Three distinct groups
Aboriginal peoples is the collective term, and it covers three groups the guide treats separately. The term First Nations came into use in the 1970s; “Indian” refers to Aboriginal people who are neither Inuit nor Métis.
- First Nations — about half live on reserve land across roughly 600 communities, the other half mainly in urban centres.
- Inuit — living in small, scattered communities across the Arctic. Inuit means “the people” in Inuktitut.
- Métis — a distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry, most of them in the Prairie provinces, with their own dialect, Michif.
The proportions the guide gives
The study guide states the breakdown as roughly 65% First Nations, 30% Métis and 4% Inuit. It is the kind of figure the test asks for directly, so it is worth learning as given.
Founding peoples, and rights in the Constitution
Canada’s three founding peoples are Aboriginal, French and British. Aboriginal peoples were long established here before the first European explorers arrived, and their ancestors are believed to have migrated from Asia many thousands of years ago.
Aboriginal and treaty rights are part of the Canadian Constitution. Territorial rights were first guaranteed by King George III in the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which set the basis for negotiating treaties with the newcomers.
Residential schools
From the 1800s until the 1980s the federal government placed many Aboriginal children in residential schools, intending to assimilate them. Aboriginal languages and cultural practices were mostly prohibited there. In 2008 Ottawa formally apologised to the former students.
The guide covers this directly, and so does the test.