Definitions

Tribal Council

An autonomous body with legislative, executive and judicial components. Contemporary councils usually represent a group of First Nations to facilitate the administration and delivery of local programs and services to their members. A tribal council’s communities are united by families and other social units, or relationships through religious, economic and political affiliations.

(First) Nation

Indigenous Peoples who are identified in Canadian law as "Aboriginal" or "Indian" (does not include Métis or Inuit). “First Nations” may refer generally to the many distinct cultural groups in Canada, and the singular “First Nation” can refer to a specific group as an organizational entity, a place, or a political affiliation. The late Justice Vickers (who granted the first declaration of Aboriginal title in Canada) characterized an Indigenous Nation in the same way that French-speaking Canadians are viewed as a “nation” within Canada – namely, a group of people sharing a common language, culture and historical experience.

Service Agency

Several communities that have come together to provide certain services for their community members.

Treaty Association

Several communities that have come together to negotiate modern treaty terms with the federal and provincial governments.

Tribes

It is difficult to have a clear definition of what a tribe is and is not.

According to Duff “On the whole, Stó:lō tribes (excluding Tait) were named clusters of villages which were felt to be related by virtue of any or all of several factors or were grouped by outsiders for description purposes. Close kinship among male nucleus of population, common environment and economic activities, common history, awareness of common traditions, political unity based on a recognition of a main leader and tribal boundaries were all integrative factors. As social and political units, however, the tribes seldom, if ever, had important functions” (p. 87).