This collection is comprised of research files, published articles, government documents, reports and supporting documents all pertaining to Aboriginal issues in Canada. The materials were deposited by the Indigenous Studies Department, Trent University. Some documents were reallocated to the Government Documents section of Bata Library, some were returned to the Indigenous Studies Department, and those deemed to be of archival value are represented herein.

The fonds consists of Indian Agency Records from the Department of Indian Affairs, of agencies from Upper Canada, Canada West and Ontario, including: St. Regis Agency, 1812-1921, 7 reels; Tyendinaga Agency, 1893-1913, 7 reels; Sault Ste. Marie Agency, 1900-1919, 3 reels; Fort William Agency, 1905-1918, 2 reels; Fort Frances Agency, 1891-1917, 3 reels; and Rat Portage Inspectorate, 1880-1911.

This addition to the fonds consists of microfilm copy of R.G. 10, Series 2 from the Library and Archives Canada (records of Superintendent's office, correspondence 1756-1790, reel C-1222 and C-1223); minutes of Department of Indian Affairs, 1755-1790, reel C-1223; R.G. 10 series 3 (records of the military), commission for Indian Affairs, Albany, 1677-1748, reels C-1220 and C-1221; and Western Post records, Detroit and Michilimackinac, 1771-1855, reel C-1224.

Fonds consists of reviews and reports by Don Whiteside. Also included are research materials, correspondence, cassette tapes, and slides of Native peoples and communities.

Fonds consists of Professor Donald B. Smith's research material pertaining to the eighteenth and nineteenth century history of the Ojibwe of southern Ontario. The research materials consist primarily of photocopies of published articles, bibliographical references, and handwritten notes; included is material related to the Mississauga (Ojibwe) of the Trent River Valley. Interspersed within the files is correspondence with other academics and authors.

Fonds is comprised of published and unpublished research materials pertaining to Indigenous people. Also included are correspondence, copies of emails, handwritten notes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and photographs.

These manuscripts were written by Dr. Barclay McKone, M.D., and are in typescript format. The first manuscript with the title "Moose Factory Indian Hospital" describes, in addition to a brief historical and geographical background of Moose Factory and its service area, salient treatments used to fight tuberculosis, and the frequent successes. The record comes alive with frequent records of specific cases. A review of cases indicated different characteristics of the disease and its treatment between "Indian" and Inuit patients. This report also refers to the treatment of other diseases and cases handled by the hospital between 1951 and 1955. The second manuscript with the title "Eastern Arctic Medical and X-Ray Survey 1955" describes in more complete diary-like detail the considerable amount of work done by group #2 of a 3 group expedition in their attempt to grapple with all the medical problems of the eastern Arctic. Again a primary concern is to identify and arrange to treat patients with tuberculosis. The time frame is June to September 1955.

Materials added in 2015:

Two DVDs of film footage taken by Dr. Barclay McKone between 1951 and 1955 while he was working as a physician in the James Bay region. Also included are typed notes by Dr. McKone which provide information about the content of the films. The film footage was originally in VHS format and was copied to DVD prior to being donated by Dr. Barclay's great niece Christine Fischer Guy. Ms. Guy received the original VHS tapes from Dr. McKone to help in the research of her novel, The Umbrella Mender, which was published in 2014 and is set in Moose Factory. The DVDs and notes were donated from the estate of Dr. Barclay McKone in 2015 via Christine Fischer Guy. Restriction: Permission to publish from this material is required from Christine Fischer Guy.

This fonds consists of records of Dr. James Robbins Kidd pertaining to the founding and operation of the Indian-Eskimo Association of Canada (later to become the Canadian Association in Support of Native Peoples). It includes correspondence, notes, memoranda, news clippings, minutes, transcripts of speeches, conference reports, and assorted government publications.

This collection consists of 18 volumes of photocopied documents relating to Indigenous-settler land relations in North America. Used as court evidence in the Bear Island (Temagami) court case. Divided into 13 categories as follows: Documents relating to: 1. New France 1540-1763; 2. B.N.A. until 1763; 3. Evolution of Proclamation 1763; 4&5. Early application 1763; 6. Native title 1763-1774; 7. Native title 1774-1791 (Quebec); 8. Native title 1791-1840 (U.C.); 9. Native title 1840-1866 (C.W.); 10.Native title Ontario 1867-1979; 11&12. Records of European Traders; 13. Non-surrender of N. Daki-Inenan.

This fonds consists of a two-volume biography of Eliza Jane (Hughes) McAlpine, 1854-1938, written by her grandson, Wallace McAlpine, fifty years after her death. The biography contains the Hughes family history from the Napoleonic era, follows Eliza's parents to Canada in the 1840's, describes the marriages of her siblings, and gives a fine sense of life in Durham County in the early years of Canada's nationhood. Eliza's battle with spinal meningitis is recounted. The volumes trace the events, joys, and sorrows of the sizeable Hughes family, the accomplishments of Eliza's husband, Dr. John McAlpine, and the experiences with horses and subsequently automobiles. The extraordinary impact of Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" is described. The famous Sir Sam Hughes was Eliza's brother and some of his exploits are described. Eliza's tour of Europe is described as it took place just before the outbreak of World War I. Lt. A.A. MacLeod's story is told. There is an account of Lt. Col. Cyril D.H. McAlpine's fateful expedition in the Arctic; a biographical sketch of J.W.L. Foster who painted a portrait of Eliza; an account of M.P. Tom Stinson's visits with Eliza; Eliza's disgust with Vicki Baum; her pleasure in talking with Chief Paudash; and finally her death and its aftermath. The volumes provide a wide, varied sketch of the times in which the events transpire.

Attached to the pages within the volumes are approximately 30 photographs, most of which are portraits, and are both in black and white, and colour.

This addition to the fonds represents a compendium of Stewart materials. It consists of 5 volumes of transcriptions of letters, journals and other papers of Frances Stewart of Douro Township, Upper Canada, and other family members. These 5 volumes transcribe materials of varying provenance and location and were made by Jean Shearman and her sisters. Interfiled within the volumes is the Stewart-Dunlop fonds (94-007) which is comprised of photocopies of correspondence and a family tree; the correspondence is interfiled where it would naturally occur chronologically and the family tree is located at the beginning of Vol. 1. Note: In 2013, the original letters were received for many of the 94-007 items; the originals are processed as 13-008.

Fonds is comprised of nine one-inch master video reels of ten documentaries produced by documentary filmmaker Gary Elwood Nichol in the 1980s. Of primarily an Indigenous focus, the films were produced in co-operation with Indigenous communities and cover such themes as healing circles, substance abuse, suicide, the Pope’s original and failed visit to the Dene in 1984, Indigenous artists, etc. Shown primarily on CBC and PBS and in-flight on Air Canada, titles include: Rice Dancer; Life Circles; The Circle Moving; The Only Gift; The Yerxa’s: An Ojibway Heritage; A Gathering in Denendeh; Nature’s Gallery; Jean Luc Grondin; Smiths Falls Carvers; and the National Film Board of Canada’s Trent Severn.

This fonds consists of the personal and business records of the Geale, Hamilton, Peck, Barker and Rogers families. There are letters relating to World War I written by Beresford and Robert Hamilton and Heber and Harry Rogers; letters, diaries, journals of Richard Birdsall Rogers (superintending engineer of the Peterborough Lift Lock); the records of Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor at the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton. The fonds also contains stereographs, approximately 1000 photographs, and a C.E. Goad fire insurance plan for the city of Peterborough, 1882. Items of interest include a group of photographs of the Trent Valley area and the building of the canal; Rogers family pictures of the Stoney Lake area and the Juniper Island Regatta; photos of early aircraft and the Curtiss Aviation School; photos of hydraulic lift lock at Peterborough; and one letter from Catharine Parr Traill to Robert Miles Hamilton.

This collection of family papers, correspondence, journals, photographs, newspaper clippings and published works spans the years 1834 to 1966 and measures approximately 3 1/2 linear metres. The papers were deposited in Trent University Archives through the courtesy of members of the Geale and Rogers families in 1983.

The papers are divided into two series:

Series A, the Geale family papers, consists of records pertaining to the descendants of the Hon. Robert Hamilton, a factor of the Hudson's Bay Company stationed at Fort Edmonton in northern Manitoba. Robert Hamilton married Annie Seabourne. One of their sons was Robert Miles Hamilton (1864-1939). He married Alice May Barker and resided at "Auburn" in Peterborough, Ontario. Their children were Miles Beresford Hamilton, Robert Barker Hamilton, (Alice) Seabourne Hamilton, and S.R. Hamilton (son). Alice Seabourne Hamilton married Charles Norman Geale. Papers of the Barker family (the Hon. Samuel Barker was Mrs. Robert Miles Hamilton's father) are included in this series as are the papers of the Peck family. Edward Armour Peck was the natural son of Arthur Henry Peck and the adoptive father of Charles Norman Geale. He married Kitty Revell. Both Miles Beresford Hamilton and Robert Barker Hamilton served overseas in the First World War and their correspondence is included in this series.

Series B of this collection consists of the Rogers Papers. Richard Birdsall Rogers was born at Ashburnham in 1857. He lived there until 1916 and then moved to "Beechwood Farm" in Douro Township. He was a land surveyor and was appointed superintendent engineer of the Trent Valley Canal in 1884. Richard married Clara Mina Calcutt of Peterborough in 1881. They had seven children. One daughter, Leah, married Herbert Geale, brother of Charles Norman Geale. Two sons, Heber and Harry served overseas in World War I. Their correspondence is included. R.B. Rogers designed and supervised the building of the hydraulic lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield. These papers included several files of plans and specifications for the locks, correspondence and documents accrued during the scandal preceding Rogers' resignation in 1906, the Holgate Report which condemned Rogers and the Keefer investigation which completely vindicated his work as Chief Engineer. We have created a major on-line exhibit focusing on the life and times of Richard Rogers and the Peterborough Lift Lock: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/birdsall-rogers/zrptboll.htm

This fonds consists of oral history tapes made by George Cobb. Topics covered on the tapes include: Trent Canal, lumbering, early medicine and dentistry in Peterborough County, native studies, mills and so forth.

This fonds consists of: correspondence with Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Clifford Wilson and others relating to Arctic explorations; several photographs including some of the construction of the Peterborough Lift Lock and of downtown Peterborough, Ontario circa 1900; and newspaper clippings of book reviews. Also included are artifacts retrieved by Douglas from the area of Coppermine, NWT.

This fonds consists of four typed manuscripts written by George H. Young for his children in [1913]. The titles of the manuscripts are as follows: "Historical Paper No. 1. Notes of 1869-70. The Red River Settlement at times spoken of as Fort Garry" (33 pages); "Historical Paper No. 2. The Fenian Raid of October 1871 into Manitoba" (21 pages); "Historical Paper No. 3. Being the first paper of the rebellion of 1885" (22 pages); "Historical Paper No. 4. Re. The half breed and Indian insurrection of 1885" (22 pages). There are references throughout to Louis Riel.

This fonds consists of miscellaneous personal documents relating to Gilbert Monture, including his family tree and a copy of his birth certificate. Also included are various speeches and articles by Monture, correspondence ranging from 1912-1983, newspaper clippings, miscellaneous photographs, materials relating to Pauline Johnson, correspondence and minutes relating to the Canadian Correction Association project "Indians and the Law", and documents regarding an exhibit at the Indian Hall of Fame, Canadian National Exhibition.

This fonds consists of thesis research material relating to the role and image of wilderness and the aborigine in Ontario camps. It also contains various interviews with directors of Ontario camps, as well as information booklets and camp applications.

These documents consist of two stapled mimeographed books. The first, dated March 1946 and entitled "The Union of Saskatchewan Indians: The Record of the Establishment of Indian Unity in Saskatchewan" records the minutes of meetings held in Regina, Duck Lake and Saskatoon, and provides names of the Constitution Committee. It also contains reprints of Treaties No.3 and 4. The second book, dated July 1946 and entitled "The Treaties Between Her Majesty, Queen Victoria and The Indians of British North America" contains reprints of Treaties No. 3,4,5,6,7, and 8.

This item is a journal of events kept by the Post Manager at Eastmain, Outfit 260, James Bay District of the Hudson's Bay Company. His instructions were to record weather conditions, temperatures, activities of Inuit and Native fur trade, animal and bird migration patterns, supply ship and passenger activity, mail arrivals and news of Revillon Freres at an adjoining post. A transcription of the Journal is available.

This fonds provides a full view of the history of a well-intentioned but short-lived organization involving Indigenous people, government, and the commercial world. It consists of early plans, minutes and correspondence of the board of directors, the development of a constitution and bylaws, correspondence with government and native groups, craft training experience, inventory and accounting processes.

File contains records relating to material relating to work done by the Indian-Eskimo Association of Canada with Indigenous Peoples in the North. records include correspondence from Dr. Sutherland, on behalf of the IEA looking to acquire a Cessna 180 plane for use in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Also contained are educational pamphlets for the IEA, a May 1962 newsletter of the IEA, and an editorial by Eleanor Sutherland, titled "A New Approach for Native People in Canada's North."

This fonds consists of minutes, addresses, papers, annual reports, correspondence, maps and publications of the Indian-Eskimo Association of Canada in the early days of its work between 1957 and 1970.

Fonds consists of correspondence, briefs, speeches, minutes, legal documents, copies of Treaties, budget documents, newsletters, bulletins and booklets pertaining to the Indian-Eskimo Association of Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. Also included are a few documents pertaining to Dr. Eleanor Wilma Sutherland and a Grandin College Yearbook belonging to Richard McNeely.

Fonds consists of correspondence, meeting minutes, and reports that discuss the implementation of a “Radio Forum in the Canadian North” Canada by the IEA, with co-operation from the CBC in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. The purpose of this service was to create a forum for the Inuit to discuss issues they faced as well as positive events. Its additional purpose was to create a medium for dialogue between other Indigenous people, other Northern communities and other parts of Canada. In doing so, it was hoped that Inuit and other Indigenous people in the North would be able to gain social, economic, and political power and autonomy. S trathmere Associates was retained as a consulting firm and provided project management services for the program. The Radio Forum was to use a radio-listening-discussion-action group model, using Alex Sim’s World War Two “Farm Radio Forum” as a guide. Files includes documents on projects undertaken including the MacKenzie Delta Project, Delta Community Action Project (Delcap), and Northern Community Action Program (NORCAP).