There are 7 First Nations treaties in the province, urban reserves in Manitoba, First Nations and treaty areas in Manitoba, First Nations profiles. First Nations is a term used to describe indigenous people in Canada (sometimes referred to as Aboriginal peoples) who are not mixed-race or Inuit. This legislation also provided a definition of Indian, exempted First Nations from paying taxes, and protected them from creditors. Less than 50 years after the first land was handed over to settlers in Upper Canada, the non-First Nations population outnumbered the settler population in the Great Lakes basin.
The ocean's vast food resources, salmon, shellfish, octopus, herring, crabs, whales, and seaweed allowed the First Nations of the Pacific Coast to settle in permanent places. In response to the Nisga's request to claim land in British Columbia, the federal government approved an amendment that prohibited First Nations from raising funds to file a land claim without the express permission of the Department of Indian Affairs. To help compensate its First Nations allies for the losses suffered during the war with the Americans, the British Crown set aside two plots of land as reserves for the Six Nations, one in the Bay of Quinte and the other along the Rio Grande. The leaders of some tribes on the plains wore large headdresses made of feathers, something that some wrongly attribute to all First Nations peoples.
Among First Nations peoples (as well as among indigenous peoples, in general), socio-economic conditions have been affected by the dispossession of cultural traditions, social inequalities, prejudice and discrimination. As First Nations were responsible for educating their children, the legacy of the residential school system became increasingly evident. The British victory led to a realignment of First Nations alliances that had been in place for more than 150 years. There were many agreements between First Nations peoples before the signing of Treaty 7 of 1877, which reflected the changing nature of the territories.
First Nations leaders from across the country united in new associations and organizations determined to protect and promote the rights and interests of their peoples. There are more than 630 First Nations communities in Canada, representing more than 50 nations and 50 indigenous languages. The Treaty commissioners explained that the reserves were intended to help First Nations adapt to a life without buffalo hunting and that the government would help them make the transition to agriculture. It would fulfill this responsibility by acting as a guardian until First Nations could be fully integrated into Canadian society.
Through these schools, First Nations children should receive the same education and in the same subjects as Canadian children (reading, writing, arithmetic, and English or French). Special grants to train First Nations teachers, traditional language classes, and lessons in First Nations history and culture helped to strengthen these new education systems.
