Polygamy Made Illegal

In the wake of an influx of Mormons to Canada, the government passed legislation making polygamy illegal. However, this law also had implications for Indigenous nations where polygamy was accepted practice. The Mormon immigration provided an opportunity for the government and churches, whom had actively discouraged polygamy amongst Indigenous groups since the 1880s, to make polygamy illegal. Indian Agents, however, had already assumed it was illegal. Thus, the introduction of the law, while officially extending the jurisdiction of the state over Indigenous couplings, did not in practice change the actions of Indian Affairs officials.