Assembly of First Nations (AFN)
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) serves as the political voice for First Nations in Canada, representing 634 distinct tribes that are the original inhabitants of the land. Formed in 1978 during a conference of chieftains addressing self-governance and political representation, the AFN emerged to unify diverse First Nations and advocate collectively to the Canadian government. Led by a national chief, currently Perry Bellegarde, and supported by regional chiefs, the organization operates on a republican model where each tribe elects its own chief to participate in decision-making assemblies held at least twice a year.
The AFN aims to address pressing issues affecting its member tribes and works to steer the national discourse on Indigenous matters, thereby seeking solutions and policy changes that benefit First Nations as a whole. It encompasses a wide range of tribes, including both status and non-status groups, while excluding the Inuit and Métis. Through its mandate, the AFN is committed to representing the interests of First Nations and advocating for their rights in the context of historical injustices and ongoing challenges faced by Indigenous communities in Canada.
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Assembly of First Nations (AFN)
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an organization that acts as the political voice for the First Nations of Canada. The First Nations encompasses all the regional tribal groups, Aboriginal groups, and original inhabitants of Canada before European settlement, with the exception of the Inuit and the Métis. It is led by the national chieftain and a council of regional chieftains.
The AFN meets at least twice a year in a chieftain assembly to discuss important issues relevant to the First Nations. Its members then discuss courses of action to combat those issues and may pass referendums that are binding to the First Nations. The AFN also seeks to steer the national discourse and advocate to the Canadian government as a whole, as opposed to individual tribes handling discussions.
Background
Aboriginal peoples in Canada were the original inhabitants of the continent. Most existed in a tribal structure, interacting and warring with neighboring tribes. The Aboriginal tribes in Canada governed themselves long before the arrival of the Europeans. Some existed in an isolationist fashion, working only within their tribal structure. Others existed as part of large confederations, such as the Iroquois Confederation.
The Iroquois Confederation was a unified group of more than fifty tribes, each ruled by its own chieftain. The chieftains adopted laws, mitigated disputes between various tribes, and brokered alliances with other nations. All laws were adopted by consensus among the chieftains.
Once the Iroquois Confederation declined after European immigration and intervention, the Aboriginal peoples of Canada looked for another way to politically organize themselves. In Canada, Aboriginal peoples became subject to the Indian Act, a controversial grouping of laws that governs the lives of Aboriginal people and their descendants.
In compliance with this act, the League of Indians of Canada was formed in 1919. It was designed to combat the unfair treatment of Aboriginal veterans, who had fought for Canada in the First World War. But the league quickly branched into an organization for the general advocacy of the Aboriginal peoples throughout Canada. The Canadian government felt that the League of Indians of Canada interfered with its efficient treatment of the Aboriginal peoples and refused to cooperate with the league in any way. In 1938, the league fractured into several smaller groups.
By that time, the Indian Act had been passed, which limited the freedoms of Aboriginal peoples by forcing them to change their names to Anglicized versions, forcing Aboriginal children to be educated in specific schools, forbidding the speaking and teaching of native languages, and forbidding the creation of Aboriginal political organizations. While the Indian Act was originally intended to force Aboriginal peoples to assimilate into Western society, it has come to be viewed as a tool of cultural oppression.
One amendment to the Indian Act, adopted in 1927, banned Aboriginal peoples from forming political organizations independent of the Canadian government. Despite this amendment, Canadian Aboriginal peoples formed the National Indian Council in 1961. It lasted just six years before splitting into the National Indian Brotherhood, which was composed of tribes considered Aboriginal peoples by the Canadian government, and the Native Council of Canada, which was composed of tribes not considered Aboriginal peoples by the Canadian government.
Overview
In 1978, a conference composed of all the chieftains of the Canadian Aboriginal tribes was held to discuss the state of self-governance and political representation among the Canadian tribes. The chieftains felt that the current divide between status (government recognized) and non-status (non-government recognized) tribes was dividing the peoples and a new organization needed to be formed. The conference announced that during this decision, it would be the sole voice of the Aboriginal tribes that still populated Canada. The only groups not included were the Inuit tribes and the Métis. Both status tribes and non-status tribes were included. Over the next several years, the conference evolved into the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).
The AFN represents the collective governing of 634 Canadian tribes. It functions as a republic, not a democracy. Each tribe elects its chieftain, which is its individual leader and representative. The chieftain attends the conference, imbued with the voting power of the entire tribe. The chieftains vote on who should be the national chief, who leads the conference and thus all the tribes. The national chief is assisted by ten regional chiefs, who each represent multiple tribes. Elections for the regional chiefs and the national chief are held every three years.
The national chief and regional chiefs are assisted by the chair of the elder council, the chair of the women's council, and the chair of the youth council. Decision-making chief assemblies are held at least twice annually, and more often if a pressing issue demands attention.
The tribes governed by the AFN are each distinct, individual groups. However, many of the groups share common linguistic and historic roots. Many tribes are organized into larger tribal nations, each with its own linguistic roots. More than fifty nations are represented in the AFN.
The AFN advocates to the Canadian government for the tribes it represents. The chiefs-in-assembly decide where to steer the national narrative. Through discussions and resolutions passed at the chief assembly, the AFN can guide the national narrative toward whatever problems currently need to be addressed among the nations. It can hold thorough discussions to determine these problems and the best course of action for mitigating them.
During the 2010s and 2020s, the AFN opposed the construction of Canada's two largest pipeline projects. These projects were intended to transport oil from the Alberta oil sands, sparking fears in indigenous groups. They worried that an oil spill could devastate the native lands through which the pipeline would travel. In 2024, a group of Alberta chiefs alleged that some First Nations were denied registration to the special chiefs assembly in Ottawa. In response, they called for the dissolution of the AFN.
Bibliography
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