8 things newcomers should know about Aboriginal culture and history

aboriginal totem8 things newcomers should know about Aboriginal culture and history to better understand current reconciliation efforts with the Canadian government.


1. Today, there are three distinct groups of Aboriginal people in Canada: First Nations, Inuit (live in Arctic) and Métis (mixed Aboriginal and European heritage), recognized by the Canadian Constitution.

2. Historically speaking, when the first European settlers came to Canada, they began trading with Aboriginal people, and needed their help to explore and survive the terrain. But they also battled with them and claimed the land as their own, pushing them onto reserve lands, a system said to have been the model for South Africa’s Apartheid.

3. Aboriginal people became subjects of the new Canadian government under the patriarchal Indian Act. While progress has been made over the years in recognizing Aboriginal peoples’ right to self-government, land entitlement and more, there is still much more work to be done, including new agreements and treaties in some parts of the country like B.C.

4. The Canadian government wanted to assimilate Aboriginal people into European culture, but instead of focusing on the adults, it decided to remove aboriginal children from their parents and communities, and into Indian residential schools. Not only were the children stripped of their culture, heritage and language, but there were many cases of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and even death.

5. Like the diverse cultures of immigrants to Canada, the cultures of Aboriginal people also differ greatly. Many different languages, cultures and spiritual beliefs, but they all have a deep connection to their land, traditionally relying on hunting, fishing and gathering.

6. The diverse Aboriginal languages in Canada reflect distinctive histories, cultures and identities. Unfortunately, many of these languages were under threat of being lost over the years, when Aboriginal people were forced to assimilate and children were only taught English in residential schools. Today, these languages are being revitalized and passed on to future generations.

7. Not all aboriginal people live on reserve today. In fact, over half of Aboriginal people in Canada live in cities. There are now close to 800,000 urban Aboriginal people in Canada, many of whom migrate to cities in search of better educational and employment opportunities.

8. Stereotypes of Aboriginal people abound, as much of what gets reported on them in the media are bad news stories about violence, crime or tragedy. (Couldn’t the same be said for immigrants?)

 Read about how one Winnipeg-based immigrant is trying to make connections between immigrants and Aboriginal people.