Indigenous people of canada

• Indigenous people


  The original inhabitants of a region
• Animism


  Belief that life exists in all objects, from rocks and trees, to lakes and mountains, or inanimate objects and spirits of the dead
• Gaia hypothesis


  Belief that the whole 'natural' world is alive and possesses a soul
• Indigenous views of health

  Sickness is caused by an invasion of spirits, healing is focused on restoring balance
• Indigenous healing philosophy


  • World is viewed as a place in which harmony and balance exist between and among human beings and other spiritual or non-human entities
  • Serious illness is indicative of a disruption in this balance
• Holism


  The belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole
• Big Horn Medicine wheel

  • Petroglyphs provincial park
• The Big Horn Medicine wheel petroglyphs were first thoroughly recorded in 1965 and 1968 by Joan Vastokas of the University of Toronto and Ron Vastokas of Trent University in Peterborough
• The book, Sacred Art of the Algonkians, is considered by rock art scholars the most definitive study to date on the Big Horn Medicine wheel petroglyphs
• While the glyphs are important, they are not the primary reason this site is sacred - the rock site itself is a sacred place
• The Big Horn Medicine wheel petroglyphs are tilted 10 degrees to the rising sun
• At night, different glyphs are visible, as they were carved in moonlight (Full moon)
• The Big Horn Medicine wheel petroglyphs have the largest collection of ancient First Nations petroglyphs in Ontario
• The Big Horn Medicine wheel petroglyphs are generally believed to have been carved between 900 and 1100 AD
• Kinomagewapkong


  The "rocks that teach" or "the Teaching Rocks", the name used by the First Nations people of Ontario for the Big Horn Medicine wheel petroglyphs
• Indigenous Peoples


  The First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples in Canada
• Aboriginal


  A term used to acknowledge the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Constitution Act, which assigned the term Indian as the legal identification of those who were not Inuit or Metis
• First People


  A collective term used to refer to the original inhabitants of Canada
• Whenever possible, it is best to understand, describe, and relate to people through their specific and preferred ways of being identified
• Innu


  A First Nation of eastern Quebec and southern Labrador
• Inuit


  A distinct Indigenous cultural group originating from the Northwest territories and Nunavut
• Metis people


  Aboriginal people of mixed blood (e.g., parents of both Aboriginal and European ancestry), with their own dialect (Michif language) but diverse linguistically, depending on the combination of ancestry (e.g., Cree, Dene, English, and French)
• The Indigenous population in Canada constitutes 4.9% of the Canadian population, with First Nations being the largest group (58.4%), Metis the second-largest group (35.1%), and Inuit the smallest group (3.9%)
• The Indigenous population in Canada is the fastest growing population in the country
• Prior to European contact 500 years ago, Indigenous people lived in harmony and balance with the environment
• With European contact, an estimated population of 500,000 Indigenous people was reduced to 102,000 as a result of infectious diseases, to which they had no immunity
• Europeans forced Indigenous communities to relocate while claiming the land and resources as their own
• The Indian Act


  Legislation first enacted in 1876 that reflects government policies of assimilation of Aboriginal people in Canada and appropriation of Aboriginal lands
• The Indian Act clearly defines who is an "Indian" and who is not, and imposes a system of management of First Nations lands and communities
• Structural violence


  The Indian Act was based in male ideology, where only women could 'lose' Indian status, resulting in half-indigenous children of European descent being considered white
• The Constitution Act legalized the removal of First Nations communities, which had signed treaties, from their homeland to "reserve lands" that were controlled by the government of Canada on behalf of "Indians"
• The Indian Acts of 1876, 1880 and 1884 outlawed First Nation people ceremonies such as the Sundance and Potlatch, and supported the removal of First Nations children from their home to residential schools
• Residential schools


  Schools operated from 1876 to 1993 (except in PEI, NB, and NFL) with the goal of "getting the Indian out of the child" through the forced assimilation of Indigenous children
• Estimated that over 150,000 Indigenous children between 4-16 years of age attended residential schools, many of whom experienced abusive situations on several levels; physical, psychological, sexual
• In 1939, First Nations and Inuit people became the responsibility and jurisdiction of the Canadian federal government (under the Department of Indian Affairs)
• In 1945, services for First Nations and Inuit people were transferred to Health Canada, which was responsible for providing direct health services to them
• Métis peoples have been excluded from access to the same types of health services that First Nations and Inuit people have
• Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)


  Covers vision, dental, prescription medication, medical supplies, equipment, and short-term mental health crisis intervention for Indigenous peoples
• The health status of Indigenous people in Canada falls below that of the general Canadian population, with higher rates of chronic and infectious diseases, as well as higher rates of suicide ideation
• Possible reasons for increased vulnerability of Indigenous population

  • Biological susceptibility - lack of enzyme to process alcohol
  • Rural and remote lifestyle
  • Health practices - not able to attend modern
  • Low socioeconomic status that limits access to social determinants of health - little to no education
  • Lack of culturally appropriate health education programs - shamans, medicine man = gone