Foreword

Recent events -- constitutional, social, and environmental -- have focused unprecedented attention on Ontario's Aboriginal peoples. These Aboriginal Peoples are closely involved in current political and legal action aiming to reshape the constitution and the future of Canada. Many of the records documenting the genesis of these peoples and this movement are scattered throughout the extensive holdings of the Archives of Ontario.

This guide seeks to inform and direct people who are researching and seeking to understand the history and legal rights of Ontario aboriginal peoples. It catalogues the documents, maps, photographs, and sound recordings in the Archives of Ontario on aboriginal subjects. It covers materials ranging from the first contacts with European incomers to the national activism of the 1980s.

Using this book, researchers can find vital information on aboriginal politics, relationships with nature and with non-aboriginal peoples, legal rights, lands, economics, religion, language, and culture. The Archives of Ontario documents historic and nation-altering events -- as well as the everyday life of Aboriginal peoples -- over two centuries.

James Morrison's guide to the aboriginal record in this Archives is thorough and clearly written. His text includes brief comments, advice, and references to these and other collections that should help researchers for many years to come. I hope that all who read this Guide will use it to explore the past and present of Ontario's first inhabitants.