The Indian Register is the official record of people registered under the ''

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' () is a Canadian Act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still in force with amendments, it is the primary document that defines how t ...

'' in Canada, called status Indians or ''registered Indians''. People registered under the ''Indian Act'' have rights and benefits that are not granted to other First Nations people,

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

, or

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

, the chief benefits of which include the granting of reserves and of rights associated with them, an extended hunting season, easier access to firearms, an exemption from federal and provincial taxes on reserve, and more freedom in the management of gaming and tobacco franchises via less government interference and taxes.

History

In 1851 the colonial governments of

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

began to keep records of Indians and bands entitled to benefits under

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

. For 100 years, individual Indian agents made lists of members who belonged to each band. In 1951, the current Indian Register was established by amendment of the ''

'', and the many band lists were combined into one. In 1985, the ''Indian Act'' was amended again with the goal of restoring First Nations status to people who had lost it through discriminatory provisions of the act, and to their children. Over 100,000 people who had lost their status in this way were added to the register.

Registration under the ''Indian Act'' ("Indian status")

The list is maintained by

Indigenous Services Canada Indigenous Services Canada (ISC; ; )''Indigenous Services Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Indigenous Services (). is one of two departments in the Government of Canada with respo ...

. Sole authority for determining who will be registered is held by the Indian Registrar.

Revocation of status

The discriminatory reasons for revoking status were: * marrying a man who was not registered under the ''Indian Act'' * enfranchisement (until 1960, an Indian could vote in federal elections only by renouncing their status as a person who was registered under the Indian Act, i.e. their "Indian status") * having a mother and paternal grandmother who were not registered under the ''Indian Act'' (these people lost status at 21) * being born out of wedlock of a mother who was registered under the ''Indian Act'' and a father who was not.

Documentary proof of Indian status

Since 1956 the Canadian federal government has issued an identity document to individuals who are registered under the ''Indian Act''. Traditionally these documents have been used by First Nations people in Canada to cross the border between Canada and the United States under the

Jay Treaty The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, commonly known as the Jay Treaty, and also as Jay's Treaty, was a 1794 treaty between the United States and Great Britain that averted ...

. The document is called a certificate of Indian status or secure certificate of Indian status. It is often called a "status card".

Non-status Indians

Notes

References

External links

Indigenous Services Canada
{{Canadian Identity Documents First Nations in Canada Canadian Aboriginal and indigenous law Government documents 1850 establishments in Canada