First Nations

[furst ney-shuhnz]

noun

Chiefly Canadian.

1. the Indigenous peoples of North America generally considered distinct from the Inuit and Métis (often used attributively).

   The Ministry of the Environment has worked with the First Nations, local government, industry, and area residents to create a long-term plan for the region.

   Games, stories, and hands-on exploration of artifacts helped the students connect with local First Nations cultures and histories.

2. First Nation any specific Indigenous, non-Métis, non-Inuit ethnic or language group, band, or reserve-based community.

   The Little Saskatchewan First Nation is located near St. Martins, Manitoba.

Word History and Origins

Origin of First Nations¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

For the vast majority of its history, America has literally been white by law due to white on Black chattel slavery, Jim and Jane Crow, genocide and land theft against First Nations peoples, pogroms, ethnic cleansing and other massive violence targeting Black Americans and other non-whites, and many other acts of institutional, systemic and interpersonal racism and racial animus.

From Salon

Canadian police say one person has died and at least six were injured in a mass stabbing attack in a First Nations community in the province of Manitoba.

From BBC

Graham Greene, the Canadian First Nations actor who starred in films including Dances With Wolves, has died aged 73, his manager says.

From BBC

Manifest Destiny and Western Expansion did not involve land theft and the genocide of First Nations peoples.

From Salon

Bounced back with a fine performance against the Waratahs and was strong again versus First Nations and Pasifika.

From BBC