Terminology

Aboriginal Peoples (Indigenous Peoples is preferred): The descendants of the original inhabitants of North America. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people: First Nations, Métis and Inuit. These are three separate peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

Anishinabek: A group of culturally related Indigenous Peoples that include the Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Oji-Cree and Algonquin peoples.

First Nation: Among its uses, the term “First Nations peoples” refers to the Indian peoples in Canada, both Status and non-Status. Some Indian peoples have also adopted the term “First Nation” to replace the word “band” in the name of their community.

FNMI: First Nations, Métis and Inuit. An inclusive acronym commonly used to refer to the Indigenous groups recognized by the Canadian Constitution.

Haudenosaunee: A group of First Nations made up of the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk and Tuscarora nations. Called the Iroquois Confederacy by the French, and the League of Five Nations (sometimes Six Nations) by the English, the confederacy is properly called the Haudenosaunee Confederacy meaning People of the Long House.

Indian: The term “Indian” collectively describes all the Indigenous people in Canada who are not Inuit or Métis. The term refers to the legal identity of a First Nations person who is registered under the Indian Act. The term “Indian” should be used only when referring to a First Nations person with status under the Indian Act, and only within its legal context. Aside from this specific legal context, the term “Indian” in Canada is considered outdated and may be considered offensive.

Indian Act: Canadian federal legislation, first passed in 1876 and changed several times since. It sets out certain federal government obligations and regulates the management of Indian reserve lands, Indian moneys and other resources. The Indian Act provides the legal context under which First Nations people receive ‘Indian Status’.

Indigenous: A term used to refer broadly to peoples, like Aboriginal, of long settlement and connection to specific lands who have been adversely affected by incursions by industrial economies, displacement, and settlement of their traditional territories by others.

Inuit: An Aboriginal people in Northern Canada, who live in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Northern Quebec and Northern Labrador. The word means “people” in the Inuit language — Inuktitut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk. The Inuit are not covered by the Indian Act.

Métis: People of mixed First Nation and European ancestry who identify themselves as Métis, as distinct from First Nations people, Inuit or non-Aboriginal people. The Métis have a unique culture that draws on their diverse ancestral origins, such as Scottish, French, Ojibway and Cree.

Native: A general term that refers to a person or thing that has originated from a particular place. The term “native” does not denote a specific Aboriginal ethnicity (such as First Nation, Métis or Inuit).

Treaties and Treaty Rights: First Nations signed treaties with various British and Canadian governments before and after Confederation in 1867. No two treaties are identical, but they usually provide for certain rights, including reserve lands, annuities (a small sum of money paid each year), and hunting and fishing rights.

Sources: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, ETFO’s Spirit Horse site and the Canadian Encyclopedia