Aboriginal Terms and Definitions

Aboriginal - according to the Constitutional Act 1982, aboriginal people of Canada include the Indian, Innu and Metis people of Canada.

Registered Indian - this is a person recorded as an Indian in the Indian Register. Usually a member of a First Nation or Band. Persons who previously lost their status as Indians can now reapply by way of Bill C-31

Treaty Indian - a member of a band (Nation) of Indians which is a signatory of a Treaty with the Government of Canada. approximately 50% of registered Indians are Treaty Indians. However, in the Prairies, where most come under treaties, the term Treaty Indian is often used instead of registered Indian or status Indian.

Non-Treaty Indian - a person who is registered as an Indian on the General List, or as a member of an Indian band (Nation) that is not signatory to a treaty. In the Prairie Provinces, the term is generally used to refer to a person of Indian Ancestry who is not entitled to be registered as an Indian under the Indian Act.

Status Indian - a person of Indian or Aboriginal ancestry who is registered as an Indian for the purposes of the Indian Act.

Non Status Indian - a person of Indian Ancestry who is not registered as an Indian. There are various reasons why persons of Indian Ancestry may not be registered as Indians. For example there may be persons or descendants of persons who relinquished their rights to register through enfranchisement, or who lost their entitlement from marriage to non-Indian before 1985.

Metis - a person of mixed Ancestry, usually European and Aboriginal descent, many of which are descendants of the Red River Settlers. The Metis have a distinct culture and are regarded as a "New Nation" within Canada. The Metis were never subjected to the provisions of the Indian Act.

Innu - the Innu are people of Aboriginal descent of Northern Canada who generally reside in the North-West Territories, although some live in Northern Quebec and Labrador. The Federal Government's power under section 91 (24) of the Constitution Act of 1867 to make laws in respect to "Indians and Lands reserved for the Indians" was interpreted to extend to the Innu, are not covered by the Indian Act.

Indigenous - is a term used at the international level to refer to people of Aboriginal descent. (i.e. Aboriginals of Australia.)

First Nations - is a term used by Aboriginal groups or Native political organizations to refer to themselves. It means the first peoples of Canada.

Alive - is a person of Aboriginal descent

Bill C-31 - the Act to amend the Indian Act was passed by the Canadian Government on June 20, 1985. The purpose was threefold:

1. That all discrimination be removed from the Indian Act.
2. That Indian status within the meaning of the Indian Act and band membership be restored to those who had lost them.
3. That Indian bands have the right to control their own memberships.

Self-Government - is the inherent right of Aboriginal peoples to run their own lives and manage their own communities.