, not to mention
  all kinds of fruits and edible plants.
• Thousands of pacific salmon would swim up the
  rivers each year, a main source of food for the
  peoples of the coast.
• Their way of life revolved around their natural
  surroundings the towering cedar trees were used
  to make boats, totem poles, houses, fish nets,
  baskets and clothing, which meant that most
  tribes were skilled at carpentry, spinning and
  weaving.
• And since different foods were found in specific
  areas during certain times of the year, tribes
  would often move from their winter villages to
  other sites throughout the seasons, then back
  again to their home base.

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Northwest Coast

• The Totem Pole
• Examples of artwork
• Each part of the pole reveals something about an
  important person, spirit or event in a familys
  past history.
• They were carved out of cedar trees with stones
• Video http//www.youtube.com/watch?v648gwElcPzU
  featurerelated

43
Northwest Coast

• The community was divided into two groups
  nobles and commoners.
• A person was born into one group or the other.
• The nobles had more rights for example, they had
  the right to fish in the best locations.
• Within each group, the members were ranked in
  order of importance.
• The chief ranking nobleman was the chief

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Northwest Coast The Potlatch

• The word potlatch means giving
• Property was shared among the members of the
  community and was a means of dealing with
  economic inequalities within a village
• It is a ceremony given by a family for another
  family/families
• The host gave presents to each of the guests.
• The most valuable gift went to the
  highest-ranking guest and so on down the line.
  Presents could include huge amounts of food,
  cedar canoes other goods.
• The guest receiving the gifts were like witnesses
  to a contract confirming the host hosts step up
  the ladder of success.
• It was usually held to mark a major event, such
  as a marriage, a birth or the naming of a new
  chief.
• All important guests were bound to respond by
  holding their own potlatch

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Modern Day Potlatch
46
Subarctic
47
Subarctic

• This part of Canada covers a huge area and
  includes many different tribes, including the
  Gwichin up in the Yukon, the Dene in the
  northwest, The Cree and Ojibwa in the East, to
  name a few.
• Even though there were a wide variety of tribes
  in this region, there werent that many people
  altogether living there.
• Thats partly because the weather is extreme and
  harsh and partly because many of the larger
  animals for hunting would migrate south during
  the winter.

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Subarctic

• Many bands would live by following the herds
  wherever they went, so they were always moving
  from place to place.
• Since life was harder in this part of Canada,
  different bands worked together a lot to help
  each other survive. People would form groups to
  do certain tasks, like trapping, gathering
  berries and fishing. They would also trade food
  and medicine.

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Arctic
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The Arctic Inuit

• Its not surprising that the Inuit culture is
  quite different from other groups, when you
  consider the cold, harsh environment of the
  Arctic.
• There are no trees, lots of deep snow and thick
  ice, and unique animals, such as seals, walrus,
  whales and caribou
• To get around on the snow and ice, hunt and stay
  warm, the Inuit people developed a very unique
  way of life. They created different kinds of
  hunting gear, like harpoons they had dog sleds
  and kayaks to get around and built temporary
  igloos for shelter when on hunting expeditions.
• The Inuit people knew a great deal about their
  natural surroundings and passed this knowledge on
  to their children through storytelling and other
  important traditions.

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Inuit Technology

• Sunglasses Made of ivory or wood, these goggles
  would have thin slits through which a person
  could look without being blinded by sun
  reflecting off the snow
• Cheap Energy They made lamps of stone or
  whalebone, with moss for a wick and seal blubber
  for fuel
• Transportation Dog sleds, kayaks
• Harpoons the head was made from stone and was
  attached with walrus-hide line to a shaft of
  walrus tusk

52
video http//www.youtube.com/watch?v6UIrgAFW3
aQVideo of where I lived (Tuktoyaktuk)
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vDFJeYbWkcmsfeature
related
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Shelter

• While hunting out on the sea ice, they would
  build igloos only as a temporary shelter from the
  wind and cold. However some Inuit groups began to
  use igloos for the entire winter.
• Other winter houses were built with stones and
  covered with sod. The coastal Inuit sometimes
  built larger homes that were partly dug into the
  ground and covered by seal skin or sod roofs. To
  make summer homes, animal hides were sewn
  together and held up with sticks or whale ribs.

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Aboriginal Clothing
55
Food

• It took a lot of patience and skill, and an
  understanding of natures cycles, to be able to
  get enough food to survive all year in Canada.
  First Nation and Inuit peoples used many
  different strategies hunting, gathering wild
  plants, farming, and trading food between tribes.
  One thing was for certain nothing was ever
  wasted, especially the animals.
• Go to the following web site to see how every
  part of the Bison was used
• http//www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/first_na
  tions_inuit/food.cfm

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Medicine

• Over 500 drugs in use day originated in
  Aboriginal societies.
• For example, they used a drink made from cedar
  bark and needles to cure scurvy. (vitamin C)
• James Lind took this information and used lime
  juice, which led to the discovery of vitamins.
• They also used willow and poplar bark for aches
  and pains, which is now in aspirin.
• Picture is a Blackfoot Shaman

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TradeEconomies

• Trade in aboriginal communities was based, partly
  on the need for goods found in other areas and
  partly on establishing and maintaining friendly
  relations with neighbouring peoples.
• The exchange of gifts and kindness reinforced
  alliances and brought prestige to the giver.

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Wampum

• The most frequently traded items were arrowheads,
  tools, and shells.
• Aboriginal peoples traded shell beads known as
  wampum.
• Wampum was threaded on a string or woven into
  belts.

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Wampum

• Wampum were threaded onto a string or woven into
  belts. The patterns represented events or
  alliances.
•  
• Many Aboriginal people in the northeastern part
  of North America used the wampum as a way of
  recording and sending messages.

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World View and Economic Structures

• Aboriginal Peoples spiritual philosophy reflects
  a close relationship between their economies and
  the natural world.
• Aboriginal peoples believed that nature was a
  continuous web in which humans were equal, but
  not superior, to the land, plants, animals, and
  water.
• Most Aboriginal societies practised a lifestyle
  of sustainable development in which they took
  from the environment only what they needed in
  order to survive.
• This philosophy enabled them to use their
  resources efficiently and with little waste.

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Property Ownership

• Aboriginal people did not belief that they owned
  the land, but rather were entrusted to preserve
  the land for future generations.
• When the Europeans arrived, they considered North
  America as new lands and claimed them as their
  own territories and the resources located on
  them.
• As Europeans expanded, the Aboriginal nations
  began to claim title (a legitimate claim to
  land)to the lands they traditionally occupied.
• Violence and wars often broke out between
  Aboriginals and Europeans, which led to treaties.

62
Treaties

• Aboriginals used treaties with one another to
  determine who would use the land and how it would
  be used. They honoured and respected these
  treaties.
• Treaties between the Dominion of Canada and the
  British relocated Aboriginals to plots of land
  called reserves. As part of the agreement, the
  Aboriginals received money and annual payments
  afterwards. The government was to recognize
  traditional hunting and fishing rights.
• The government believed the treaties to be a bill
  of sale of the land.
• The Aboriginals believed the treaties to be
  agreements about the ways the land would be used.

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Mikmaq Treaties

• In the 1700s, the Mikmaq signed a series of
  treaties with the British.
• In exchange for their loyalty to the crown, the
  Mikmaq would continue to have hunting and
  fishing rights in their territory.
• 1763, British government stated that no European
  settlement would be allowed west of the
  Appalachian Mountains because the lands were
  reserved for the Mikmaq.
• Nova Scotia did not honour this and sold off much
  of the land.
• The Mikmaq petitioned for more land, but
  colonial squatters took much of it.
• In the 20th century, the Mikmaq had strict
  limitations placed on their hunting and fishing
  rights.
• In 1999, the Supreme Court ruled that the Mikmaq
  had the right to catch enough fish to earn a
  moderate livelihood

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Self-Government

• The Indian Act of 1876 stated that decisions
  affecting Aboriginal peoples in Canada were made
  by the federal government.
• In the 1980s, a major goal of Aboriginal
  communities was the right for them to be able to
  govern matters affecting their culture,
  languages, traditions, and institutions.

65
The Nisgaa Agreement

• The Nisgaa of BC never signed any treaties with
  the British or the Canadian government.
• Within a 100 years, their land was taken away for
  forestry and minerals.
• In 1973, the Supreme Court rules that they had
  title to the land before colonization.
• A landmark agreement was reached in 1999. The
  Nisgaa achieved self-government, 253 million in
  compensation, and rights to forest and mineral
  resources and hunting and fishing rights. They
  has to give up their claims to 80 of their
  traditional land.