Deck 4: Racism and Indigenous Peoples

Question 1

Prior to contact with Europeans, Aboriginal nations

A) Were largely dependent on trade from Britain
B) Had just recently arrived in what is now considered to be Canada
C) Were fully independent and organized societies
D) Were homogenous groups in terms of ethnic and racial make-up
E) Eager to interact with other peoples that they had only read about in books

Answer 1

Were fully independent and organized societies

Question 2

The doctrine of discovery that early European settlers used to justify their assumptions of political sovereignty and title to Aboriginal lands was based on the notion of _______.

A) The 'White Man's Burden'
B) The 'first-come-first-serve' principle
C) Terra nullius
D) Mens rea
E) European jurisprudence

Answer 2

Terra nullius

Question 3

In Canada, according to the text, the main victims of internal colonialism have been:

A) Aboriginals
B) African-Canadians
C) Japanese-Canadians
D) Irish-Canadians
E) All of the above

Answer 3

Aboriginals

Question 4

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) recognizes:

A) Native Indians
B) Metis
C) Inuit
D) Both Inuit and Native Indians, but not Metis
E) Inuit, Metis, and Native Indians

Question 5

Which of the following statements about Aboriginal peoples is FALSE?

A) Approximately half of all status or registered Indians live on reserves.
B) Native Canadians comprise a rich diversity of customs, languages and cultural differences.
C) Registered Indians in Canada must be affiliated with one of the 622 bands.
D) Quebec is the only province in Canada that has given Aboriginals back their original ownership of the land.
E) The interests of status Indians are today represented by 633 chiefs who make up the Assembly of First Nations.

Question 6

The Constitution Act of 1982 recognizes Native Indians, Inuit, and Metis. Inuit are Native people whose ancestral home is _______, while Metis are Natives who _______.

A) The Arctic; married white people
B) The Arctic; married non-native people
C) The Atlantic; inter-group marriage
D) The Pacific; married white people
E) The Pacific; married non-native people

Question 7

About half of status or registered Indians in Canada live:

A) In Ontario
B) In urban settings in Western Canada
C) In residential areas in the North West Territories
D) On reserves
E) On Crown Land

Question 8

Europeans used cultural differences in belief systems, practices, and forms of social organization to distinguish themselves from Aboriginal peoples. Over time, these cultural differences would be converted into _______.

A) Inferiorities
B) Environmental determinism
C) Symbolic identities
D) Economic partnerships
E) Regional differences

Question 9

Until the 18^th century, the links between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal societies were

A) Characterized by incessant violence
B) Marred by constant government interference
C) Primarily commercial
D) Based only on military alliances against independent Aboriginal nations refusing to co-operate
E) None existent

Question 10

Religion is often a central strategy in the process of colonization. What was the primary role churches assumed in their interactions with Aboriginal peoples?

A) To learn more about Aboriginal religious beliefs and practices
B) To civilize and educate Native people
C) To learn Native languages to determine what they were plotting
D) To identify religious leaders in Aboriginal communities who could be brought back to the Vatican for further training
E) To act as representatives of the Canadian state to ensure that Aboriginal rights were respected and to report violations back to the Queen.

Question 11

Once the colonial economic base changed to an emphasis on agriculture, Aboriginal nations began to witness

A) More encroachment on their lands
B) More efforts by colonial governments to encourage harmonious relations as they worked together shaping the future of the country
C) Less government funding to maintain their schools, utilities, and new housing projects
D) Less interference from colonial governments about how to govern their own societies
E) Very little change in their interactions with White settlers

Question 12

Initially, Europeans viewed Aboriginal peoples as 'savage' due in part to the ideologies that were dominant at the time. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, these early impressions were reinforced by scientific racism and __________.

A) Religious beliefs
B) Differences in I.Q.
C) Athletic capabilities
D) Social Darwinism
E) Environmental Determinism

Question 13

European settlers relied on a belief system that judged the original inhabitants of this country to be inferior. This sense of moral and cultural superiority helped Europeans _______________.

A) Conquer Aboriginal nations
B) Become world leaders in the arts, sciences, and athletics for the next three centuries
C) Develop the first democratic system of government in the New World
D) Realize that they had much more in common with Native peoples than they had first imagine
E) Justify their actions against and treatment of Aboriginal peoples

Question 14

Which colonial institution is believed to have played an important role in supporting the systematic annihilation of Aboriginal values, norms, religions, and language In Canadian history?

A) The R.C.M.P
B) The Military
C) The Church
D) The British Monarchy
E) The Mass Media

Question 15

Which state-sponsored policy attempting to assimilate Aboriginal children resulted in what many believe is a clear example of cultural genocide?

A) The European-Native Home Exchange Program
B) International Student Exchange
C) Residential Schools
D) English as Second Language classes
E) Children Services of Canada

Question 16

The legacy of residential schools remains one of the most disturbing examples of state-sponsored racism in Canada's history. The treatment of Aboriginal children in many provinces across the country were so abysmal that the situation caused

A) Children to run away
B) High death rates
C) A group of Aboriginal parents to sue the Canadian government
D) Lower levels of violent behaviour in children who attended residential schools compared to children who did not
E) Church leaders to file petitions to the Vatican about alleged human rights violations

Question 17

According to psychologist Roland Chrisjohn, what Canadian institution was formed to "make war on First Nations Languages, religions, and societies"?

A) The National Army
B) The Conservative Party
C) The United Church of Canada
D) Residential Schools
E) Canadian prisons

Question 18

Aboriginal peoples had a completely different worldview compared to the European settlers that they encountered. Thus, when it came to signing treaties with colonial governments, Aboriginal peoples did not think that they were giving up ownership of their lands, but rather __________.

A) Leasing it to settlers at low costs
B) Only agreeing to allow a few settlers to farm on the land
C) Sharing them
D) Signing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
E) Signing documents that would facilitate their own self-governance

Question 19

In 1969, the White Paper on Indian Policy, introduced by then-Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chretien, argued that Canada's Indians were disadvantaged because

A) They enjoyed a unique legal status
B) They had an ambiguous legal status
C) They had not yet successfully assimilated into Canadian society
D) They remained in the same state that they were prior to European contact
E) The government has intervened in their affairs for three hundred years

Question 20

At the time of initial sustained contact with Europeans, the Aboriginal population in North America was estimated to be at least 500 000. However, by 1871, the Aboriginal population had been reduced to approximately 100 000. Which factor perhaps had the biggest impact in drastically reducing the Aboriginal population during this period?

A) Superior military weapons
B) European diseases, such as smallpox and influenza
C) Suicide
D) Starvation
E) High death rates as a result of exploitative labour Aboriginals forced to perform

Question 21

Since the 1940s, Aboriginal populations in Canada have ______.

A) Not been counted by the Canadian government
B) Only been counted every four years
C) Remained the same
D) Been rapidly decreasing
E) Been rapidly increasing

Question 22

The Indian Act, first passed in 1876, essentially gave

A) Aboriginal nations the right to self-governance
B) Aboriginal peoples a legal framework in which to challenge European encroachment
C) Aboriginal peoples the right to have up to four elected representatives in the federal government
D) Parliament control over Indian political structures, landholding patterns, and resource and economic development
E) The Canadian government exclusive control over Western Canada

Question 23

With so few land claims being settled, how have Aboriginal peoples expressed their growing frustration with the process since the 1990s?

A) Sent petitions to Amnesty International
B) Boycotted Canadian-made products
C) Started riots in major Canadian cities
D) Engaged in acts of civil disobedience
E) Held public marches and protests in front of the Prime Minister's private residence on the 3^rd day of every month

Question 24

Identify which of the following groups is most over-represented in Canadian federal penitentiaries?

A) Eastern Europeans
B) South Asians
C) African-Canadians
D) Asians
E) Aboriginals

Question 25

An example of racism against Aboriginal women and children is the relationship between

A) Prison officials and Aboriginal men
B) Child welfare agencies and Aboriginal families
C) Private schools and Aboriginal families
D) R.C.M.P. officers and Aboriginal communities
E) Doctors and Aboriginal healers
True & False Questions

Question 26

Aboriginal peoples consented to the formation of the Canadian Constitution (the British North America Act)

Question 27

The Indian Act also set out to define "who was an Indian".

Question 28

The practice of relocating Aboriginal peoples was justified by paternalistic attitudes held by Europeans.

Question 29

In 1885, a pass system was instituted by the federal government prohibiting Aboriginal people from leaving their reserve without written authorization from their Agent.

Question 30

Studies have consistently shown that Aboriginal women have been, and continue to be, the most victimized group in Canadian society.

Question 31

The isolationist-assimilationist strategy toward Aboriginal peoples was justified by beliefs in racial equality and social justice.

Question 32

Throughout Canada's history, the federal government has made a concerted effort to ensure that Aboriginal languages, customs, and traditions have been respected and maintained.

Question 33

Residential schools were operated by individual families under the watchful eye of the provincial government.

Question 34

Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europeans to interact with the Metis on Canadian soil in 1492.

Question 35

The history of Aboriginal-White relations in Canada can perhaps be understood as occurring in seven distinctive periods.