Aboriginal peoples and communities
"Aboriginal peoples" is a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. The Canadian constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples: Indians (commonly referred to as First Nations), Métis and Inuit. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. More than 1.4 million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, according to the 2011 National Household Survey.
Aboriginal communities are located in urban, rural and remote locations across Canada. They include:
- First Nations often located on lands called reserves
- Inuit communities located in Nunavut, NWT, Northern Quebec (Nunavik) and Labrador
- Métis communities across the country
- Urban communities of Aboriginal people (including Métis, non-Status Indians, Inuit and First Nation individuals) in cities or towns which are not part of reserves or traditional territories (for example, the Indigenous community in Winnipeg).
Find out more
- Urban Indigenous peoples
- First Nation Profiles
- Kids' Stop
- First Nations in Canada
- A history of treaty-making in Canada
- Map room
- Aboriginal arts, culture and heritage
- People to People, Nation to Nation: Highlights from the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996)
- Royal Commission Report on Aboriginal Peoples (1996)
- Governance
- Terminology
- INAC's mandate
- INAC's YouTube channel
- Aboriginal and Northern Success Stories
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