Native Studies 10

First Nations, Metis, and Inuit: Understanding the Distinctions

Unit 1 Handout 4

Learning Goal:  I can explain the differences between First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples and use accurate, respectful language when referring to each group.

Canada's Indigenous peoples are not one group. First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples have distinct histories, languages, territories, cultures, and legal relationships with the Canadian government. Using accurate language is a form of respect.

First Nations

First Nations peoples are the descendants of the original inhabitants of Canada. There are over 630 First Nations communities across the country, speaking more than 60 distinct languages. In Saskatchewan, major First Nation groups include the Cree, Nakoda (Assiniboine), Saulteaux (Ojibway), Lakota, and Dakota peoples. Each nation has its own governance structures, cultural traditions, and relationship to the land.

Some First Nations people are registered under the Indian Act and live on reserve land. Others are non-status or live off reserve. The Indian Act is a government document. It does not define what it means to be Indigenous. Indigenous peoples define themselves.

Metis

Metis people emerged from the relationships between First Nations women and European fur traders, primarily French and Scottish. A distinct Metis culture developed on the Plains, with its own language (Michif), its own governance through the buffalo hunt councils, its own music, its own legal traditions, and its own political consciousness. The Metis fought for their land and rights under Louis Riel in 1869 and 1885.

Metis people do not live on reserves and were long excluded from treaty rights. The Metis Nation of Saskatchewan represents Metis citizens in this province today.

Inuit

Inuit peoples are the original peoples of the Arctic: northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and Russia. In Canada, most Inuit live in Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec), Labrador, and the Northwest Territories. Inuit have their own language family (Inuktitut), their own legal rights, and their own governmental agreements with Canada, including the creation of Nunavut in 1999.

Language Note

The word 'Eskimo' is considered offensive by Inuit peoples and should not be used. 'Indian' is a historical legal term used in the Indian Act but is not preferred by most people. 'Indigenous' and 'Indigenous' are broader terms used when referring to all three groups together. When possible, use the specific nation name: Cree, Metis, Inuit, rather than a general term.

The Right to Self-Define

For most of Canadian history, governments and institutions decided what Indigenous people were called, who counted as Indigenous, and what rights they held. The Indian Act assigned legal status. Residential schools stripped names and replaced them with numbers. These external labels did real harm to identity. Indigenous peoples have asserted the right to define themselves by their own nation, language, family, and relationship to the land.

References

1.    Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. (2023). About the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. Retrieved from https://www.mn-s.ca

2.    Assembly of First Nations. (2023). About AFN. Retrieved from https://www.afn.ca

3.    Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. (2023). About ITK. Retrieved from https://www.itk.ca

4.    Royal Commission on Indigenous Peoples. (1996). Report of the Royal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (Vol. 2). Canada Communication Group.

5.    Lawrence, B. (2004). 'Real' Indians and Others: Mixed-Blood Urban Native Peoples and Indigenous Nationhood. UBC Press.