First Nations is the term used in Canada to identify Indigenous peoples who are neither Inuit nor Métis. Traditionally, First Nations were peoples who lived south of the tree line and mainly south of the Arctic Circle.
There are 634 recognised First Nations governments or bands across Canada, with roughly half located in Ontario and British Columbia. North American Indigenous peoples have cultures spanning thousands of years, and many of their oral traditions accurately describe historical events such as the Cascadia earthquake of 1700 and the eighteenth-century Tseax Cone eruption. Written records began with the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late fifteenth century, with accounts by trappers, traders, explorers and missionaries providing evidence of early contact culture. Archaeological and anthropological research, alongside linguistics, has helped scholars understand ancient cultures and historic peoples. Under federal employment equity law, First Nations are recognised as a designated group.
First Nations feature in Field Notes: Tiwi rangers complete eradication of tropical fire ants from Melville Island.
