Demographics and Identity Flashcards
Define The Term: “Aboriginal”
- Used to refer to First Nations (both status Indian and non-status Indian), Inuit, and Metis peoples
- It is more of a legal term that was enshrined in the constitution and emerged in the 80s
Define The Term: “First Nations”
- Signifies the earliest nations in Canada
- This term replaces the words “band” and “Indian,” which are considered by some to be
outdated
Define The Term: “Status Indian”
- An individual recognized by the federal government as being registered under the Indian Act
- The term “Indian” is still a legally defined term used in the Indian Act with the restrictions
and regulations that accommodate this term
Define The Term: “Non-Status Indian”
- People who are First Nation but who are not recognized by the federal government as”Indians” under the Indian Act
Define The Term: “Inuit”
- Inuit is Inuktitut meaning “the people.”
- Majority of Inuit inhabit the northern regions of Canada
Define The Term: “Metis”
- A person who:
1. Self-identifies as Metis
2. Is distinct from other Aboriginal Peoples
3. Is of historic Metis Nation ancestry
4. Is accepted by a Metis Nation
Define The Term: “Indigenous”
- Emerged in the 2000s and is the more polite and appropriate term
Demographics: What is the number of identified Indigenous peoples within the 2016 Indigenous population in Canada?
- Around 1.6 million or 4.9% of the total Canadian population
Demographics: In the 2016 census, What was the number of Residents Identifying with a Single Aboriginal Identity in the City of Hamilton
- 11, 655
Ontario First Nations Demographics Questions:
- How many First Nations are in Ontario?
- What percentage of First Nations live in Ontario?
- What are the estimations for the number of First Nations living on and off reserves in Ontario between 2006-2011?
- There are 126 First Nations in Ontario
- 24% of First Nations reside in Ontario
- Estimated that 40% lived on reserve and 60% lived off reserve
Ontario Metis Demographics Questions:
- According to the Aboriginal Peoples Survey conducted in 2011 where did most Metis people living in urban areas choose to live?
- What percentage of Metis people live in Ontario?
- Over the last decade, what were the 4 provinces that accounted for the largest Metis populations?
- Toronto and Ottawa
- 19% live in Ontario
- Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia
Ontario Inuit Demographic Questions:
1. What percentage of Inuit people live in Ontario?
- What are the 4 major cities where urban Inuit reside in?
- What has happened to the Inuit population since 2006?
- 3.5%
- Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Montreal
- It has increased over 20%
Six Nations Today: fill in the blanks
1. Six Nations of the Grand River has –,—hectares of land
- There are currently -,—housing units located on the reserve.
2a. Rural reserve housing includes -,—
2b. Urban-style reserve subdivision housing includes — - Six Nations of the Grand River is the ——–reserve in Canada
- 18,000
- 2, 674
2a. 2,279
2b. 395 - Largest
United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
1. When was UNDRIP passed? By who?
- What countries voted against UNDRIP?
- What year did Canada remove its objector status?
- How many people were in favor? against? abstained?
- UNDRIP was passed on Thursday, September 13, 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly
- New Zealand, Canada, The United States, and Australia
- 2016
- 144 in favor, 4 against, 11 abstained
United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
1. What is UNDRIP?
- Who was involved in the process of creating UNDRIP?
- WHo played a significant role in development? What did they do?
- The Declaration is a declaration added to a resolution of the UN General Assembly, it is not a treaty, covenant, or protocol and cannot be signed or ratified
- The Declaration is the result of a collaboration between UN member states and Indigenous peoples from around the world
- Indigenous leaders from Canada played a significant role in its development, including drafting and negotiating
United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
1. What are some themes covered in the articles of UNDRIP?
- Education
- Media
- Cultural, Religious and Linguistic rights
- Land & Territory resources
- Civil and Political rights
- Economic and Social Rights
- Environment
- Participation and Indigenous Institutions
Reading: Assembly of First Nations, “Implementing UNDRIP: Myths and Misrepresentation
Reading: L. Little Bear, “Jagged World Views Colliding”
1. What does the author say about the problems with colonialism? Culture? Why is it important to understand the difference?
- How does the author describe Aboriginal Philosophy?
- What does the author say about language?
- Aboriginal worldviews and customs vs. Eurocentric ones
- What does the author say about jagged worldviews?
- Colonialism tries to maintain a singular social order by means of force and law, suppressing the diversity of human worldviews
- Culture comprises a society’s philosophy about the nature of reality, the values that flow from this philosophy, and the social customs that embody these values
- Understanding the differences in worldviews, in turn, gives us a starting point for understanding the paradoxes that colonialism poses for social control
- Aboriginal philosophy = existence consists of energy –> all things are animate, imbued with spirit, and in constant motion–>Things being in constant motion leads to a holistic and cyclical view of the world–>is also process-oriented + firmly grounded in a particular place
- Language:
- embodies the way society thinks:
- learning and speaking a language lets individuals absorb collective thought processes
- includes talking with elements of nature which English languages don’t account for - Aboriginal:
- wholeness and totality–> focuses on the totality of creation and groups rather than individuality ( reflected in customs of organization which include extended family)
- sharing–> within relationships for sharing goods, creation, and “good feelings”
-honesty–>shared heritage is recorded in the minds of members of a society
- kindness–> revolves around gratefulness and love to create balance and harmony
Eurocentric:
- Linearity–> social organization is hierarchical in terms of structure and power; socially prefers higher, newer, and faster
- singularity–> one true god, one true answer, one right way
-objectivity–> derived in physical observation and measurement (science)
Note: the attitude that “this is the way it is” makes it hard to appreciate alternate ways of thinking and behaving
- Aboriginal cultures showcase the ideal person as physically and spiritually strong
- Aboriginal societies = diversity is the norm + “spider web” of relations ensures that the welfare of the group is the most important thing
Jagged Worldviews:
Colonization left a heritage of jagged worldviews among Indigenous peoples:
- no longer had an Aboriginal worldview, nor did they adopt a Eurocentric worldview
—>consciousness became a random puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle that each person has to attempt to understand
- jagged worldviews minimized legitimate social and cultural control –> force, law and terrorism = instruments of control
clash of jagged worldviews –> objectivity = illusion
- this clash that suppresses diversity in choices and denies Aboriginal people harmony in their daily lives
Film: “Pow Wow at Duck Lake”
1. What does it showcase?
2. What happens?
3. What topics are brought up in the discussion?
- Indigenous Youth resistance and emerging voices that work to define the landscape of Indigenous cultural and political activism for the next generation
2.members from the National Youth Council have a powerful talk with hostile white priest about the failures of the education system for Indigenous peoples
- segregated residential schools, the denial of citizenship rights, loss of language and mass incarcaration–>still create barriers in relationships
