The Indian Act – A High-Level Picture
The Indian Act (which received royal assent in April of 1876) was intended to manage and control different aspects of the lives of indigenous peoples of Canada. The act was amended many times (nearly every year between 1876 and 1927). The goal of the Act was to eradicate First Nations culture via assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. The act over time managed different areas of life for indigenous peoples including: identity (who was a status Indian), governance (structures that replaced traditional governance systems), land (control and management of first nations land such as reserves), culture (banning traditional ceremonies like potlatch due to pressure from missionaries), mobility (the pass system was created requiring first nations peoples permission to leave their reserve area), enfranchisement policies (requiring giving up Indian status and cultural identity to gain Canadian citizenship rights including the right to vote), women’s rights (women who married non-Indigenous men lost their status and rights), residential schools (an 1884 amendment to the Indian Act mandated the creation of residential schools, funded and operated by the Government of Canada and Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and United churches).
According to the Assembly of First Nations, the Indian Act was created and amended to give the government full control over the lives of Indian peoples.
The Indian Act of 1876 was created to advance on some legislation passed earlier, which pushed for the assimilation of indigenous peoples. This included the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857 which created rules for voluntary enfranchisement, meaning that you would lose your rights as a status Indian but would be able to vote in elections. In addition, the government would give those who voluntarily enfranchised up to 50 acres of land from within their home reserve. Only 1 person voluntarily enfranchised, and so this Act was seen as a failure.
In 1869, the government passed the Gradual Enfranchisement Act, which included a forced, automatic enfranchisement policy where men were enfranchised without their permission if they were deemed good enough (e.g., educated, employed, or Christian).
The Indian Act of 1876 was subsequently passed to continue these assimilationist practices. A quote from Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, in 1887 states:
“The great aim of our legislation has been to do away with the tribal system and assimilate the Indian people in all respects with the other inhabitants of the Dominion as speedily as they are fit to change.”
A later quote by Duncan Campbell Scott (Deputy Superintendent General of Indian Affairs) in 1920 further describes this policy:
“Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic, and there is no Indian question, and no Indian department.”
All the controls and measures in the Indian Act were meant to achieve this policy of eliminating the “Indian question” and the cultures and way of life of indigenous peoples. This was to be fully replaced by a mainstream Euro-Canadian-centric approach for all indigenous peoples.
