INDIAN ACT (1876). An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians.

FIRST NATIONS. FIRST INDIAN ACT. Canada. Parliament.

Published by Ottawa: Brown Chamberlin, 1876

Octavo (9.25 inches). 39 Victoria, Chapter 18 (Statutes of Canada). General title leaf with Royal coat of arms; caption title, pages 43-73, with an index for the Act affixed to the verso of the last text leaf. Neatly extracted from a bound volume and expertly mended. The Indian Act, 1876 was the most important and influential legislation governing First Nations within the Dominion of Canada during the period following Confederation. It was designed by the federal government to administer Indian status, local First nations governments and management of reserve land and communal monies. The Act consolidated previous legislation concerning First Nations Peoples (including the Gradual Civilization Act, 1857) and adopted an explicit vision of assimilation in which Indians were encouraged to dispense with their ethnic status and traditional culture to become Canadian citizens. The ultimate intent of the assimilation policy was to absorb all Aboriginal peoples into white Euro-Canadian society. The Act was comprehensive, and contained one hundred Sections that touched on all aspects of Indian life. Under the Act, the interpretation of the term Indian placed stronger emphasis on male lineage in its definition of Indian status, and denied Indian status to the Metis of Manitoba because of their mixed Indian and European heritage. The system of enfranchisement (being the loss of Indian status, either voluntarily by application or involuntarily by marriage to non-Indians) was continued and broadened to impose compulsory enfranchisement for Indians that received a university degree, or who became a doctor, lawyer, or clergyman. The system of limited self-government (in which elected chiefs and Band councils served for three years) continued, as did the power of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs to impose democratic systems (whether desired by the Band members of not) and to order that reserve lands be divided into lots for Band members as a means of encouraging individual ownership of property. The Act also included many protective features, such as: severe restrictions on intoxicants and related punishments for infractions, exclusive use of reserve lands by Band members (unless otherwise specified by special license), continued exemption from provincial and federal taxes on real estate and personal property on reserves, and protection of Indian land and property from seizure for debt. There were also rules for the management and sale of minerals and timber rights, and procedures for the disposition of Indian moneys. Overall, the government continued to maintain control over Indian lands, and dictated who could purchase land, the terms of sale, and the price paid for surrenders. Interestingly, the Act made no mention of Treaties that were already in existence or in negotiation. Seller Inventory # 073

Bibliographic Details

Title: INDIAN ACT (1876). An Act to amend and ...
Publisher: Ottawa: Brown Chamberlin
Publication Date: 1876
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st Edition