Brianna Barrett
201800992
Arch/Hist 1005-082
McMillan, Alan and Eldon Yellowhorn. First Peoples in Canada. Douglas and McIntyre, Toronto.
2004. Chapter 1
In this first chapter, the authors, McMillan and Yellowhorn, discuss the identity, language
and culture of the many different people under the title of First Nations. It discusses where these
different people originated around Canada, and then closes with talking about different types of
researchers such as ethnographers and linguists, along with their work in the field.
One quote that stood out to me the most in this reading was near the beginning of the
chapter. The authors began talking about cultures of Aboriginal Peoples and then went on to say
that “... labels such as “Aboriginal People” necessarily homogenize a collage of people and
imply sameness where there is none.”. This quote stood out to me because it brings up an issue
that I notice a lot in our society. Labels are very prevalent in our world, they’re used to
distinguish different people into different categories, and this can sometimes be good, and
sometimes be bad. This quote indicates that many ignorant individuals may throw around the
term “Aboriginal Peoples” without truly knowing what it means, and who exactly fits into that
category. After this quote, the author goes on to explain that groups such as Indians, Inuit, and
Métis, are recognized as Aboriginal Peoples in section 35 of the Constitution act of 1982 and
that many other Aboriginal cultures continue to be recognizable today. These groups can’t get
away from the sameness that Canada has created with the concept of Aboriginal Peoples. This
quote stands out to me because it reminds me and other readers that we have to be careful
when using labels and to be aware of the differences between cultures.