Creation of Department of Indian Affairs

Summary

The Department of Indian Affairs was created, serving as a federal body to address Indigenous peoples, their land, and resources. Formerly a branch of the Department of the Interior, this new department still fell under the minister of the interior, who became superintendent of Indian Affairs.

Implications
This department is the basis for much of the paternalistic, colonial bureaucratic policy that marked a major stage in the history of Indigenous-government relations.
Sources

Harry B. Hawthorn, ed. A Survey of Contemporary Indians of Canada, Part 1, Ch. 17, “The Politics of Indian Affairs”

Date
1880-00-00