Indian Act Research Paper

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Until the 16th century, Aboriginal people were the only inhabitants of what is now Canada, hence, they were an independent and self-governing people till the Europeans had the capacity to dominate Canada's original inhabitants and possessors (Elias 1). The European Invasion brought about The 1876 Indian Act, which was developed over time through separate pieces of colonial legislation regarding Aboriginal peoples across Canada such as the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857 and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act of 1869. In 1876, these acts were consolidated as the Indian Act (Hanson). This essay aims to explain how the Indian Act tried to destroy the Aboriginal culture through residential schools and unequal recognition of women, successive acts, …show more content…

In 1884, the Federal Government banned potlatches under the Indian Act, with other ceremonies such as the sun dance to follow (Hanson). The potlatch was one of the most important ceremonies of Indians in the west and marked important occasions as well as served a crucial role in the distribution of wealth (Hanson). After the ban, the Indians became resistant and took these ceremonies underground, however, these movements' worried officials, because they strengthened the people's inner resources to withstand intensifying attacks on their culture (Dickason and Newbigging 199). So many people were jailed for participating in these ceremonies and their sentences only reduced if they were willing to give up their cultural values; their ‘Indianness'. More so the Advancement Act outlawed the hiring of lawyers and legal counsel by Indians, effectively barring Aboriginal peoples from fighting for their rights through the legal system (Hanson). Eventually, these laws expanded to such a point that virtually any gathering was strictly prohibited and would result in a jail term. These amendments presented a significant barrier to Aboriginal political organizations, many of which had to disband …show more content…

The Hawthorne report was thus commissioned in 1963 to assess the Indian condition. In 1963, "the Indian Problem" was just beginning to take shape in the Indian community (Dyck 76). There was a greater awareness among the public of the existence of First Nations People and it assembled a stunning indictment of the living conditions of the Indian people in parts of Canada; low incomes, low levels of education, high levels of incarceration, weak civil institutions, inadequate housing, and negligible access to capital funds (Elias 4). The report explicitly rejects racial arguments about Indian inferiority in favor of an interpretive model based on cultural conflict and change. Hawthorn and his colleagues rejected assimilation as a solution to these problems branding it a view that could only appeal to the dominant society but not to the Indians (Dyck

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