Indian Act
The Indian Act was developed to control almost every aspect of Native life and continues to dictate the way Native people are governed on-reserve. The Canadian Government passed the Indian Act in 1876 without consulting or getting consent from Native people.
As part of the Act, the long-standing, self-governing political and economic systems that sustained our people were outlawed. The Reserve and the Band Council system was imposed on us. Negotiating a treaty offers one path towards self-governance and a way for Kitsumkalum to get out from under the Indian Act.