Demographics and Identity

Question 1

Define The Term: “Aboriginal”

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

Define The Term: “First Nations”

Answer 2

• Signifies the earliest nations in Canada
• This term replaces the words “band” and “Indian,” which are considered by some to be
  outdated

Question 3

Define The Term: “Status Indian”

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

Define The Term: “Non-Status Indian”

Answer 4

• People who are First Nation but who are not recognized by the federal government as”Indians” under the Indian Act

Question 5

Define The Term: “Inuit”

Answer 5

• Inuit is Inuktitut meaning “the people.”
• Majority of Inuit inhabit the northern regions of Canada

Question 6

Define The Term: “Metis”

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

Define The Term: “Indigenous”

Answer 7

• Emerged in the 2000s and is the more polite and appropriate term

Question 8

Demographics: What is the number of identified Indigenous peoples within the 2016 Indigenous population in Canada?

Answer 8

• Around 1.6 million or 4.9% of the total Canadian population

Question 9

Demographics: In the 2016 census, What was the number of Residents Identifying with a Single Aboriginal Identity in the City of Hamilton

Answer 9

• 11, 655

Question 10

Ontario First Nations Demographics Questions:

1. How many First Nations are in Ontario?
2. What percentage of First Nations live in Ontario?
3. What are the estimations for the number of First Nations living on and off reserves in Ontario between 2006-2011?

Answer 10

1. There are 126 First Nations in Ontario
2. 24% of First Nations reside in Ontario
3. Estimated that 40% lived on reserve and 60% lived off reserve

Question 11

Ontario Metis Demographics Questions:

1. According to the Aboriginal Peoples Survey conducted in 2011 where did most Metis people living in urban areas choose to live?
2. What percentage of Metis people live in Ontario?
3. Over the last decade, what were the 4 provinces that accounted for the largest Metis populations?

Answer 11

1. Toronto and Ottawa
2. 19% live in Ontario
3. Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia

Question 12

Ontario Inuit Demographic Questions:
1. What percentage of Inuit people live in Ontario?

2. What are the 4 major cities where urban Inuit reside in?
3. What has happened to the Inuit population since 2006?

Answer 12

1. 3.5%
2. Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Montreal
3. It has increased over 20%

Question 13

Six Nations Today: fill in the blanks
1. Six Nations of the Grand River has –,—hectares of land

2. There are currently -,—housing units located on the reserve.
   2a. Rural reserve housing includes -,—
   2b. Urban-style reserve subdivision housing includes —
3. Six Nations of the Grand River is the ——–reserve in Canada

Answer 13

1. 18,000
2. 2, 674
   2a. 2,279
   2b. 395
3. Largest

Question 14

United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
1. When was UNDRIP passed? By who?

2. What countries voted against UNDRIP?
3. What year did Canada remove its objector status?
4. How many people were in favor? against? abstained?

Answer 14

1. UNDRIP was passed on Thursday, September 13, 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly
2. New Zealand, Canada, The United States, and Australia
3. 2016
4. 144 in favor, 4 against, 11 abstained

Question 15

United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
1. What is UNDRIP?

2. Who was involved in the process of creating UNDRIP?
3. WHo played a significant role in development? What did they do?

Answer 15

1. 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
2. The Declaration is the result of a collaboration between UN member states and Indigenous peoples from around the world
3. Indigenous leaders from Canada played a significant role in its development, including drafting and negotiating

Question 16

United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):
1. What are some themes covered in the articles of UNDRIP?

Answer 16

• Education
• Media
• Cultural, Religious and Linguistic rights
• Land & Territory resources
• Civil and Political rights
• Economic and Social Rights
• Environment
• Participation and Indigenous Institutions

Question 17

Reading: Assembly of First Nations, “Implementing UNDRIP: Myths and Misrepresentation

Question 18

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?

2. How does the author describe Aboriginal Philosophy?
3. What does the author say about language?
4. Aboriginal worldviews and customs vs. Eurocentric ones
5. What does the author say about jagged worldviews?

Answer 18

1. • 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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

5. • 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

Question 19

Film: “Pow Wow at Duck Lake”
1. What does it showcase?
2. What happens?
3. What topics are brought up in the discussion?

Answer 19

1. 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

3. segregated residential schools, the denial of citizenship rights, loss of language and mass incarcaration–>still create barriers in relationships