Do you want to know the true history of Canada? Have you heard conflicting information about
indigenous history in Canada and you're not sure what to believe? In today's video,
we're clearing up all of the details. Keep watching to find out the most important
moments in indigenous history in Canada. Hi there. I'm Mallory. Welcome back to the Tribal
Trade channel, where we share new videos every single week about smudging, indigenous culture,
and native teachings. Make sure you subscribe and hit the bell for new videos every single week.
If you want to know the truth of Canada's history, then you've come to the right place. But before
we get into it, why was the truth covered up in the first place? Indigenous people have always
known Canada's history, but many Canadians have never heard the stories or learned
about the challenges that have faced indigenous communities throughout the history of this nation.
The reason the truth is often avoided in Canadian history is because it's very dark
and complicated. Canada's history is rooted in the oppression of indigenous people, dating all
the way back to the creation of the nation we know now as Canada. Indigenous people are the
original inhabitants of the land, land that was ultimately taken away from indigenous people.
As a result, the people with the power controlled the story, and the truth behind Canadian history
doesn't always make for a pleasant story or something nice to teach children in schools.
But now since more information is coming out about the true history of oppression in Canada,
more people are interested in learning the truth of Canada's history. It can be a bit confusing,
especially when we were taught one thing in school and now we're learning something different. That's
why today we are explaining eight key moments in history for indigenous Canada that will help you
understand the truth of the history of indigenous people in Canada. Now let's get into it.
The first key moment in history for indigenous Canada is the Indian Act of 1876. The Indian Act
is a Canadian federal law that governs Indian status, bands, and Indian reserves. Basically
it allows the Canadian federal government to control the affairs and day-to-day lives of
registered Indians and reserve communities. It can range from political control to controlling
how indigenous people practice their cultures and traditions. The Indian Act has undergone
many amendments since 1876, but it is still largely in place today, the same as it was back
then. This is one of the first and primary ways that Canada has asserted control over indigenous
people. So that's the first key moment. Now moving on to number two. The second
key moment in history for indigenous Canada is the creation of residential schools in 1884. And 1884
amendments to the Indian Act of 1876 allowed the creation of Indian residential schools,
which were funded and operated by the government of Canada and churches as well. The schools were
created to make indigenous children assimilate into Canadian culture. Children at these schools
were forced to adopt European languages, as well as religions and routines. Basically forcing them
to abandon their indigenous language, cultural beliefs and way of life. Experiences at these
schools were often traumatic and still impact the lives of many adult indigenous people today.
Now on to number three. The third key moment in history for indigenous Canada
is residential schools becoming mandatory in 1920. In 1920, the 1876 Indian Act was amended again
to make residential schools mandatory for every indigenous child aged seven to 16. This pulled
indigenous children out of their homes and forced them to live at residential schools instead.
It's estimated that over 150,000 Indian, Inuit and Metis children, ages four to 16,
attended Indian residential schools. Now on to number four. The fourth key
moment in history for indigenous Canada is the residential school network expansion
in 1930. So 10 years later, in 1930, more than 80 residential schools were in operation across
Canada, the most at any one time in history. At this time, enrollment expanded to over 17,000
indigenous children in residential schools that had been operating for nearly 50 years. Have you
heard about any of these moments in history before? Let me know in the comments below. If
you've heard one that's new to you, let me know which one is new to you in the comments as well.
Now the fifth key moment in history for indigenous Canada is the Sixties Scoop.
The Sixties Scoop was a period of time between the late 1950s and the early
1980s. More amendments to the Indian Act gave provinces control over child welfare on reserves.
During this time, more than 20,000 children were scooped from their homes and adopted into
non-indigenous families, which left many children feeling like they lost their cultural identity.
Now the sixth key moment in indigenous history for indigenous Canada is the Indian Residential School
Settlement Agreement in 2007. It wasn't until 2007 that the truth about the residential
schools really came to light. That year, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement
provided compensation to survivors, including payments based on the number of years
the person attended a residential school. The agreement also focused on funding and supporting
indigenous health, including addressing claims of abuse from those who attended the schools. This
agreement also established the funds for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which would go on
to fully research what was going on at residential schools and seek justice for the survivors.
Now on to the seventh key moment. The seventh key moment in history for indigenous Canada is
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
released a final report on the residential school system and the experiences of survivors. The TRC
called Canada's treatment of indigenous people, cultural genocide, and called for 94 actions aimed
for recovering from the legacy of residential schools and assisting the reconciliation process.
Now on to number eight. The eight key moment in history thus far for indigenous Canada
is the uncovering of graves belonging to residential school children in 2021. The legacy
of the residential schools continues all the way into recent history. The last Indian residential
school located in Saskatchewan didn't close until 1996. In 2021, 215 unmarked graves were found at
a former residential school. One month later, 251 graves were at another. This led to a huge search
where the government of British Columbia committed $12 million to helping First Nations search
for more unmarked children's graves. 160 undocumented and unmarked graves were later
found at Penelakut Island. This discovery of these graves was really what pushed the issue of
residential schools into the public eye, leading to a search for truth about Canada's history.
Were you taught about residential schools when you were in school? Let us know in the comments below.
Now you know these eight important historical moments and can understand the truth of
Canada's history. You're taking part in an important part of the reconciliation process.
Share this video with people who also want to know about the truth of Canada's history,
and be sure to like, and subscribe so that you never miss a video about indigenous culture,
about traditional knowledge of the indigenous people of Canada and the United States.
If you've reached this point of the video, comment below with the word banana.
Thank you so much for watching guys. I hope you have an amazing day. I appreciate you for taking
part in this video so that you can do your own part in the truth, reconciliation and resiliency
process that we all strive for as indigenous people of Canada and of Turtle Island.