An Act to amend ‘The Indian Act’ 1887

An Act to amend ‘The Indian Act’ 1887

19th century
Canada
British Columbia
Indigenous peoples
legislation

This document is a piece of legislation that shows us several amendments to the Indian Act, using formal vocabulary. It states that the Superintendent General has the ultimate power over native people in matters of property entitlement. The natural resources listed in the act from the ‘Indian lands’ are seized and forfeited to the Superintendent General if origins are difficult to distinguish. The act also asserts rules regarding desertion of family for men and women, hoping to maintain a European style nuclear family within First Nations culture. This amendment also prohibits public intoxication and prostitution. This amendment is historically significant because it portrays attempts to assimilate First Nations culture and asserts further control over their laws, giving power to the Superintendent General.

Canadian government

First Nations Digital Document Source

http://gsdl.ubcic.bc.ca/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=d-00000-00---off-0firstna1--00-2----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4-------0-1l--10-en-50---20-about---00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-01-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=firstna1&cl=CL5.77&d=HASH015065fe2206f18f377db9a1

23 June 1887

David Cook

First Nations Digital Document Source

English

Textual - government legislation

19th Century British Columbia