Aboriginals: Introduction

Aboriginal peoples – also known as First Nations, Indians, and native peoples – once played a central role in Canadian society but over time were shunted to the background as Europeans, from the late eighteenth century onwards, confiscated native lands for agriculture, mining, forestry, and other forms of natural-resource extraction. During this long period, the economic marginalization of aboriginal peoples was exacerbated by horrific loss of life to disease and by systematic efforts of the state and Christian churches to remake natives culturally while also controlling them politically. Then, in the 1940s, aboriginal peoples began to emerge from the shadows, taking advantage of their increasing numbers and better political organization as well as the growing economic importance of the lands many of them still controlled. Their demands for justice became more insistent, and, in the 1980s and 1990s especially, their political leaders made them a formidable force in protracted disputes over land claims, constitutional renewal, and recognition of minority rights. By the last decade of the century, aboriginal peoples were once again at the forefront of Canadian life.