Canada’s Dark Side: Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s 150th Celebration

By

Susan Neylan

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A map of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories.

Canadian Provinces and Territories

A map of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories.

Monument to aboriginal war veterans.

National Aboriginal Veterans Monument

Monument to aboriginal war veterans from World War I to the present in Confederation Park, Ottawa.

A conference between French and Indian leaders.

French and Indian Conference

A conference between French and Indian leaders.

A 2017 sign in Montreal.

Jacques Cartier

A 2017 sign in Montreal calling the European explorer who named Canada “a thief for taking an entire country in the name of the king and his master called it New France.”

A 2006 map of the dominant self-identified ethnic origins of Canadians.

Canadian Ethnicity

A 2006 map of the dominant self-identified ethnic origins of Canadians.

Protesters on Parliament Hill during Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations in 2017.

Teepee on Parliament Hill

Protesters on Parliament Hill during Canada’s 150^th birthday celebrations in 2017 [photo credit: TML Weekly Information Project].

A sign celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Stand For Canada

A sign celebrating Canada’s 150^thanniversary on which protesters added the words “Indigenous Rights.”

Canada 150 Logo

The logo for Canada’s 150^thanniversary composed of “celebratory gems” representing Canada’s 13 provinces and territories.

An estimated 3,000 supporters of the Idle No More movement.

Idle No More on Parliament Hill

An estimated 3,000 supporters of the Idle No More movement occupied Parliament Hill in 2013.

A protest in 2013 by members of the Nipissing First Nation and non-Aboriginal supporters.

Idle No More Protest

A protest in 2013 by members of the Nipissing First Nation and non-Aboriginal supporters in Ottawa over weakened environmental laws.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking in front of Parliament.

Trudeau on Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking in front of Parliament in 2016 about missing and murdered indigenous women.

A 2016 art installation depicting the backlog of unsolved cases.

Cold Cases

A 2016 art installation depicting the backlog of unsolved cases with a sign proclaiming “Indigenous women cold cases. Because we do nothing.”

A community-based art installation at Algoma University.

Walking With Our Sisters

A community-based art installation at Algoma University in 2016 to commemorate murdered or missing women and children from indigenous communities.

A 1777 depiction of French and Indian fur traders.

Fur Traders in Canada Trading with Indians

A 1777 depiction of French and Indian fur traders.

Students of St. Anne’s Indian Residential School.

St. Anne’s Indian Residential School

Students of St. Anne’s Indian Residential School in Fort Albany, Ontario around 1945.

A 2017 sign in Montreal emphasizing the 375 years of colonization, oppression, and resistance since European arrival.

375

A 2017 sign in Montreal emphasizing the 375 years of colonization, oppression, and resistance since European arrival.

An 1884 painting depicting the Conference at Quebec in 1864.

Conference at Quebec in 1864

An 1884 painting depicting the Conference at Quebec in 1864, which settled the basics of confederation for the British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

A sign in Halifax commemorating Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Canada 150 Sign

A sign in Halifax commemorating Canada’s 150^th anniversary in 2017.

A map of the population density of indigenous people.

Indigenous Population

A map of the population density of indigenous people at the start of the 21^stcentury.

An 1836 map depicting the estimated areas of First Nation tribes.

First Nations Map

An 1836 map depicting the estimated areas of First Nation tribes in the 1600s.

A group of Chehalis First Nations around 1910.

Chehalis First Nations

A group of Chehalis First Nations around 1910.

Métis at Fort Dufferin in Manitoba.

Métis at Fort Dufferin

Métis at Fort Dufferin in Manitoba who were hired as scouts for a border survey in 1872.

An Inuit family in 1917.

Inuit Family

An Inuit family in 1917.

The Canadian Minister of the Interior explaining the terms of Treaty #8.

Treaty #8

The Canadian Minister of the Interior explaining the terms of Treaty #8, an agreement between Queen Victoria and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area over land and entitlements, in 1899.

Prince Arthur at the Mohawk Chapel in Brantford, Ontario.

Prince Arthur at Mohawk Chapel

Prince Arthur at the Mohawk Chapel in Brantford, Ontario with the Chiefs of the Six Nations in 1869.

Nakoda chieftains meeting with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

Nakoda Chieftains and the King and Queen

Nakoda chieftains meeting with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II in Calgary in 1939.

A replica of the Covenant Chain Wampum.

Covenant Chain Wampum

A replica of the Covenant Chain Wampum presented at the conclusion of the Council of Niagara in 1764.

A map of the approximate borders of treaties between First Nations and Canada.

Numbered Treaties

A map of the approximate borders of treaties between First Nations and Canada.

An 1883 advertisement for land in western Canada.

Canadian Pacific Railway Land Advertisement

An 1883 advertisement for land in western Canada.

A Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development sign.

Indian Reserve Notice

A Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development sign in the Canadian Museum of History.

An 1890 Department of Indian Affairs sign.

Intoxicating Liquor Notice

An 1890 Department of Indian Affairs sign in the Canadian Museum of History.

An 1859 painting of the Klallam people.

Klallam Potlatch

An 1859 painting of the Klallam people of Port Townsend, WA during a potlatch.

An 1894 painting of a potlatch ceremony.

The Walas’axa

An 1894 painting of a potlatch ceremony held by the Kwakwaka’wala-speaking people of British Columbia.

The flag of the Odanak First Nation.

Odanak First Nation (Abenaki)

The flag of the Odanak First Nation (Abenaki).

The flag of the Haida First Nation.

Haida First Nation

The flag of the Haida First Nation.

The flag of the Ouje Bougounou Cree First Nation.

Ouje Bougounou Cree First Nation

The flag of the Ouje Bougounou Cree First Nation.

The flag of the Eel Ground First Nation.

Eel Ground First Nation

The flag of the Eel Ground First Nation (also known as Natuaqanek).

The flag of the Innu Nation of Quebec and Labrador.

Innu Nation

The flag of the Innu Nation of Quebec and Labrador.

The flag of the Kawawachikamach Band of the Naskapi Nation.

Kawawachikamach Band of the Naskapi Nation

The flag of the Kawawachikamach Band of the Naskapi Nation.

The flag of the Bandera Red Earth Cree.

Bandera Red Earth Cree

The flag of the Bandera Red Earth Cree.

The flag of the Nisga’a Nation.

Nisga’a Nation

The flag of the Nisga’a Nation.

The flag of the Iroquois Confederacy, Hiawatha Belt.

Iroquois Confederacy

The flag of the Iroquois Confederacy, Hiawatha Belt.

The flag of the Míkmaq State flag.

Míkmaq Flag

The flag of the Míkmaq State flag.

The flag of the Temagama Ojibwa First Nation.

Temagama Ojibwa First Nation

The flag of the Temagama Ojibwa First Nation.

The flag of the Shishalh.

Shishalh First Nation

The flag of the Shishalh.

Duncan Campbell Scott.

Duncan Campbell Scott

Canadian Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Duncan Campbell Scott, in 1933.

Richard Henry Pratt with a student.

Richard Henry Pratt

Richard Henry Pratt with a student at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in the 1880s.

The Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School.

Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School

The Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School in Ontario in 1932.

Students and a teacher at the All Saints Indian Residential School.

All Saints Indian Residential School

Students and a teacher at the All Saints Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan in 1945.

Students and staff at an Indian School.

Indian School in Saskatchewan

Students and staff at an Indian School in Saskatchewan in 1908.

The Qu’Appelle Indian Industrial School.

Qu’Appelle Indian Industrial School

The Qu’Appelle Indian Industrial School in Saskatchewan around 1885.

An Indian Day School at Bear Island.

Bear Island School

An Indian Day School at Bear Island, Ontario in 1906.

The dormitory of the All Saints Indian Residential School.

All Saints Indian Residential School Dormitory

The dormitory of the All Saints Indian Residential School in 1945.

Students and staff of an Indian Day School in Ontario.

Indian Day School

Students and staff of an Indian Day School in Ontario.

Children and nuns around 1950 at an Indian Residential School in Quebec.

Quebec Indian Residential School

Children and nuns around 1950 at an Indian Residential School in Quebec.

Female students sewing at an Indian Residential School.

Northwest Territories Indian Residential School

Female students sewing at an Indian Residential School in the Northwest Territories.

The farm at St. Luke’s English Church Mission School.

St. Luke’s English Church Mission School

The farm at St. Luke’s English Church Mission School in the Northwest Territories around 1922.

A 2012 report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

They Came for the Children

A 2012 report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine.

Phil Fontaine

Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine in 2008.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine.

Stephen Harper and Phil Fontaine

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine during Harper’s apology in 2008.

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

The logo for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Assembly of First Nations

The logo for the Assembly of First Nations.

A 2017 Public Policy Forum conference.

Calls to Action

A 2017 Public Policy Forum conference to discuss strategies for implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s health-related Calls to Action.

An image celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday.

Happy 150th Birthday Canada

An image celebrating Canada’s 150^th Birthday.

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

Canada Day Celebrations

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

Canada Day Celebrations

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

Canada Day Celebrations

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

Canada Day Celebrations

2017 Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver.

A map showing the percentage of children under 14 in foster care who are First Nations, Métis, or Inuit.

Caught in the System

A map showing the percentage of children under 14 in foster care who are First Nations, Métis, or Inuit.

Demonstrators in Ottawa during 150th anniversary celebrations.

Our Home on Native Land

Demonstrators in Ottawa during 150^thanniversary celebrations.

A commemorative bank note.

Ten Dollar Bank Note

A commemorative bank note featuring Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir George-Étienne Cartier, Agnes Macphail, and Canada’s first indigenous senator James Gladstone.

The Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Centennial Flame

The Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

The flag of Nunavut.

Nunavut Flag

The flag of Nunavut featuring an Inuit, a traditional Inuit land marker.

A map of Canada with the Nunavut territory in red.

Nunavut Map

A map of Canada with the Nunavut territory in red.

A 2018 rally in Saskatchewan calling for justice for Colten Boushie.

Indigenous Lives Matter

A 2018 rally in Saskatchewan calling for justice for Colten Boushie.

A sign in Vancouver commemorating Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Canada 150

A sign in Vancouver commemorating Canada’s 150^th anniversary.

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