Document Record

Creator

Canada. Dept. of Indian Affairs.

Title

Department of the Interior, Dominion Lands Branch : Métis and original White settlers affidavits

Identifier

lac_mikan_134034
164144
RG 15 D II 8 a i
R190-43-X-E
R190-43-X-F
Government
Aboriginal
Law and Justice
Western Canada
Genealogy
oocihm.lac_mikan_134034

Document source

Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada

Language

English

Description

The Minister of the Interior was a cabinet post responsible for federal land management, Indian affairs and natural resources extraction. Created in 1873 to replace the Secretary of State for the Provinces, it was itself replaced by two ministries in 1936: the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and the Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys (now the Minister of Natural Resources).
This collection consists of affidavits by Métis children in support of their claim to participate in the special 1.4 million-acre land grant identified under section 31, 33 Victoria, chapter 3 (the Manitoba Act) and by Métis heads of family under 37 Victoria, chapter 20. There are three different types of affidavits: Form A, which was used by Métis children over the age of 18; Form B, which was used by Métis children under the age of 18; and Form C, which was used by Métis heads of family. In each case, the affidavits give the name of the claimant, date of birth, parents' names, parish affiliation, affidavit number, and claim number. The records are filed alphabetically.
If researchers can not find a particular application in this series, they should then investigate the "HB" central registry series that is a part of the Heritage Collection which was created by the Department as a special repository for records pertaining to the Métis scrip commissions of 1885 and 1886. It is always possible that the application was withdrawn by Departmental administrators and placed in a separate case file under the "HB" registry. If it is not here, they should probably investigate the central registry of the Dominion Lands Branch.
Also included in this collection is a second (and much smaller) group of affidavits filed by Métis residents of Manitoba in support of their claim to the 1.4 million acres set aside for Métis children under the Manitoba Act. These affidavits were withdrawn from the main collection of affidavits by departmental administrators, and for some unknown reason were never integrated back into the collection. Although the affidavits were sworn between 1875 and 1877, the land grants in most cases were not awarded until the late 1890s. The affidavits are filed alphabetically according to the name of the claimant.

URL

https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_134034