First Nations reserves – Western Canada
Search this database to find maps and plans that relate to First Nations reserves and settlements in Western Canada. This includes British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories (as well as areas that are now part of Nunavut but were formerly part of the Northwest Territories). Dates range from 1770 to 1990 but are mostly 1880 to 1919.
In common usage, a reserve is also referred to as a First Nation or First Nation community.
On this page
Search tips
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In the All of these words box, enter a keyword such as:
- the name of the reserve, agency, place or settlement
- the name of a person
- a subject
- Optional: for Date, enter a specific year or a range of years
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Optional: in Specific terms, select "Reserve number" or “Microfiche number,” then enter it in the box to the right
- Reserve number refers to the agency or reserve number
- NMC or C prefixes are no longer commonly used. If you are entering a microfiche number, just enter the number without the NMC or C prefix
- Search with multiple specific terms by clicking on the “+” to the right of the text box
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Optional: in the Province box, select the province or territory
- Only Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and the Yukon are available as options
Place and reserve names
Since the database contains descriptions of old documents, you may need to search with historical names, outdated expressions and/or words whose spellings or meanings have changed over time. Some records have been updated with current names, but most will still have older terms (for example, Hobbema is now Maskwacis, but the records should be searched using the old name).
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The agency names, reserve names and reserve numbers used in this database are based on the Schedule of Indian Reserves and Settlements published in 1972 by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Ottawa.
- For places not included in this publication, the lists published in the Department's annual reports were used. See Indian Affairs Annual Reports, 1864–1990 for more information.
- In the case of regions not officially confirmed as reserves, the name used at the time the map was created is shown.
About the records
The federal government was responsible for the administration of western lands, which included setting aside reserves for the exclusive use of bands that had signed treaties.
To prevent the sale of reserve lands to non-Indigenous persons and towns, a complete legal description of the land was filed with federal agencies and local land registry offices. Later, the documents were part of any development of those lands. Architectural and engineering documents are not included in the database.
Maps and plans are important parts of the legal description of any reserve. This database contains approximately 1,500 maps and plans. It is an updated electronic version of volumes 1 and volume 2 of Maps of Indian Reserves and Settlements in the National Map Collection, compiled by Linda Camponi and published in 1980–1981.
It is intended as a list of maps of agencies, reserves and settlements, mostly found in the holdings of the:
- Department of Indian Affairs (RG10, Black Series)
- Commission Respecting Indian Lands and Indian Affairs Generally in the Province of British Columbia, 1913 (RG33/104)
- Indian Claims Commission, 1966–1977 (RG33/115)
Dates
The date field refers to the date of compilation, publication, distribution, printing, copyright, etc.
- Dates enclosed in square brackets do not appear on the item but have been inferred by staff from a variety of sources.
- Double dates, for example 1755 (1803), indicate that newer information was added to an item after it was first compiled. The first date indicates the initial compilation, and the second date indicates when the item was last updated.
- The term n.d./s.d. refers to items for which no date can be assigned.
Language of the records
The item-level descriptions used in this database are written in the language of the original map or plan; most of the descriptions are in English.
Access the records
The maps described here are both published and unpublished and are generally limited to item-level descriptions. About 1,200 items have been digitized and are available online.
If a record is not digitized, you have several options.
- Order a copy of the document
- Visit our Ottawa location to view the record in person. You can pre-order the material before your visit using the Material Retrieval form
Include these details from the database entry when completing the copy services or material retrieval form for non-digitized items:
- Title
- Accession number
- Microfiche number