Indigenous Reserves

Many countries relocated indigenous peoples to make room for the settlement of newcomers. Canada and the United States created “reserves” and “reservations,” respectively, for this purpose. Because of their unique histories, and legal and political status, reserves and reservations differ from their surrounding territories. They are reminders of First Nations’ and Native Americans’ original ownership of the land in these two countries and the colonial processes that dispossessed them of their lands. Reserves and reservations continue to be culturally important communities for many First Nations and Native American peoples. This entry describes some characteristics and histories of reserves and reservations, pointing out similarities and differences between the two countries.

In Canada, Indian reserves are defined under the Indian Act (1976) as tracts of land set aside for the use of a First Nation band. The term First Nations reserve is more commonly used today. According to the U.S. Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, Indian reservations are lands managed by Native American tribes. In total, there are more than 600 occupied reserves in Canada, with an average size of 1,176 ha (hectares) (2,907 acres). Indian reservations in the United States tend to be larger. There are about 310 reservations in the United States, with an average size of about 180,000 acres. Nine U.S. reservations contain more than 1 million acres each.

A Navajo family gathers in its traditional home, called a hogan, on the Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona. While there are exceptions, most reserves and reservations are characterized by low levels of economic development and high levels of poverty.

Source: National Geographic/Getty Images.

While most reserves in Canada were created subsequent to treaty negotiations, some were created through other means, including grants to missionaries, purchases by First Nations, and federal and provincial legislation. Where reserves were created through treaty negotiations, First Nations chiefs attempted to create “homelands,” negotiating farming supplies and instructions. These reserves tend to be larger than reserves in Quebec, the Maritimes, and British Columbia, which were created primarily with the intent of facilitating assimilation. In Canada, most reserves were created through one legal strategy and are located on or near the First Nations’ traditional territory. In the United States, some reservations were created through treaty negotiations, which established reserves on tribal territories. Subsequent to the 1830 Indian Removal Act, many tribes were moved to reservations outside their traditional territories to clear land for settlement in the Eastern United States. Some reservations were purchased by a tribe or by the federal government, others were created through gifts, and some were created through executive orders or acts of Congress. Currently, most reservations contain lands obtained through different processes with resulting differences in legal status. Many reservations are located outside tribes’ traditional territories.

Subsequent to their establishment, the size of reserves and reservations in both countries was reduced. In Canada, this took place through expropriation, the surrender of land by First Nations communities (some illegally obtained), [Page 1572]and legislation. In the United States, the size of reserve lands was reduced by almost 60% by the 1887 General Allotment Act, which transferred tribal lands to individual private ownership, with subsequent sales. In the 1950s reserve lands were further reduced when the status of 61 tribes was terminated because they were regarded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as no longer requiring federal assistance. The reduced size of reserves and reservations negatively affects possibilities for economic development.

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