An Induction to Indigenous Populations

 Yesterday Team Canada had an information session on 'An Induction to Indigenous Populations'.

So what does Indigenous mean? 

The term indigenous refers to, or relates to, the people who originally lived in a place, rather than the people who moved there from somewhere else. 
In Canada this refers to the First Nations, Inuit and Metis people. 

There are more than 630 First Nation communities in Canada, which represent more than 50 Nations and 50 Indigenous languages. 

 In the 2021 census by Statistics Canada, over 1.8 million people in Canada identified as Indigenous, making up 5 per cent of the national population. 

First Nations – traditionally lived south of the treeline (the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing) and south of the Arctic Circle. There are 634 recognised First Nations Government sin Canada. Half of these are in Ontario and British Columbia. The First Nations encompasses several different groups and languages. 

The Inuit inhabit the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. This is Northern Canada and the language encompasses Eskimo-Aleut as well as Inuit and Inuit Sign Language.  
                                                            

The Metis inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. The Metis descend largely from the French and speak either French or an indigenous language such as Cree, Anishinaabemowin or Denésoliné, 

                                                       

Centennial College is built on land that originally belonged to the people of the First Nation. 
Centennial has a commitment to working with people from the indigenous population and ensure equality of access to the programs they offer. 
We learned that there as some issues for indigenous populations, which included often poor health, lower levels of education, inadequate housing, lower income levels, higher unemployment, higher death rates. 
This training gave students an insight into the differences in culture between indigenous populations in Canada and the culture of our students travelling from Scotland. 
When in Canada, we will continue learning about Indigenous populations and educate further. We plan to visit museums and experience the food and culture of the indigenous population. 

Here is a link to further information about Indigenous Peoples in Canada that I found interesting! 

Indigenous Peoples in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia