Question

explain some of the policies and pieces of legislation that transformed the self government of first people to state control as outlined by Mawhiney and Hardy

Answer 1

ANS. According to Mawhiney (1994), overtly, Christianity was an attempt to salvage and convert the Native peoples. Covertly, it was also used to control Native customs and behaviour. In many cases, missionaries spearheaded the first white contact with Native peoples and were successful in learning Native languages and mores (Ponting, 1986). The Indian missions discouraged spiritual and ceremonial practices (Elias, 1991; Gibbons & Ponting, 1989; Jordan, 1986; Ponting, 1986). For example, missionaries sent to convert the Northwest Coast tribes viewed the potlatch3 ceremonies as “the enemy” (Steckley & Cummins, 2008) and as an obstacle to the adoption of Christianity. The potlatch ceremony was banned in 1884 and the Sun Dance4 was banned in 1895 along with other traditional ceremonies.The Federal government was blamed for being neglectful in the way it addressed issues relating to Native peoples (Mawhiney & Hardy, 2005). Canadian child welfare authorities recognised the damage caused by assimilative approaches so by 1990 the Federal government made an effort to support and fund Native child welfare agencies (Hick, 2006). Initially these Native child welfare agencies were underfunded and were required to follow mainstream regulations. However, over time the need for a Native approach to healing was recognised.

Many Aboriginal people in the province and the country see self-government as a way to preserve their culture and attain greater control over their land, resources, and administration of laws and practices that affect their lives. Aboriginal groups argue they have an inherent right to self-government because they were the first people to govern Canada and did not willingly surrender their autonomy to European settlers; this argument is supported by the Canadian Constitution and was acknowledged by the federal government in 1995.

Aboriginal governments may take many forms in Canada, but usually provide their members with greater control over political, economic, social, and cultural affairs within their communities. Negotiations toward self-government are lengthy and usually involve Aboriginal, federal, and provincial representatives; land claim agreements are often a part of the process. Aboriginal governments work within the framework of the Canadian Constitution, which provides that they work in relation to other levels of government, whether federal, provincial, or municipal.The federal department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) negotiates and puts into effect land claim and self-government agreements on behalf of the Canadian government. Negotiations are often lengthy, lasting for years or even decades, and must go through a series of steps, including a Framework Agreement, an Agreement-in-Principle, a Final Agreement, Ratification, and implementation. Before the process begins, however, Aboriginal groups must first research, write, and submit proposals to the department; the government will either reject or accept the document for negotiation. If rejected, Aboriginal groups may perform more research and submit a revised proposal.