Primary document · Text
Indian Act, 1876: archived historical text
Read the 1876 Act as historical evidence of federal administration of First Nations identity, lands and governance. This archived version must be kept separate from the current consolidated Indian Act.
Opens on the publisher’s website. This record describes a source; it does not reproduce its contents.
- Publisher / custodian
- Indigenous Services Canada
- Source date
- S.C. 1876, c. 18; assented 1876-04-12; archived transcription
- Source type
- Primary document
- Format
- Text
- Regions
- Canada, Saskatchewan
- Peoples / communities
- First Nations affected by the legislation
Read with context
Historical law and colonial terminology; this is not current law, and enactment does not show how every provision was implemented in every community.
Questions to investigate
- Identify how the 1876 legislation defined legal status.
- Compare one historical section with the corresponding subject in today's consolidated Act.
- What does this law reveal about the government that enacted it?
Access and reuse
- Access
- link-only
- Rights / reuse
- External link only in this collection. No reuse permission is granted by this record; check publisher terms before copying or hosting source material. Publisher rights information ↗
- Record checked
- 2026-09-30
Opened archived official HTML; chapter 18, assent date 12 April 1876 and historical sections appear; PDF option is linked.
Copy-ready citation
Indigenous Services Canada. Indian Act, 1876: archived historical text. S.C. 1876, c. 18; assented 1876-04-12; archived transcription. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1100100010252/1618940680392. Record checked 2026-09-30.
Saskatchewan curriculum
These are suggested teaching connections. They do not establish full outcome coverage or Ministry approval. Review the official outcome, indicators and learner task.
Suggested connection · teacher review
HC7
Examine the Indian Act, including its amendments, and explore the effects it has on the lives of First Nations.
Identify provisions in the original 1876 statute and compare them with the consolidated Act. The historical text is evidence of an earlier legal regime, not current law.
Candidate indicator: 1: Identify the elements/big ideas of the Indian Act, including its amendments.
Explore this outcome · Open official curriculum ↗