A poster used to advertise Aboriginal Day out West.

The decision by the Canadian government to name the day it set aside to honour First Peoples leaves a lot to be desired. A great many First Nation Peoples, and Inuit, resent being called Aboriginals. We are the descendants of great Nations, Mi’kmaq, Cree, Maliseet, Mohawk, and so on, and would like to be recognized as such, not shoved into a melting pot called “Aboriginal”. Why wasn’t it called “First People’s Day”, which leaves an impression that there are a great many cultures involved?

One cannot help but wonder if the promotion by Canada’s government of the use of the term Aboriginal, to lump together First Nations and Inuit, was done to provide a tool to help it speed up assimilation? If so, it seems to be working. I lecture at schools, secondary and post, and am often asked by students if I speak Aboriginal. When I inform them that there is no such thing as an Aboriginal Nation in Canada, but a multitude of First Cultures, with distinct languages and customs, they are astounded.

If we want to keep and preserve our ancient national identities we must insist on recognition of First Nation affiliation by Canadian society. As a proud Mi’kmaq I shall never celebrate “Aboriginal Day” until such time it is renamed to indicate that there are a multitude of National First Nation and Inuit identities. “First Peoples Day” would suit me fine!

Please visit the following URLs to get a wider perspective on why being branded Aboriginal is negative to the best interests of First Nations and Inuit:

http://www.danielnpaul.com/Mi'kmaqFirstNation.html