Indian Act Research Paper

The Indian Act is just one of many policies developed by the government of Canada in order to assimilate and colonize First Nations people of Canada. The Indian Act sets forth racist, colonizing and assimilating properties in order to control First Nations people and ensure their right to self-determination is abolished. Women’s rights, property rights, and self-determination are just three aspects of the Indian Act that has negatively impacted First Nations people in Canada throughout history and to this day. The Indian Act especially impacted women as it took away their right to status in certain circumstances. Property rights were also affected as the government took away the rights to the land, and continues to use it for their benefit today. Lastly, the Indian Act has not helped First Nations people and their fight for self-determination in Canada, more so it has attempted to assimilate and completely colonize First Nations people without regard for their right to self-government. The amendments to the Indian Act were done to fix the wrong doings of the original Indian Act, however the Indian Act still has a far way to come before it is completely fair and acknowledges the rights of the First Nations people in Canada

The Indian Act was set forth in order to colonize and assimilate First Nations people
Boldt (1993) also writes, “The Canadian government originated its pre-1985 Indian status/band membership lists (the Indian registry) primarily on the basis of biological ancestry and pre-contact band membership, without any stated cultural standard” (p. 206). Many people do not understand the extent in which the Indian Act controls First Nations people. The government has used their power to fully control most aspects of First Nations peoples lives without consideration of the rich culture and traditions as well as ignoring their right to self government. Onderkova (2015)