Aboriginal Rights Review Activity

The Fight for Aboriginal Rights Review

Topic: Self-Government, Land Claims & Cultural Recognition (1980s-2000s)

Test your understanding of Aboriginal peoples' struggle for rights, recognition, and reconciliation in Canada.

Part I: Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the best answer for each question.

1. Who was the Grand Chief who first spoke publicly about residential school abuse in 1990?

2. The Assembly of First Nations was formed in which year?

3. The last government-run residential school closed in:

4. The Algonquin land claim covers approximately how many square kilometres?

5. Nunavut was created in which year?

Part II: True or False

Determine whether each statement is true or false.

6. Specific claims arise from areas where no treaties were ever signed with Aboriginal peoples.

7. Bill C-31 gave Aboriginal band councils the power to decide who had the right to live on reserves.

8. The Algonquins were party to the Rideau Purchase treaty of 1819-1822.

9. Aboriginal rights were entrenched in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

10. Tomson Highway is a Cree playwright from Manitoba.

Part III: Matching Aboriginal Rights Concepts

Match each term with its correct definition. Click on items to select them.

11. Match the Aboriginal rights terms with their definitions:

Terms:

Specific Claims
Comprehensive Claims
Self-Government
Non-Status

Definitions:

Claims based on unfulfilled treaty obligations
Claims to land never surrendered by treaty
Right to control education, culture, and justice systems
Aboriginal people without formal federal recognition

Part IV: Critical Thinking Questions

Answer the following questions in 4-6 sentences each. Analyze causes, effects, and historical significance.

12. Analyze the significance of Phil Fontaine's 1990 revelations about residential school abuse. How did this event change Canada's approach to reconciliation with Aboriginal peoples?

13. Evaluate the challenges and complexities involved in Aboriginal land claims, using the Algonquin case as an example. What factors make these negotiations difficult?

14. Assess the significance of Nunavut's creation as an example of Aboriginal self-government. What does this achievement represent for Indigenous rights in Canada?

15. Analyze how Aboriginal artists like Tomson Highway, Daphne Odjig, and Joseph Boyden contribute to Canadian culture and Aboriginal rights advocacy. Why is cultural expression important in the fight for recognition?