The UBCIC's Digital Collections offer a variety of research and informational materials. There are four research collections in addition to a series of collections created with digitized materials from the UBCIC Archives that document the history of the UBCIC and First Nations in British Columbia. All of the collections can be accessed through the links below. If you have any comments about the collections, please contact the UBCIC Resource Centre.
UBCIC Digital Collections Library
Since its founding in 1969, the UBCIC has produced many texts and images as part of its advocacy and outreach work. Many of its photographs, posters, and periodicals are available in these digital archives.
The UBCIC 7th Annual General Assembly, which took place in Chilliwack, BC, in April 1975, forever altered the Indigenous political landscape of British Columbia. At this meeting, UBCIC members voted to reject all government funding – a refusal that signified the rejection of Canadian law and government control of band programs.
Research Collections
First Nations Digital Document Source (FNDDS) is a collection of electronic documents supporting First Nations land rights research. The FNDDS is owned collectively by the Claims Research Units across Canada.
Federal and Provincial Collections of Minutes of Decision, Correspondence, and Sketches are materials produced by the Joint Indian Reserve Commission and the Indian Reserve Commission, 1876-1910
Our Homes Are Bleeding is a multimedia collection focused on the cut-off lands in BC including the records of the McKenna-McBride Royal Commission, 1913-1916. (The Minutes of Decision of the McKenna-McBride Commission are available here.)
A new legal research collection dedicated to Louise Mandell has been developed in honour of her contributions to Indigenous peoples and the law.
For Educators
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to historical and contemporary legal decisions that have shaped the landscape of Aboriginal Title and Rights. By reviewing precedent-setting legal decisions and federal/Crown legislation (such as the Royal Proclamation, 1763; Indian Act, 1876, and the Constitution Act, 1982), students will develop an understanding of how Canadian legal decisions have impacted the social, cultural, economic, and political livelihood of Indigenous People in Canada.
Our Homes Are Bleeding is a multimedia collection focused on the cut-off lands in BC including the records of the McKenna McBride Royal Commission, 1913-1916.
Other Collections & Resources
The repatriation of the Constitution was a moment of crisis for Aboriginal people with the realization in 1980 that proposed versions to the "new" constitution would effectively end recognition of Aboriginal title and rights.
In 1980, the Spallumcheen Band Chief and Council passed a by-law for the care of Indian Children. This by-law was passed in reaction to an alarmingly high percentage of Indian children being removed from their homes by non-band agencies. The Spallumcheen band recognised the vital importance of the children to the community and wished to assert their authority to care for their children. The Band argued that the removal of the children from their homes not only had a detrimental impact on the child but also had an adverse effect upon the strength and social order of the community. They wished to find suitable solutions and arrangements within their own community and resort to non-Indian placement only as a last resort.
Stolen Lands, Broken Promises
Researching the Indian Land Question in British Columbia (Second Edition)
Stolen Lands, Broken Promises is intended as a practical, hands-on resource for Indigenous community members wanting to conduct research on a variety of issues affecting traditional territory and reserve lands in British Columbia. It is designed to guide researchers through the processes of planning and successfully completing lands-related research projects that have a strong historical component.
Includes conference proceedings from:
- Implementing Delgamuukw: Legal Implications for Aboriginal Title Research (March 1999)
- Protecting Knowledge: Traditional Resource Rights in the New Millennium February (2000)
A select list of UBCIC publications.
View contemporary and selected archival video on UBCIC's YouTube channel