First Nations

January 1, 1925

When it comes to the plight of the Aboriginal peoples, not much has changed since 1900.

Aboriginal bands continue to assert land claims, usually receiving little satisfaction. In 1913, the Nisga'a assert their claim to the Nass Valley. They are told that they had received their land "as a matter of charity" from the Queen's land.

Aboriginal children continue to be sent to residential schools, often against their parents' wishes. The native way of life of most aboriginal people, including the Inuit of Northern Canada, is being fundamentally undermined by the encroachment of white culture.

Aboriginal people meet at the Samson Reserve in Alberta to form the League of Indians of Canada in order to oppose federal policy on Indians, and to demand freedom of religion. The Potlach remains banned.

In 1924, two Inuit are tried and hanged for the murder of 4 Inuit and two whites, including an RCMP corporal. Before the trial, even the defence lawyer of the accused said that the two should be publicly hanged as a warning to all Inuit. Their graves were dug before the trial was completed.