C1. Colonialism and Colonization
Specific Expectations
C1.1
demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts associated with colonialism, describing how these concepts were put into practice in what would be called Canada (e.g., the concept of terra nullius assumed that First Nations territory was “nobody’s land”, or unclaimed land, ignoring First Nations sovereignty and permitting the forced relocation of Indigenous communities; the “civilizing mission” embodied the concept that it was a duty to impose European values, leading to the suppression of Indigenous languages and cultural and spiritual practices)
- In what specific ways has the concept of terra nullius affected First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada?
- How has the concept of paternalism been used to justify the appropriation of First Nations territories?
- How have paternalistic policies challenged the role of clan mothers in First Nations matriarchal societies?
C1.2
explain some ways in which the concept of assimilation has been put into practice in Canada, and assess various consequences for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals, communities, world views, and aspirations (e.g., with reference to the residential school system, “Indian” day schools, the Indian Act, the disc number system for Inuit, the Sixties Scoop)
- How did the residential school system regulate the daily life of students? What effect did these policies have on the world views and aspirations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children and their families?
- How did the disc number system instituted by the federal government work? How did this system infringe on traditional Inuit naming practices? What connection can you make between the disc number system and the treatment of Inuit as First Nations within the scope of the Indian Act?
- How has the Indian Act used gender inequity as an assimilationist strategy? In what ways has the Descheneaux case directed the government to respond to discrimination in the Indian Act? What is the outcome to date?
C1.3
make and explain inferences about the use of political and judicial systems in Canada to enforce colonialist approaches to the ownership, development, and management of land and natural resources (e.g., with reference to treaties, the federal scrip policy, specific and comprehensive land claims, the extinguishment of title, court cases)
- How was the scrip system used to disperse the Métis? What colonialist concepts do you think motivated this policy?
- In your opinion, has the Manitoba government’s approach to the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project and the Wuskwatim hydroelectric project on Burntwood River been influenced by colonialist concepts? Why, or why not?
- In what ways did the federal government’s response to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement attempt to enforce a colonialist relationship? How did Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated v. Canada, 2014, challenge that position?