What did the Indian Act of 1876 aim to achieve?

The Indian Act of 1876 was primarily designed to facilitate the assimilation of Indigenous peoples into Canadian society. This legislative framework sought to integrate Indigenous individuals into the dominant Euro-Canadian culture by imposing various regulations and restrictions on their governance, cultural practices, and daily lives. The Act aimed to eliminate Indigenous identity as distinct nations and enforce a standardized Canadian experience.

Under the Indian Act, many traditional practices and governance structures were undermined, and the intention was to discourage Indigenous customs and languages in favor of Eurocentric values and ways of living. By stripping Indigenous peoples of their autonomy and encouraging them to adopt settler norms, the Indian Act represented a pivotal moment in the broader policy of assimilation that characterized Canadian Indigenous policy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This objective of assimilation has had lasting effects on Indigenous communities and continues to shape discussions about rights and recognition today.