As with most aspects of life for First Nation People in Canada, the introduction of the Indian Act in 1876 injected a seismic shift in traditional practices. Prior to the Indian Act, nations had their own traditional governing structures and protocols; the mantle and power of First Nation Chiefs was frequently passed from one generation to another. With the introduction of the Indian Act, which mandated that elections must be held every two years, traditional governing structures – the very backbone of each nation – became obsolete, or at least that was the intention of the government of the day. The enforced European election process injected confusion and undermined and destroyed traditions that were as old as time itself. Some nations, however, have maintained theirhereditary chief tradition so have bothhereditary and elected chiefs...
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 21:22:55 +0000
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