The Government of Canada, in section 35(2) of the Constitution
Act of 1982, defines 3 groups of Aboriginal people in the
Constitution: Indians, Inuit and MÉTIS. Indians are categorized
as status (also referred to as registered), non-status and
treaty Indians. According to the INDIAN ACT, legislation which
was first passed in 1876 but which stemmed from similar pre-
Confederation laws, a status Indian is registered as an Indian
under the Indian Act, and a non-status Indian has not registered
under the Act. A treaty Indian is a status Indian who belongs to
a First Nation that signed a treaty with the Crown. Many Indians
in Canada self-identify using traditional terms from their own
languages. For example, Siksika replaces BLACKFOOT, Anishinabek
replaces OJIBWA, Chippewa, and Salteaux, and INNU replaces
Naskapi. To some people "Indian" is somewhat pejorative and as a
result many Indians are more comfortable with terms such as
native people, Aboriginal people, Indigenous people or FIRST
NATIONS for self-reference.