INST 203: Unit 1 - Identity: social, political,
psychological and legal consequences
Questions and Answers
Cree people an Indigenous group that experienced changes due to the introduction of
guns and horses.
Plains Indians Indigenous peoples whose way of life was centered around the buffalo.
European diseases illnesses brought by Europeans that severely impacted Indigenous
populations.
population decline the decrease in numbers of a population, such as the Plains Indians
coinciding with the disappearance of the buffalo.
guardianship the legal status imposed on Indigenous peoples by the Canadian federal
government post-Confederation.
, Indian Act A law introduced in 1876 that formalized the federal policy of Indian
assimilation and initiated the reserve system.
Reserve System A system created to geographically isolate Indigenous people, forcing
them to change their language, customs, and religious beliefs.
Christianization A strategy aimed at converting Indigenous peoples to Christianity as part
of the assimilation process.
Residential Schools Educational institutions designed to assimilate Indigenous children
into Euro-Canadian culture.
Enfranchisement The process of giving up Indian culture and assimilating to the Euro-
Canadian way, often involving loss of legal identity as an Indian.
Demographic Changes Significant shifts in the population distribution of Indigenous
peoples in Canada since the end of World War II.
psychological and legal consequences
Questions and Answers
Cree people an Indigenous group that experienced changes due to the introduction of
guns and horses.
Plains Indians Indigenous peoples whose way of life was centered around the buffalo.
European diseases illnesses brought by Europeans that severely impacted Indigenous
populations.
population decline the decrease in numbers of a population, such as the Plains Indians
coinciding with the disappearance of the buffalo.
guardianship the legal status imposed on Indigenous peoples by the Canadian federal
government post-Confederation.
, Indian Act A law introduced in 1876 that formalized the federal policy of Indian
assimilation and initiated the reserve system.
Reserve System A system created to geographically isolate Indigenous people, forcing
them to change their language, customs, and religious beliefs.
Christianization A strategy aimed at converting Indigenous peoples to Christianity as part
of the assimilation process.
Residential Schools Educational institutions designed to assimilate Indigenous children
into Euro-Canadian culture.
Enfranchisement The process of giving up Indian culture and assimilating to the Euro-
Canadian way, often involving loss of legal identity as an Indian.
Demographic Changes Significant shifts in the population distribution of Indigenous
peoples in Canada since the end of World War II.
