First Nations genealogy

Canadian census

Canadian censuses often recorded information about ethnic heritage. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds the records for all official Canadian censuses.

You can search for your ancestor by name.

• Select your census of choice[URL]
• Enter your name term in the Surname and/or Given name(s) fields.
• You may want to try a Keyword search
  • Note adding the word “Indian” to your search may help narrow results

Census records in RG10

In addition to the national census, there are a few census returns specific to a limited number of Bands. Early census records in RG10 were mostly statistical in nature and did not identify all individual in the First Nation population. Some were just lists of First Nation heads of families.

Starting in 1871, Indian agents began to count the total population of each band in their area. This allowed CIRNAC/ISC to include statistics on the band population in its published annual reports. Students in Residential schools were also counted in some years.

In 1939, CIRNAC/ISC began instructing departmental agents to record the names, sex, age, marital status and band number of every “Indian.” After 1951, the Indian register became the means of recording this information.

Not all Indian census records found their way into the RG10 fonds. Some did not survive; others have not been transferred to LAC.

Provincial and territorial government offices record births, marriages and deaths. These are also known as civil registration records. Those offices may transfer older records to the provincial or territorial archives. Information about the records and where to find them is found in researching your ancestors in birth, marriage and death records

Researchers should also consult church records for this type of information.

In 1951, the federal government created the first national register of every known individual entitled to Indian status under the Indian Act. CIRNAC/ISC maintains this register.

If your Status Indian ancestor was alive in 1951 or was born since 1951 with Indian status, or acquired Indian status since 1951, then this register will include them.

We hold a paper copy of the Indian Registers, 1951-1984 in Ottawa. Finding aid 10-94 is a digital file list of these registers that can be searched by band in the Collection Search database.

These documents have access restrictions.

There are many different types of membership lists that might be useful.

Records created about bands

Members of bands are recognized by the government by a band number or ticket, a government issued identification number given to a family or an adult living alone in a band.

A band is sometimes referred to by the name recognized by its own members, such as Chippewas of Nawash, Algonquins of Barriere Lake, etc., but generally the band name does not contain the name of the tribe or nation to which it belongs.

Over the years, many bands amalgamated, surrendered their treaty rights or changed their names. It is important to know the dates of interest when searching for band information.

Binders of reference cards with Band history information are available at the Genealogy desk at LAC in Ottawa. These cards contain such band information as name of agencies, treaty numbers, dates and the name changes. They can provide information about the relationship between the bands the field offices that administered them.

Because the band history cards contain restricted information, the cards must be consulted by the staff on behalf of the researcher.

The following Finding Aids can help with searching the cards:

• Finding aid 10-12: Guide to Indian Bands and Agencies in Western Canada, 1871-1959
  • Finding aid 10-157: Guide to Indian Affairs Field Office Organization in Ontario, 1845-1990
  • Finding aid 10-202: Guide to Indian Bands and Agencies in British Columbia, 1875-1990
  • Finding aid10-249: Répertoire des agences et des bureaux locaux du ministre des Affaires indiennes au Québec, 1763-1995
  • Finding aid 10-475: Guide to Indian Affairs field Office Organization in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, Confederation to late 20th century

Membership registers and lists

Band membership lists before 1951 are scattered throughout RG10 fonds, mostly in agency, district, superintendency and regional office records.

Descriptions of membership lists can be found in the Collection Search database using the name of the Band, and “RG10”. Many of these documents can’t be accessed for privacy reasons. You will have to submit an Access to Information and Privacy request to view these documents.

Posted lists

The posted lists consist of band membership lists for all of Canada posted in 1951. These lists were posted in communities excluded before the establishment of the first centralized Indian register. Posting lists allowed band members to protest individuals who were included or excluded from the band.

The files are described in FA 10-100. File information can be found in the Collection Search database using keywords such as the names of bands and agencies. These documents have access restrictions.

Enfranchisement files

Enfranchisement meant losing legal identity as an “Indian” in the eyes of the government to become a full Canadian citizen, with all the rights and privileges attached. This process was enshrined in the Indian Act of 1876, which consolidated several pieces of colonial legislation in force at the time. Enfranchisement could be voluntary or forced upon an individual by the government for various reasons.

Most individual case files are searchable by the names of individuals in the Collection Search database.

Descriptions of records relating to enfranchisement can be obtained from the Collection Search database using the keyword "enfranchisement" at the series and government records levels. Some files do not have the keyword “enfranchisement” in their titles, you may try searching using the file numbers related to this topic, for example, RG 2 or RG10 and file 37-3, e6015, or 5090. Many of these documents have access restrictions, because they contain personal information.

Treaty annuity paylists, 1850-1982, and the Interest Distribution paylists, 1856-1982

A treaty annuity was an annual payment made by the Crown to band members whose band had entered into a treaty. These payments are documented in the paylists.

Originally, these paylists record payments of money made to selected members of a band (generally the heads of families) and contained only those names. However, between 1893 and 1951, the paylists contained the names of the other members of a band.

These records do not exist for all bands. Treaty annuity paylists exist only for those bands that were signatories to a treaty. Interest distribution paylists exist only for those bands that distributed interest monies to their membership.

Most of the paylists found in the field office records and in the agency records are duplicates; however, some contain additional annotations by the agent, and some show other kinds of information. Lists in the RG10 files can be located through finding aids (FAs) 10-91, 10-109 and 10-116.

• Most treaty annuity paylists in FA 10-91 are listed by treaty number or name; therefore, a band's pay list can be found in the lists for the treaty to which a band belongs. For example, if your ancestor’s First Nations was part of Treaty 1, search for Treaty 1 paylists. FA 10-91 can be searched using the Collection Search.
• FA 10-91 is ordered by volume number, not alphabetical or chronological. To locate a paylist, Each entry in the Finding aid lists the dates, volume number, reel number and file description.
• FA 10-109 is sorted by the order of the volume number in which the original records are organized. The finding aid covers:
  • 1946 to 1987 for the treaty annuity paylists
  • 1938 to 1964 for the interest distribution paylists. The file descriptions give the band names and their location.

  Although the Province of Quebec is not a treaty area, two bands in this province, the Abitibi Dominion Band and the Abitiwinni, are listed with the bands that obtained annuity payments. FA 10-109 can be searched using the Collection Search.

• FA 10-116 provides a page reference for locating treaty annuities for the bands in treaties 4, 6 and 7 for the years 1874 to 1884. For the years from 1884 to 1955, the records are organized alphabetically within each year. This finding aid also contains the microfilm shelf list for the annuity paylists.

Treaty annuity paylists and interest distribution paylists dated after 1909 are restricted and subject to review under the Privacy Act before information on individuals can be released.

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development fonds (RG10) contains estate files and wills from the 1880s to the early 2000s. Search for these using Collection Search using the keywords Estate and the person’s name.

Indigenous soldiers have served in several conflicts. Some records that may be useful:

• War of 1812
• Military Medals, Honours and Awards, 1812–1969

First World War

• Personnel Records of the First World War database can be searched by name
• Additional files of interest can be found on our First World War: Personnel records page.

Second World War

• Service Files of the Second World War - War Dead, 1939-1947

For Second World War files of those who survived the war, submit an application through the Access to Information and Privacy Act.

Some First Nations veterans were forcibly enfranchised as a result of their voluntary enlistment in both the First and Second World Wars, and subsequently lost Indian Status and the right to live in their communities.

You may find relevant information about your ancestor in the Residential School files.

There are some references to First Nations groups and individuals in these government documents.

On our Orders-in-Council help page you can find out about the records and how to search them.

Here are two examples to illustrate the kind of genealogy information found in some of these records:

• Surrender of water lot by Wyandotte Indians of Anderdon Township, 1880 This document includes the names of many of the male band members and a statement by Chief Joseph White of the town of Windsor, wine merchant.
• In the 1890 Claim of Floretta C. Maracle of the Mohawk Indians, Tyendinaga, it explains that she was one of six daughters of William Maracle and his wife, who drowned in 1863.

LAC holds copies of many newspapers published in First Nations communities. We are also contributing to a project to digitize Indigenous newspapers. These publications can help you understand what was happening in these communities from an Indigenous perspective.

Digitized versions of these newspapers can be found here:

• Windspeaker (Edmonton, AB): catalogue record
• Ha-Shilth-Sa (Port Alberni, BC): catalogue record
• Turtle Island News (Ohsweken, ON): catalogue record
• Nunatsiaq News (Frobisher Bay, NWT): catalogue record

To search for other newspapers and community newsletters in our Aurora catalogue, try subject keywords such as:

• a place or province
• newspapers
• periodicals
• Indigenous peoples

Some First Nation peoples have published their own histories. These publications can include stories that might help you better understand the experiences of your ancestors. They may also include information about specific individuals. You can search Aurora to find these publications.

Names have changed over time, and library subject headings have not always caught up. Among the keywords, there is some outdated language. Try these keywords, which are the library subject headings used rather than the phrase First Nation:

• Indigenous peoples
• Indians of North America Canada

Also try these keywords:

• biography or biographies
• genealogy
• a place
• the name of a First Nation

Our genealogy staff have compiled a list of books in our Aurora catalogue to give you an idea of the range of publications available. These books include information about individuals.

Each title in this list includes the author and the LAC call number.

• If the call number includes the word genealogy, that means the book is in the genealogy room at our Ottawa location. Example of a call number: Genealogy Ref. - CS88 A2 A38 2003

You can click on a title in the list to open the full catalogue entry. Then if you scroll down, you will see a list of other libraries that hold copies. You can also check your local library’s online catalogue.

Every federal government department produces a report on the work they did each year. The reports written by the Indian agents describe the people, places and events in their area.

You can search the reports by name, place or other keyword in Indian Affairs Annual Reports, 1864-1990.

See the help page for information on reports after 1990.

We have other collections relating to First Nations people. Here are ones that relate specifically to genealogy:

Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Fort Good Hope Mission (R559-0-2-E)

This is a register of genealogies of 309 Dene people from Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Espérance mission, Fort Good Hope in the Northwest Territories. It includes dates of birth and other family details, as well as a name index that helps you find the relevant pages. For more information, see the Scope and content section of the fonds description. The register is on microfilm M-8718. It is not digitized.

Joseph Brant and family (MG19-F6)

This fonds includes some family papers of Six Nations Chief Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant) and his descendants that were collected by the Kerr family. The items are listed in the finding aid, which also includes a chart of the Brant family tree. Read more about this fonds and the ten lower level descriptions. The finding aid and the Kerr collection are digitized on microfilm C-6818.

Cosmogony of De-Ka-na-wi-das' Government of the Iroquois Confederacy (MG19-F26)

This fonds relates to the Six Nations of the Grand River, 1885. It includes some lists of names. See the Scope and content of the record description and view the digitized document.