Enumerating Indigenous populations at the turn of the twentieth century

2026/05/25 by Donn Feir, Rob Gillezeau, Kris Inwood +1 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Health Professions · #Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights #Indigenous Studies and Ecology #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

paper · doi:10.1080/01615440.2026.2671668

Abstract

In 1901, the Canadian government published a summary of the Indigenous population resident within the boundaries of what would become present-day Canada. Until now, the census microdata underlying this summary has not been available to researchers. We use these newly available data from the enumerator manuscripts to provide a detailed, quantitative profile of Indigenous Peoples at this time, taking advantage of the fact that the 1901 census is the most comprehensive account of Indigenous Peoples published before WWI. We additionally document the limitations of these data and provide evidence of bias in the coverage of Indigenous economic life. Even with these concerns, we argue that the 1901 microdata provide an important benchmark that can be used to identify the effects of large-scale institutional and demographic change on Indigenous Peoples, particularly in Western Canada.

Discussions

• The 1901 population census is the single most complete tally of Indigenous peoples in territory claimed by Canada. This new paper argues the census was a colonial construction limited by its presuppos [bsky, 21 points, 0 comments]

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