Indian Register

The term Indian in this article refers to Aboriginal people of Canada; not to be confused with South Asians from Indian subcontinent

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The Indian Register is the official record of Status Indians or Registered Indians in Canada. Status Indians have rights and benefits that are not granted to unregistered Indians, Inuit, or Métis, the chief benefits of which include the granting of reserves and of rights associated with them, an extended hunting season, a less restricted right to bear arms, an exemption from federal and provincial taxes, and more freedom in the management of gaming and tobacco franchises via less government interference and taxes.

History

In 1850 the colonial governments of British North America began to keep records of Indians and bands entitled to benefits under treaty. 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 Indian Act, and the many band lists were combined into one.

In 1985, the Indian Act was amended again with the goal of restoring Indian 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 have since been added to the Register.

Indian Status

The list is maintained by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Sole authority for determining who will be registered is vested in the post of Registrar.

Revocation of Status

The discriminatory reasons for revoking status were:

marrying a man who was not a Status Indian
enfranchisement (until 1960, an Indian could vote in federal elections only by renouncing Indian status)
having a mother and paternal grandmother who did not have status before marriage (these people lost status at 21)
being born out of wedlock of a mother with status and a father without.

Documentary proof of Indian Status

Since 1956 the Canadian federal government has issued an identity document to individuals who have status under the Indian Act.^[1] Traditionally these documents have been used by Aboriginals to cross the border between Canada and the United States.^[1]

Non-Status Indians

Main article: Non-Status Indian

Canadian Identity Documents

Federal Government	Passport Citizenship certificate Social Insurance Card Permanent resident Card Certificate of Indian Status Refugee travel document Canadian Certificate of Identity Firearms Possession and Acquisition Licence Old Age Security Identification Card Seafarer’s Identity Document Parolee Identification Card Armed Forces Identification Card

Provincial and Territorial	Birth certificate Driver's licence Health card Provincial Photo ID Card Provincial Liquor Card

International	Nexus Card British emergency passport International Driving Permit International Student Identity Card

Aboriginal (not recognized)	Iroquois passport

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Indian Agent (Canada)
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
The Canadian Crown and First Nations, Inuit and Métis
Canadian Aboriginal case law

Compare with

Blood quantum laws - the method of determining eligibility for treaty benefits in the United States

References

1 2 Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Frequently Asked Questions - Secure Certificate of Indian Status, 2012-04-24

External links

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada - The Indian Register (This link is no longer valid.)

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