Aboriginal/Indigenous Peoples

Myth: Indigenous peoples are primitive and uncivilized.

Reality: Indigenous cultures have had very strong oral traditions, histories, and legends for centuries. Canadian Historian George Stanley writes on the issue of whether written or oral histories are better:

I am not prepared to argue whether written or oral history, law or tradition, is the more reliable. Certainly, men's memories are frequently faulty; but documents may be incomplete or ambiguous, or, at the worst, forgeries or outright lies. Who, then, has the whole truth and nothing but the truth? The Indian with his memory, or the white man with his documents? Perhaps both are struggling in the darkness of the past. Whence cometh the light?

-Source: Indian Treaty Relationships, Plains Publishing Inc., Edmonton AB., 1990

Myth: All money that goes to Indian Affairs is only for Aboriginal people.

Reality. A gross misconception that many have is that money intended for direct use by Aboriginals is not being used efficiently. Much of the money goes to the Ministry of Indian Affairs and Northern Affairs is used to fund development above the 60 th parallel and a signifigant amount is also used to fund administrative costs within the ministry.

Myth: Aboriginal people are free-loaders who expect hand-outs.

Reality. What some refer to as "hand-outs", Aboriginal people refer to as Treaty Rights. Treaties were founded many years ago as a resolution to wars between Indigenous people and the European settlers. Presently, Treaty rights are: tax exemption; free education; health services; hunting, fishing and trapping rights; reserved land; farming assistance; and, payments, annuities and special benefits. These Treaty Rights were exchanged for sharing the land. The Aboriginal philosophy is that no one owns the land.