Abstract
This chapter explores the inherent complexities involved with discussions about Métis culture and contemporary architecture in Canada. While various building typologies and material cultures have existed for many Indigenous groups for centuries, there has been limited consideration of how architecture might inspire contemporary design and planning with Métis communities moving forward.
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Four important documents have established the framework for the Canadian government’s relationship with the Métis . The first is the 1763 Royal Proclamation that recognised ‘Indian’ title to land until ceded through treaty. The second is the 1867 British North America Act, later renamed the Constitution Act, 1867, which recognsed that the responsibility of the ‘Indians’ was that of the federal government. In 1982, when the 1867 Constitution was amended and combined with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part Two, Section 35(2) of the revised Constitution Act, 1982 clarified that “‘[A]boriginal peoples of Canada’ includes the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada”. Daniels v. Canada (2016) confirmed this to be binding. See Department of Justice Canada (2012).
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. I am also especially grateful for the efforts of the student research assistants working on this project, Jason Surkan and Danielle Kastelein.
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Fortin, D.T. (2018). Mixing It Up: Métis Design and Material Culture in the Canadian Conscious. In: Grant, E., Greenop, K., Refiti, A., Glenn, D. (eds) The Handbook of Contemporary Indigenous Architecture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6904-8_10
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