Describe Indigenous governance prior to the settlement of Canada

Indigenous self-government is the body through which the Indigenous communities command
people, land and resources with the help of agreements between federal and territorial government.

For tens of thousands of years prior to the arrival of Europeans and other settlers in what is now
Canada, indigenous peoples operated under their own systems of government. The economic,
social, and geographic diversity of Indigenous peoples, as well as their cultural customs and religious
beliefs, were reflected in this indigenous self-government.

Multiple treaties, trade and alliances were established between the Indigenous people and the
colonial government. Over many years, these relations withered out slowly due to implication of
various laws and policies put in place by the colonial government. The Indian Act of 1876 knocked
down the traditional self-government of Indigenous people, forced upon external control, which
directly impacted the self-governance system of the first nations. Until 1960’s and 70’s, Canadian
government began to recognize and started supporting the self-styled indigenous government. This
was sparked by increased political activism and numerous conflicts in development of northern
Canada.

Indigenous people lived freely, flourished and governed themselves with traditions. The British
settlers called the indigenous population as uncivilized and took away their lands, resources and
imposed a ban on self-governance. Hence, the India Act came to play, which diminished the
indigenous traditional values and rights. These settlers made English and French as an official
language, forcing the indigenous population to speak English or French. As a result, their mother
tongue Cree and Ojibwa was spoken less and less. The self-government of indigenous people used to
value the advice of elders and women, but later on most of the representative of the colonial
government dealt with the men. The system of learning of indigenous nations has been circulated
from the beginning of times. The learning or education focused on cultural values, respecting and
coexisting with nature, animals, plants etc. This has helped in survival of self-governance of
indigenous people up till now. The indigenous people laid emphasis on collaborative work, wisdom
and advice of the elders which helped the community in growth. They mostly relied on collaborative
work which is evident from their councils meetings, where all the decisions were made with
collective thoughts of the members. These connections and respect for each other helped these first
nations live peacefully and build fertile relationship amongst different nations.

REFERENCES

https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100032275/1529354547314

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-self-government

http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1.3-The-Story-of-First-Nations-
Governance.pdf

https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/indigenous-self-government.php