Comments on: Indian land claim roundup

By: Magic Statistics

Magic Statistics — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:55:14 +0000

Ontario first nation claims Sudbury…

Some might say they can have it. Oh, and they want over half a trillion dollars as well.
First Nation's land claim seeks $550B, entire City of Sudbury
A First Nation is seeking $550 billion in financial compensation for the loss of land and …

By: Aric

Aric — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:35:22 +0000

I prefer the term “second-most-recent nation”. Over the long haul, countries are fleeting things.

By: Walter Olson

Walter Olson — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:46:30 +0000

Very helpful clarification, thanks.

By: Bill Poser

Bill Poser — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:39:56 +0000

The term “First Nation” is indeed politically correct, but its neutral equivalent in Canada is not “tribe”. In Canada the unit of Indian government is the “band”. A band typically consists of one main settlement but may contain more than one. Bands may unite to form a “tribal council”, but many bands do not belong to any tribal council. Tribal councils serve mainly for joint delivery of services; bands are generally loath to delegate much power to their tribal council. The term “tribe” has no legal meaning in Canada. It is occasionally used to refer to an ethnic group without respect to political divisions, e.g. “the Mohawk tribe”, but this usage is relatively rare due to the preference for “nation”, e.g. “the Mohawk nation”.

Also note that “First Nation” is not exactly equivalent to “aboriginal”. Canadian law recognizes three types of “aboriginal” person: Indian, metis, and Inuit. Only Indians are considered “First Nations”.