To begin at the beginning, it is a fact that “First Nations
Thus, a person might say that they’re from the Naskapi First Nation of Kawawachikamach, or the Atikamekw First Nation of Manawan, or the Mohawk First Nation of Akwesasne, etc., identifying both the nation to which they belong and their place of origin or residence.
The federal government’s exclusive responsibility for First Nations people is derived from the Proclamation of 1763, that famous document in which the Crown affirmed its responsibility to provide “protection” for the “several Nations or Tribes of Indians with whom We are connected”, in the words of the King.
However, in reality, the Indian Act distorted this responsibility of protection by essentially making the nations and tribes to be protected wards or children of the state. In the name of protection, the government would decide what was in their best interests.
Photo credit: The Canadian Illustrated News, collection of Pierre Lepage
Photo credit: Archives nationales du Québec, Québec City