First Nations, Inuit and Métis

Grace is thirty-one. She came from Cameroon, and she works as a personal support worker in Kingston. Every night, she practises the Oath of Citizenship at her kitchen table. She knows most of it by heart. But one line always stops her. The Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Who are these peoples, she wonders? And why are they in my oath?

So here's the question. Who are the First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and what does the guide say about their history? Remember, this is a free, independent course. It is not a government course.

The guide's chapter called Who We Are begins with Aboriginal peoples. Aboriginal means the first peoples of a land. The guide uses that word, so I'll use it too. The guide says their ancestors are believed to have come from Asia, many thousands of years ago.

Their rights to land were first guaranteed by the Royal Proclamation of seventeen sixty-three, under King George the Third. A proclamation is an official announcement from the King. A treaty is a formal agreement.

The guide also tells a painful part of this story. From the eighteen hundreds until the nineteen eighties, many Aboriginal children went to residential schools. These were schools where children lived away from their families. In two thousand eight, the federal government in Ottawa formally apologized to the former students.

The guide names three distinct groups. First Nations are the first group. The term came into use in the nineteen seventies. About half of First Nations people live on reserve land, in about six hundred communities. A reserve is land set aside for a First Nation. The second group is the Inuit. Inuit means the people, in the Inuktitut language. They live in the Arctic.

The third group is the Métis. They are a distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry. Ancestry means the people you come from. Most Métis live in the Prairie provinces, and they speak Michif. Of all Aboriginal people, the guide says about sixty-five percent are First Nations, about thirty percent are Métis, and about four percent are Inuit.

Now, Grace's line. Words about Aboriginal and treaty rights were added to the oath in twenty twenty-one. Today, new citizens promise to observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Let's make it stick. Picture three bowls of rice. The biggest bowl is First Nations, about sixty-five. The middle bowl is Métis, about thirty. The smallest bowl is Inuit, about four. Big, middle, small. First Nations, Métis, Inuit. And one more word to keep. Inuit means the people.

Here's a common confusion. Some people think Inuit is just another name for First Nations. It isn't. The guide names three separate groups. The Inuit live in the Arctic. The Métis are of mixed ancestry, mostly on the Prairies. And First Nations are the largest group.

The mistake people make is guessing that the Métis or the Inuit are the largest group. First Nations are the largest, at about sixty-five percent. The Inuit are the smallest, at about four percent.

Here's the one thing to remember. There are three Aboriginal peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Inuit means the people. The Métis are of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry.

This week, read the start of the guide's Who We Are chapter. Then say the last lines of the oath out loud, slowly, like Grace. Next time, English, French, and the many peoples of Canada.