Name	Winnipeg
Settlement type	City
Official name	City of Winnipeg
Nickname	Gateway to the West, Heart of the Continent, The Peg
Motto	''Unum Cum Virtute Multorum''(One with the Strength of Many)
Image shield	Winnipeg Coat of Arms.svg
Pushpin map	Canada Manitoba
Pushpin label position
Pushpin map caption	Location of Winnipeg in Manitoba
Pushpin mapsize
Coordinates region	CA-MB
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	Canada
Subdivision type1	Province
Subdivision name1	Manitoba
Subdivision type2	Region
Subdivision name2	Winnipeg Capital Region
Leader title	City Mayor
Leader name	Sam Katz
Leader title1	Governing Body
Leader name1	Winnipeg City Council
Leader title2	MPs
Leader name2
Leader title3	MLAs
Leader name3
Established title	Established,
Established date	1738 (Fort Rouge)
Established title2	Renamed
Established date2	1822 (Fort Garry)
Established title3	Incorporated
Established date3	1873 (City of Winnipeg)
Unit pref	Metric
Area land km2	464.01
Area urban km2	448.92
Area metro km2	5302.98
Area blank1 sq mi
Population as of	2006 Census
Population total	633,451 (7th)
Population metro	694,668 (8th)
Population density km2	1365
Population density metro km2	131
Population urban	641,483 (9th)
Population density urban km2	1429
Population density blank1 sq mi
Timezone	CST
Utc offset	−6
Timezone dst	CDT
Utc offset dst	−5
Coordinates display	inline,title
Elevation footnotes
Elevation m	238
Elevation ft
Postal code type	Postal code span
Postal code	R2C–R3Y
Area code	204
Blank name	Demonym
Blank info	Winnipegger
Blank1 name	NTS Map
Blank1 info	062H14
Blank2 name	GNBC Code
Blank2 info	GBEIN
Website	City of Winnipeg
Footnotes	}}

Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers (a point commonly known as The Forks).

The name "Winnipeg" comes from the Cree for "muddy waters". The Winnipeg area was a trading centre for Aboriginal peoples prior to the arrival of Europeans. The first fort was built there in 1738 by French traders. A settlement was later founded by the Selkirk settlers in 1812, the nucleus of which was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, Winnipeg was one of the fastest growing cities in North America. The University of Manitoba, founded during this period, was the first university in Western Canada.

Winnipeg has a diversified economy, with sectors in finance, manufacturing, food and beverage production, culture, retail and tourism. Winnipeg is a major transportation hub, served by Richardson International Airport. The city has railway connections to the United States and Eastern and Western Canada through three Class I rail carriers.

Winnipeg is the seventh-largest municipality in Canada, with a population of 633,451 in the Canada 2006 Census. The city's census metropolitan area--consisting of the city of Winnipeg, ten nearby rural municipalities and the First Nations reserve of Brokenhead 4, Manitoba--is Canada's eighth-largest, with 694,668 inhabitants. As of July 2009, the population of the city of Winnipeg was estimated at 675,100, and that of the census metropolitan area at 742,400. Winnipeg's cultural organizations and festivals include the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Manitoba Opera, Le Cercle Molière, Festival du Voyageur and Folklorama. Professional sports organizations based in the city include the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Winnipeg Jets, and the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

History

Winnipeg lies at the confluence of the Assiniboine and the Red River of the North, a location currently known as "The Forks". This point was at the crossroads of canoe routes travelled by Aboriginal peoples prior to European contact. The name Winnipeg is a transcription of the western Cree word ''wi-nipe-k'' meaning "muddy waters"; the general area was populated for thousands of years by First Nations. Through archaeology, petroglyphs, rock art and oral history, scholars have learned that native peoples used the area in prehistoric times for camping, hunting, tool making, fishing, trading and, further north, for agriculture.

Before the first European encounter, First Nations peoples appear to have been engaged in farming activity along the Red River, near present-day Lockport, where corn and other seed crops were planted. The rivers provided an extensive transportation network linking many indigenous peoples, including the Anishinaabe, Assiniboine, Ojibway, Sioux, and Cree. The Red River linked ancient northern peoples with those to the south along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. The Ojibway made some of the first maps on birch bark, which helped fur traders navigate the waterways of the area.

Settlement

The first French officer arrived in the area in 1738. Sieur de La Vérendrye built the first fur trading post on the site, called Fort Rouge. Francophone trading continued at this site for several decades before the arrival of the British Hudson's Bay Company. Many French and later British men who were trappers married First Nations women; their mixed-race children, the Métis, hunted, traded, and lived in the area.

Lord Selkirk was involved with the first permanent settlement (known as the Red River Colony), the purchase of land from the Hudson's Bay Company, and a survey of river lots in the early 19th century. The North West Company built Fort Gibraltar in 1809, and the Hudson's Bay Company built Fort Douglas in 1812. The two companies competed fiercely over trade in the area. The Métis and Lord Selkirk's settlers fought at the Battle of Seven Oaks in 1816. In 1821, the Hudson's Bay and North West Companies merged, ending their long-standing rivalry. Fort Gibraltar, at the site of present-day Winnipeg, was renamed Fort Garry in 1822 and became the leading post in the region for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The fort was destroyed by a flood in 1826 and was not rebuilt until 1835. The fort was the residence of the Governor of the company for many years. A rebuilt section of the fort, consisting of the front gate and a section of the wall, can be found near the modern-day corner of Main Street and Broadway Avenue in downtown Winnipeg.

In 1869–70, Winnipeg was the site of the Red River Rebellion, a conflict between the local provisional government of Métis, led by Louis Riel, and newcomers from eastern Canada. General Garnet Wolseley was sent to put down the Métis rebellion. As a consequence of this rebellion, the Manitoba Act of 1870 paved the way for Manitoba's entry into the Canadian Confederation as Canada's fifth province. On November 8, 1873, Winnipeg was incorporated as a city. Manitoba and Northwest Territories legislator James McKay named the settlement.

Winnipeg developed rapidly after the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1881; Canada was eager to settle the west before American interests and railways interfered. The Manitoba Legislative Building, constructed mainly of Tyndall Stone, opened in 1920; its dome supports a bronze statue finished in gold leaf, titled "Eternal Youth and the Spirit of Enterprise" (commonly known as the "Golden Boy"). Many new lots of land were sold and prices increased quickly due to high demand. Winnipeg faced financial difficulty when the Panama Canal opened in 1914. The canal reduced reliance on Canada's rail system for international trade; the real estate market slowed down, and the increase in shipping traffic helped Vancouver in British Columbia eventually to surpass Winnipeg and become Canada's third-largest city in 1920.

Strike to present

Following World War I, more than 30,000 workers walked off their jobs in May 1919 in what came to be known as the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. The strike was a product of postwar recession, labour conditions, the activity of union organizers and a large influx of returning discharged soldiers seeking work. After many arrests, deportations, and incidents of violence, the strike ended on June 21, 1919, when the Riot Act was read and a group of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers charged a group of strikers. Two strikers were killed and at least thirty others were injured, resulting in the day being known as ''Bloody Saturday''; the event polarized the population. One of the leaders of the strike, J. S. Woodsworth, went on to found Canada's first major socialist party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which later became the New Democratic Party.

The stock market crash of 1929 aggravated an already severe decline in Winnipeg; the Great Depression resulted in massive unemployment, which was worsened by drought and depressed agricultural prices. The Depression ended after the start of World War II in 1939. War requirements stimulated the economies of Western nations.

In the Battle of Hong Kong, The Winnipeg Grenadiers were among the first Canadians to engage in combat against Japan. Battalion members who survived combat were taken prisoner and endured brutal treatment in prisoner of war camps. In 1942, the Government of Canada's Victory Loan Campaign staged a mock Nazi invasion of Winnipeg to promote awareness of the stakes of the war in Europe.

When the war ended, pent-up demand generated a boom in housing development, although building activity was checked by the 1950 Red River Flood, the largest flood to hit Winnipeg since 1861. The disaster held waters above flood stage for 51 days. On May 8, 1950, eight dikes collapsed, four of the city's eleven bridges were destroyed, and nearly 100,000 people had to be evacuated. This evacuation was Canada's largest ever. The federal government estimated damages at over $26 million, although the province insisted that it was at least double that. In 1953, Manitoba was hit with the worst outbreak of polio in Canada. There were 2,357 cases and 80 deaths.

Prior to 1972, Winnipeg was the largest of thirteen cities and towns in a metropolitan area around the Red and Assiniboine rivers. A consolidated metropolitan "Unicity" government was established on July 27, 1971, taking effect in 1972. The City of Winnipeg Act incorporated the current city of Winnipeg: the cities of Transcona, St. Boniface, St. Vital, West Kildonan, East Kildonan, Tuxedo, Old Kildonan, North Kildonan, Fort Garry, Charleswood, and St. James were amalgamated with the Old City of Winnipeg. Winnipeg's was the first large North American urban area to consolidate its multiple municipal governments in a single administration.

Immediately following the 1979 energy crisis, Winnipeg experienced a severe economic downturn in advance of the early 1980s recession. Throughout the recession, the city incurred closures of prominent businesses, including the ''Winnipeg Tribune'', as well as the Swift's and Canada Packers meat packing plants. In 1981, Winnipeg was one of the first cities in Canada to sign a tripartite agreement with the province and federal government to redevelop its downtown area. The three levels of government—federal, provincial and municipal—contributed over $271 million to the development needs of downtown Winnipeg. In 1989, the reclamation and redevelopment of the CNR rail yards turned The Forks into Winnipeg's most popular tourist attraction.

Geography

Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the Red River Valley, a low-lying flood plain with an extremely flat topography. There are no substantial hills in the city or its vicinity. Winnipeg is on the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies. It is relatively close to many large Canadian Shield lakes and parks, as well as Lake Winnipeg (the Earth's 11th largest freshwater lake). According to the Census geographic units of Canada, the city has a total area of 464.01 km² (179.2 sq mi) and an elevation of 240 m (786 ft). Winnipeg has four major rivers: the Red River, the Assiniboine River, the La Salle River, and the Seine River. The Red River is a Canadian heritage river.

Climate

Winnipeg experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen ''Dfb'', USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 2b) with great seasonal temperature differences. According to Environment Canada, Winnipeg is the coldest city in the world with a population of over 600,000 based on the average night-time temperature during December, January and February, inclusive. Winnipeg is ranked as Canada's second sunniest city year-round, second for clearest skies year-round, and second for sunniest city in Canada in spring and winter.

Winnipeg's average high during the three warmest months is and the average low is . On occasion Winnipeg can get summertime humidity; nearby Carman reached 57 (135) with the humidex, breaking Canada's old humidex record, in 2007. The highest temperature ever recorded in Winnipeg was on July 11, 1936. A normal year will see temperatures above 14 times a year and temperatures above at least once per year.

Winters in Winnipeg are usually dry, and the windchill effect is often a factor. The average high during the three coldest months is and the average low is . The coldest temperature recorded in Winnipeg was on December 24, 1879. left|thumb|A Winnipeg street after two large snowstorms A normal year will see temperatures below 58 times a year and temperatures below 14 times each year.

Winnipeg's spring and autumn tend to be contracted seasons, each averaging a little over six weeks. In general, the weather during these seasons is highly variable; temperatures in Winnipeg in April have ranged from to , and in October from to . Late heat waves and Indian summers are a regular feature of the climate, as are spring or autumn snowfalls.

Winnipeg is known as a windy city; however, Regina, Hamilton and St. John's are windier. Although tornadoes are not common near Winnipeg, a Fujita scale F5 tornado struck Elie (just 40 km (25 miles) west of Winnipeg) in 2007; this was the strongest tornado ever recorded in Canada. Winnipeg is also prone to flooding in the spring, with the Red River suffering major floods in 1826, 1852, 1861, 1916, 1950, 1966, 1974, 1979, 1996, 1997, 2009, and 2011. These major floods led to the 1968 construction and subsequent expansion of the Red River Floodway, designed to protect Winnipeg from floods.

Cityscape

According to the 2001 Census, there are 230 neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. Downtown Winnipeg, the city's economic core, is centred on the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street (reputed to be one of the windiest in Canada). Downtown Winnipeg covers an area of about one square mile (2.5 km²) and is the fastest growing high-income neighbourhood in the city. More than 72,000 people work downtown, and over 40,000 students attend classes at its universities and colleges. The past few decades have seen downtown undergo major revitalization efforts; since 1999, over $1.2 billion has been invested.

Downtown Winnipeg's Exchange District is named after the area's original grain exchange from 1880 to 1913. The 30-block district received National Historic Site of Canada status in 1997; it includes North America's most extensive collection of early 20th-century terracotta and cut stone architecture, 62 of downtown Winnipeg's 86 heritage structures, Stephen Juba Park, and Old Market Square, home to Winnipeg Jazz and Fringe Festivals. Other major downtown areas include The Forks, Central Park, Broadway-Assiniboine and Chinatown. Much of Downtown Winnipeg's major buildings are linked with the Winnipeg Walkway skywalk.

Various residential neighbourhoods surround downtown in all directions, but expansion is greatest to the south and west, and has tended to follow the course of the two major rivers. The urbanized area in Winnipeg is about 25 km (15 mi) from east to west and 20 km (12 mi) from north to south, although several areas remain underdeveloped. The largest park in the city, Assiniboine Park next to the affluent neighbourhood of Tuxedo, houses the Assiniboine Park Zoo and the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, Other large city parks include Kildonan Park, St. Vital Park, and Fort Whyte Centre. The major commercial areas in the city are Polo Park (West End and St. James), Kildonan Crossing (Transcona and East Kildonan), South St. Vital, Garden City (West Kildonan) and the Corydon strip. Osborne Village is Winnipeg's most densely populated neighbourhood.

Demographics

{| cellpadding="1" style="float:right; margin:0 1em 1em 0; border:1px #bbb solid; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:70%;" |- style="text-align:center; background:#8899aa;" ! colspan= "3" | Ethnic Origins |- style="text-align:center; background:#abc;" | |Population |Percentage |- style="text-align:center;" |English |141,480 |22.6 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Scottish |114,960 |18.4 |- style="text-align:center;" |German |106,260 |17.0 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Canadian |104,130 |16.6 |- style="text-align:center;" |Ukrainian |96,255 |15.4 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |French |87,165 |13.9 |- style="text-align:center;" |Irish |86,580 |13.9 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Polish |50,555 |8.1 |- style="text-align:center; background:#8899aa;" ! colspan= "3" | Ethnicities |- style="text-align:center; background:#abc;" | |Population |Percentage |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Total |625,700 |100.0 |- style="text-align:center;" |White / Aboriginal |523,790 |83.7 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Filipino |36,820 |5.9 |- style="text-align:center;" |South Asian |15,080 |2.4 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Black |14,200 |2.3 |- style="text-align:center;" |Chinese |12,660 |2.0 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Latin American |5,390 |0.9 |- style="text-align:center;" |Southeast Asian |5,325 |0.9 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Multiple |3,060 |0.5 |- style="text-align:center;" |Arab |2,115 |0.3 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Korean |2,065 |0.3 |- style="text-align:center;" |West Asian |1,885 |0.3 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" |Japanese |1,725 |0.3 |- style="text-align:center;" |Other |1,585 |0.3 |- style="background:#8899aa;" ! colspan= "3" | Aboriginal identity |- style="txt-align:center; background:#abc;" | |Population |Percentage |- style="text-align:center;" | Total | 63,745 | 10.2 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" | North American Indian | 24,950 | 4.0 |- style="text-align:center;" | Métis | 37,385 | 6.0 |- style="text-align:center; background:#eee;" | Inuit | 280 | 0.04 |} As of the 2006 Census, there were 633,451 inhabitants in Winnipeg itself, 694,668 inhabitants in the Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), and 711,455 in the Winnipeg Capital Region. Thus, Winnipeg is Manitoba’s largest city and Canada's eighth largest CMA. Apart from Winnipeg, the Winnipeg CMA includes the Rural municipalities of Springfield, St. Clements, Taché, East St. Paul, Macdonald, Ritchot, West St. Paul, Headingley, Rosser and St. François Xavier and the First Nations reserve of Brokenhead 4.

Of the city population, 48.3% were male and 51.7% were female. 24.3% were 19 years old or younger, 27.4% were between 20 and 30 years old, and 34.0% were between 40 and 64 years old. The average age of a Winnipegger in May 2006 was 38.7, compared to an average of 39.5 for Canada as a whole. Between the censuses of 2001 and 2006, Winnipeg's population increased by 2.2%, compared to the average of 2.6% for Manitoba and 5.4% for Canada. The population density of the city of Winnipeg averaged 1,365.2 people per km², compared with an average of 3.5 for Manitoba. As of July 2009, the population of the city of Winnipeg was estimated at 675,100, and that of the census metropolitan area at 742,400.

Most Winnipeggers are of European descent, and/or classify themselves as Canadian. Over 8% of Winnipeg's population is Aboriginal; it is the city's second fastest-growing ethnic group. Non-aboriginal visible minorities make up 16.3% of Winnipeg's population. Winnipeg is home to 38,155 people of Filipino descent, or roughly 6% of the total population. This is the city's fastest-growing minority group, with Winnipeg having the highest concentration of persons of Filipino origin in Canada, and the second largest Filipino population in Canada after Toronto.

More than a hundred languages are spoken in Winnipeg, of which the most common is English. 99.0% of Winnipeggers are fluent English speakers. In terms of Canada's official languages, 88.0% of Winnipeggers speak only English, and 0.1% speak only French. 11% speak both English and French, while 0.9% speak neither. Other languages spoken in Winnipeg include German (4.1% of the population), Tagalog (3.4%), Ukrainian (3.1%), Spanish, Chinese and Polish (all three spoken by 1.7% of the population). Several Aboriginal languages are also spoken, including Ojibway (0.6%), Cree (0.5%), Inuktitut and Mi'kmaq (both less than 0.1%). Other languages include Dutch, Hungarian, Non-verbal languages, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Italian, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Icelandic, Russian, Punjabi, Croatian, Serbian, and Greek (all of which are spoken by roughly 1% or less of the population).

The 2001 census recorded that 72.9% of Winnipeggers belonged to a Christian denomination: 35.1% were Protestant, 32.6% were Roman Catholic, and 5.2% belonged to other Christian denominations. 5.6% of the population followed a religion other than Christianity—followers of Judaism made up 2.1% of the population, those of Buddhism and Sikhism made up 0.9% of the population each, and Muslims made up 0.8%. Hindus accounted for 0.6% of the population, and members of other religions made up less than 0.5%. 21.7% of Winnipeggers did not follow a religion.

Economy

Winnipeg is an economic base and regional centre. It has a diversified economy, covering finance, manufacturing, transportation, food and beverage production, industry, culture, government, retail, and tourism. According to the Conference Board of Canada, Winnipeg has the third-fastest growing economy among Canada's major cities in 2009 projections, with a real GDP growth of 2.5%.

, approximately 409,500 people are employed in Winnipeg and the surrounding area. Some of Winnipeg's largest employers are government and government-funded institutions, including: The Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, and Manitoba Hydro. Approximately 54,000 people (14% of the work force) are employed in the public sector. Large private sector employers include: Shaw Cablesystems, Manitoba Telecom Services, Ipsos Reid, Palliser Furniture, Great-West Life Assurance, Motor Coach Industries, New Flyer Industries, Boeing Canada Technology, Bristol Aerospace, Nygård International, Canad Inns and Investors Group.

The Royal Canadian Mint, established in 1976, is where all circulating coinage in Canada is produced. The plant, located in southeastern Winnipeg, also produces coins for many other countries.

In 2006, Winnipeg was ranked by KPMG as one of the least expensive locations to do business in Canada. As with much of Western Canada, in 2007, Winnipeg experienced both a building and real estate boom. In May 2007, the Canadian Real Estate Association reported a record-breaking month in Winnipeg in terms of sales and volume.

Arts, culture, and tourism

The Winnipeg Public Library is a public library network with 20 branches throughout the city, including the Millennium Library. Winnipeg has a large independent film community. It has also hosted a number of Hollywood productions: ''Shall We Dance?'' (2004), the Oscar nominated film ''Capote'' (2005), ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' (2007), and ''Horsemen'' (2009) had parts filmed in the province. The National Film Board of Canada and the Winnipeg Film Group have produced numerous award-winning films. There are several TV and film production companies in Winnipeg: the most prominent areFarpoint Films, Frantic Films, Buffalo Gal Pictures, Les Productions Rivard and Eagle Vision. Guy Maddin's ''My Winnipeg'', an independent film released in 2008, is a comedic rumination on the city's history.

Winnipeg Bear, (also known as Winnie-the-Pooh) was purchased in Ontario, by Lieutenant Harry Colebourn of The Fort Garry Horse. He named the bear after the regiment's home town of Winnipeg. A.A. Milne later wrote a series of books featuring Winnie-the-Pooh. An Ernest H. Shepard painting of "Winnie the Pooh" is the only known oil painting of Winnipeg’s famous bear cub. It was purchased at an auction for $285,000 in London, England, in 2000. The painting is displayed in Assiniboine Park.

The Forks (a National Historic Site of Canada) attracts four million visitors a year. It is home to the City TV television studio, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, the Winnipeg International Children's Festival, and the Manitoba Children's Museum. It also features a skate plaza, a bowl complex, the Esplanade Riel bridge, a river walkway, Shaw Park (home to the Winnipeg Goldeyes), and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (scheduled to open in 2012).

Museums

The Manitoba Museum is the largest museum in the city, and depicts the history of the city and province. The full-size replica of the ship Nonsuch is the museum's showcase piece. The Winnipeg Art Gallery is Canada's oldest public art gallery, founded in 1912. It is the sixth-largest in the country and includes the world's largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art.

The Western Canada Aviation Museum, located in a hangar at Winnipeg’s James Richardson International airport, features military jets, commercial aircraft, Canada’s first helicopter, the ‘flying saucer’ Avrocar, flight simulators, and a Black Brant (rocket) built in Manitoba by Bristol Aerospace. The Winnipeg Railway Museum is located at Via Rail Station and contains various locomotives, including the Countess of Dufferin, the first steam locomotive in Western Canada.

Winnipeg is also the future home of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which will be the first Canadian national museum outside of the National Capital Region. The museum, designed by American architect Antoine Predock, will be located at The Forks. The federal government has contributed $100 million towards the estimated $311-million project. Construction of the museum began on April 1, 2008, and is expected to be completed in late 2012.

Theatres and theatre companies

Winnipeg’s three largest performing arts venues, the Centennial Concert Hall, Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC) and the Pantages Playhouse, are located downtown. MTC is Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre, with over 250 performances yearly. The Pantages Playhouse Theatre opened as a vaudeville house in 1913. Le Cercle Molière, based in St Boniface, is the oldest theatre company in Canada. This French-language theatre, founded in 1925, moved to a new $2-million theatre in 2010. Rainbow Stage is a musical theatre production company based in Kildonan Park which produces professional, live Broadway musical shows and is Canada's longest-surviving outdoor theatre.

Other city theatres include the Burton Cummings Theatre (a National Historic Site of Canada built in 1906 currently named after the lead singer of The Guess Who), and Prairie Theatre Exchange (PTE), Winnipeg’s second-largest live theatre. The Manitoba Theatre for Young People (MTYP) at The Forks is one of only two Theatres for Young Audiences in Canada with a permanent residence, and is the only Theatre for Young Audiences that offers a full season of plays for teenagers. The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre (WJT) is the only professional theatre in Canada dedicated to Jewish themes. Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR) presents adaptations of Shakespeare plays.

Festivals

Festival du Voyageur, western Canada's largest winter festival, celebrates the early French explorers of the Red River Valley. Folklorama is the largest and longest-running cultural celebration festival in the world. The Jazz Winnipeg Festival and the Winnipeg Folk Festival both celebrate Winnipeg's music community. The Winnipeg Music Festival offers a competition venue to amateur musicians. The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is the second-largest alternative theatre festival in North America. The Winnipeg International Writers Festival (THIN AIR) brings writers from all over the world to Winnipeg for workshops and readings. Reel Pride is an annual gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and two-spirit film and video festival produced by the Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian Film Society.

Music and dance

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is the largest and oldest professional musical ensemble in Winnipeg. The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (MCO) runs a series of chamber orchestral concerts each year. Manitoba Opera is Manitoba's only full-time professional opera company. Among the most notable musical acts associated with Winnipeg are Neil Young, The Guess Who, Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Streetheart, Harlequin, Chantal Kreviazuk, Fresh IE, Bif Naked, Sierra Noble, Econoline Crush, Brent Fitz, Venetian Snares, Propagandhi, The Weakerthans, The Paperbacks, The Details, Crash Test Dummies, The Watchmen, Comeback Kid, Lenny Breau, The Wailin' Jennys, Remy Shand, Les Surveillantes and The Duhks.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. It was the first organization to be granted a royal title under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and has included notable dancers such as Evelyn Hart and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The RWB also runs a full-time classical dance school, which is recognized internationally for excellence in dance training.

Sports

Winnipeg has been home to several professional hockey, football, and baseball franchises. Winnipeg is once again home to the Winnipeg Jets, formerly the Atlanta Thrashers. The original Winnipeg Jets, the city's former National Hockey League team, was lost during the 1995-96 season to Phoenix, Arizona due to mounting financial troubles, despite a campaign effort to "Save the Jets". In 2011 True North Sports and Entertainment moved the former Thrashers franchise to Winnipeg and renamed the team ''Winnipeg Jets''.

The Jets will play at MTS Centre, which is currently ranked the world's 19th-busiest arena among non-sporting touring events, 13th-busiest among facilities in North America, and 3rd-busiest in Canada. A new football stadium to replace Canad Inns Stadium is currently under construction at the University of Manitoba. The $115-million facility will be the new home of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the CIS’ University of Manitoba Bisons. Construction began in May 2010 and is scheduled for completion in 2012. Opened in 1999, Shaw Park was built for Winnipeg’s American Association of Independent Professional Baseball's Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball team. The Goldeyes led the Northern League for ten straight years in average attendance as of 2010, with 300,000+ annual fan visits, until they left to join the American Association.

The University of Manitoba Bisons and the University of Winnipeg Wesmen represent the city in interuniversity sport. Winnipeg has two Manitoba Junior Hockey League teams, the Winnipeg Saints and the Winnipeg South Blues. The city is represented in the Canadian Junior Football League by the Winnipeg Rifles, and in soccer it's represented by the Winnipeg Alliance FC in the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League and the WSA Winnipeg in the USL Premier Development League .

Winnipeg was the first Canadian city to ever host the Pan American Games, and the second city to host the event twice, once in 1967 and once in 1999. The Pan Am Pool, built for the 1967 Pan American Games, hosts aquatic events, including diving, speed swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo.

:Professional sports teams ''Club'' ''League'' ''Venue'' ''Established'' ''Championships''

Winnipeg Blue Bombers CFL Canad Inns Stadium 1930 10 Winnipeg Jets NHL MTS Centre 2011 0 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association Shaw Park 1994 1

Local media

Winnipeg has two daily newspapers: the ''Winnipeg Free Press'' and the ''Winnipeg Sun''. There are five weekly newspapers delivered free to most Winnipeg households by region. There are several ethnic weekly newspapers, as well as regional and national magazines based in the city.

Television broadcasting in Winnipeg started in 1954, two years after it began in eastern Canada. The federal government refused to license any private broadcaster until the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation had created a national network. In May 1954, CBWT went on the air with four hours of broadcasting. The first local private station, CJAY, began broadcasting in 1960. There are presently five English-language stations and one French-language station based in Winnipeg. Additionally, some American network affiliates are available over-the-air.

Winnipeg is home to 24 AM and FM radio stations, two of which are French-language stations. CBC Radio One and CBC Radio 2 broadcast local and national programming in the city. NCI is devoted to Aboriginal programming and CKJS is devoted to multilingual ethnic programming.

Law and government

Since 1992, the city of Winnipeg is represented by 15 city councillors and a mayor elected every four years. The present mayor, Sam Katz, was elected to office in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 and 2010. The city is a single-tier municipality, governed by a mayor-council system. The structure of the municipal government is set out by the province of Manitoba in the City of Winnipeg Charter Act, which replaced the old City of Winnipeg Act in 2003. The mayor is elected by direct popular vote to serve as the chief executive of the city. At Council meetings, the mayor has one of 16 votes. The City Council is a unicameral legislative body, representing geographical wards throughout the city.

In provincial politics, Winnipeg is represented by 31 provincial Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)—25 are members of the New Democratic Party (NDP), four are members of the Progressive Conservative Party, and two are members of the Liberal Party. In the provincial election of 2007, the NDP won two ridings from the Conservatives, rising from 23 to its present 25 seats in the city. All three leaders of the provincial parties, including current premier Greg Selinger, represent Winnipeg in the legislature.

In federal politics, Winnipeg is represented by eight Members of Parliament: six Conservatives, one New Democrat and one Liberal. There are six Senators representing Manitoba in Ottawa. Only two list Winnipeg as the division they represent, although all of them were residents of Winnipeg when appointed to the Senate. The political affiliation in the Senate is three Liberals, two Conservatives, and one Independent.

Crime

In 2004, Winnipeg had the fourth-highest overall crime rate among Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas listed, with 12,167 Criminal Code of Canada offences per 100,000 inhabitants; only Regina, Saskatoon, and Abbotsford had higher crime rates. Winnipeg had the highest rate among centres with populations greater than 500,000. The crime rate was 50% higher than that of Calgary, and more than double that of Toronto. Statistics Canada states that in 2005, Manitoba had the highest decline of overall crime in Canada at nearly 8%; however, in 2009 the province topped all others in violent crime rates. The statistics for the year 2010 were similar, with Winnipeg still topping the violent crime severity index, although for the overall total crime severity index, Winnipeg was in third place, behind Saskatoon and Regina, with an index of 122.3, down by 10 per cent from 2009. Law enforcement in Winnipeg is provided by the Winnipeg Police Service, which has 1418 members.

Manitoba has also had a continuing problem with auto thefts, most of which occur in Winnipeg. To combat auto theft, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) established financial incentives for motor vehicle owners to install ignition immobilisers in their vehicles. It now requires owners of high-risk vehicles to install immobilisers.

Education

Education is a responsibility of the provincial government in Canada. In Manitoba, public education is governed by the Public Schools Act, the Education Administration Act, and regulations made under both Acts. Rights and responsibilities of the Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth, public school boards, principals, teachers, parents and students are set out in the legislation. There are seven school divisions in Winnipeg: Winnipeg School Division, St. James-Assiniboia School Division, Pembina Trails School Division, Seven Oaks School Division, Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine, River East Transcona School Division, and Louis Riel School Division. Winnipeg is home to religious and secular private schools, which are not governed by school boards but must still adhere to regulations outlined by the province.

The University of Manitoba is the largest university in Manitoba; it is the most comprehensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. In a typical year, the university has an enrolment of 22,500 undergraduate students and 3,500 graduate students. Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface, the city's only French Canadian college, is affiliated with the University of Manitoba.

The University of Winnipeg received its charter in 1967, but its founding colleges date back more than 130 years. The founding colleges were Manitoba College 1871, and Wesley College 1888, which merged to form United College in 1938. Until 2007, it was an undergraduate institution that offered some joint graduate studies programs. It now offers graduate programs exclusive to the university. In 2008, the university created a new faculty of business consisting of economics and business programs hived off from the faculty of arts.

The Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a private Mennonite university established in 1999. It was formed through the amalgamation of three colleges: Canadian Mennonite Bible College (founded in 1947), Concord College (founded as Mennonite Brethren Bible College in 1944), and Menno Simons College (founded in 1988). It is an undergraduate institution, and offers some programs jointly with the University of Winnipeg.

Winnipeg also has two independent colleges: Red River College and Booth College. Red River College offers diploma, certificate, and apprenticeship programs and, starting in 2009, began offering a limited number of degree programs. In May 2009, the federal government of Canada pledged $9.5-million of funding to the college to help reconstruct the 104-year-old Union Bank Tower for a second urban campus in downtown Winnipeg. Booth College, a Christian Salvation Army college, is a private university college established in 1982. It offers mostly arts and seminary training.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Winnipeg has had public transit since 1882, starting with horse-drawn streetcars. They were replaced by electric trolley cars. The trolley cars ran from 1892 to 1955, supplemented by motor buses after 1918, and electric trolleybuses from 1938 to 1970. Winnipeg Transit now runs diesel buses.

Winnipeg is a railway hub and is served by Via Rail, Canadian National Railway (CNR), Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Manitoba, and the Central Manitoba Railway (CEMR). It is the only city between Vancouver and Thunder Bay with direct U.S. connections by rail. The city is connected to the United States via Provincial Trunk Highway 75 (PTH 75) (a continuation of I-29 and US 75). The highway runs to Emerson, Manitoba, and is the busiest Canada – United States border crossing between Vancouver and the Great Lakes. Much of the commercial traffic through Emerson either originates from or is destined for Winnipeg. Inside the city, the highway is locally known as Pembina Highway (Route 42).

The four-lane highway Perimeter Highway, built in 1969, serves as a Ring Road, with at-grade intersections and a few interchanges. It allows travellers on the Trans-Canada Highway to by-pass the city. A recent study cited dangerous intersections and low efficiency as its primary shortfalls. The Trans-Canada Highway runs east to west through the city (city route), or circles around the city on the Perimeter Highway (beltway). The city is also the starting point on the Yellowhead highway. Some of the city's major arterial roads include Route 80 (Waverley St.), Route 155 (McGillivray Blvd), Route 165 (Bishop Grandin Blvd.), Route 17 (Chief Peguis Trail), and Route 90 (Brookside Blvd., Oak Point Hwy., King Edward St., Century St., Kenaston Blvd.).

The Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is currently undergoing a $585-million redevelopment. Scheduled for completion in late 2011, the development includes a new terminal, a four-level parking facility, and other infrastructure improvements. The field was Canada's first international airport when it opened in 1928 as Stevenson Aerodrome. The airport is the 8th busiest in Canada in terms of passenger traffic and, along with Winnipeg/St. Andrews Airport, is among the top 20 in terms of aircraft movements. Winnipeg Bus Terminal, located at Winnipeg International Airport, offers domestic and international service by Greyhound Canada, Grey Goose Bus Lines, Winnipeg Shuttle Service and Brandon Air Shuttle.

Approximately of land to the north and west of the airport has been designated as an inland port, CentrePort Canada, and is Canada’s first Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). It is a private sector initiative to develop the infrastructure for Manitoba’s trucking, air, rail and sea industries. Still in its preliminary stages, construction has begun on a $212-million four-lane freeway that will connect CentrePort with the Perimeter Highway.

Medical centres and hospitals

Winnipeg's major hospitals include Health Sciences Centre, Concordia Hospital, Deer Lodge Centre, Grace Hospital, Misericordia Health Centre, Riverview Health Centre, Saint Boniface General Hospital, Seven Oaks General Hospital, Victoria General Hospital, and The Children's Hospital of Winnipeg.

The National Microbiology Laboratory is Canada's front line in its response to infectious diseases and one of only a handful of Biosafety level 4 microbiology laboratories in the world. The National Research Council also has the Institute for Biodiagnostics laboratory located in the downtown area.

Military

Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, co-located at the airport, is home to many flight operations support divisions and several training schools. It is also the headquarters of 1 Canadian Air Division and the Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region. The base is supported by over 3,000 military personnel and civilian employees.

17 Wing of the Canadian Forces is based at CFB Winnipeg. The Wing comprises three squadrons and six schools; it also provides support to the Central Flying School. Excluding the three levels of government, 17 Wing is the fourth largest employer in the city. The Wing supports 113 units, stretching from Thunder Bay to the Saskatchewan/Alberta border, and from the 49th parallel to the high Arctic. 17 Wing also acts as a deployed operating base for CF-18 Hornet fighter-bombers assigned to the Canadian NORAD Region.

There are two squadrons based in the city. The 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron flies the Canadian-designed and -produced de Havilland CT-142 Dash 8 navigation trainer. The 435 "Chinthe" Transport and Rescue Squadron flies the Lockheed CC-130 Hercules tanker/transport in airlift search and rescue roles. In addition, 435 Squadron is the only Canadian Forces Air Command squadron equipped and trained to conduct tactical air-to-air refueling of fighter aircraft.

Winnipeg is home to a number of reserve units:

The Royal Winnipeg Rifles

The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada infantry (along with The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada Museum)

735 Communications Regiment

17 Service Battalion

17 (Winnipeg) Field Ambulance at Minto Armoury

The Fort Garry Horse armoured reconnaissance regiment at McGregor Armoury

HMCS Chippawa Naval Reserve Division

For many years, Winnipeg was the home of the Second Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI). Initially, the battalion was based at the Fort Osborne Barracks near present-day Osborne Village. They eventually moved to the Kapyong Barracks located in River Heights/Tuxedo. Since 2004, the 550 men and women of the battalion have operated out of CFB Shilo near Brandon.

Sister cities

Winnipeg maintains trade development programs, cultural and educational partnerships in sister city agreements with these cities:

1970: Setagaya (Japan) 1971: Reykjavík (Iceland) 1973: Lviv (Ukraine) 1979: Manila (Philippines) 1982: Taichung (Taiwan) 1982: Kuopio (Finland) 1984: Beersheba (Israel) 1988: Chengdu (People's Republic of China) 1992: Jinju (South Korea) 1999: San Nicolás de los Garza (Mexico)

Winnipeg and Minneapolis (USA) were formerly sister cities.

See also

List of Winnipeg bus routes

Subdivisions of Winnipeg

Ukrainian Labour Temple

Valour Road

Notes

Further reading

External links

Winnipeg.ca - Official Winnipeg website

Destination Winnipeg economic and travel guide

Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000: Winnipeg at Environment Canada

The Climate and Weather of Winnipeg, Manitoba - from Living in Canada

Winnipeg and Manitoba stories- 250 stories about Winnipeg and Manitoba History

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Category:District of Keewatin Category:Populated places established in 1738 Category:Hudson's Bay Company trading posts

af:Winnipeg ar:وينيبيغ zh-min-nan:Winnipeg be:Горад Вініпег be-x-old:Вініпэг bg:Уинипег ca:Winnipeg cs:Winnipeg co:Winnipeg cy:Winnipeg da:Winnipeg pdc:Winnipeg, Manitobaa de:Winnipeg et:Winnipeg el:Γουίνιπεγκ es:Winnipeg eo:Vinipego (Manitobo) eu:Winnipeg fa:وینیپگ fo:Winnipeg fr:Winnipeg gd:Winnipeg gl:Winnipeg ko:위니펙 hr:Winnipeg id:Winnipeg, Manitoba os:Виннипег is:Winnipeg it:Winnipeg he:ויניפג kl:Winnipeg ka:უინიპეგი sw:Winnipeg la:Vinnipega lv:Vinipega lt:Vinipegas lmo:Winnipeg hu:Winnipeg mr:विनिपेग nl:Winnipeg cr:ᐄᐧᓂᐯᐠ ja:ウィニペグ no:Winnipeg nn:Winnipeg oc:Winnipeg pnb:ونیپگ nds:Winnipeg pl:Winnipeg pt:Winnipeg ro:Winnipeg ru:Виннипег sah:Уиннипег sco:Winnipeg simple:Winnipeg sk:Winnipeg sr:Винипег (град) fi:Winnipeg sv:Winnipeg tl:Winnipeg ta:வினிப்பெக் tr:Vinnipeg uk:Вінніпег ur:ونی پیگ ug:Winnipég vi:Winnipeg vo:Winnipeg war:Winnipeg zh:温尼伯

Indigenous peoples, or Natives, are ethnic groups who are native to a land or region, especially before the arrival and intrusion of a foreign and possibly dominating culture. They are a group of people whose members share a cultural identity that has been shaped by their geographical region. A variety of names are used in various countries to identify such groups of people, but they generally are regarded as the "original inhabitants" of a territory or region. Their right to self-determination may be materially affected by the later-arriving ethnic groups.

Origins of phrase

During the late twentieth century the term ''Indigenous peoples'' evolved into a political term that refers to ethnic groups with historical ties to groups that existed in a territory prior to colonization or formation of a nation state. These are usually distinct ethnic groups that have preserved a degree of cultural and political separation from the mainstream culture and political system that has grown to surround or dominate them economically, politically, culturally, or geographically. "'Indigenous peoples' ... is a term that internationalizes the experiences, the issues and the struggles of some of the world's colonized peoples," writes Maori educator Linda Thuwai Smith. "The final 's' in 'indigenous peoples' ... [is] a way of recognizing that there are real differences between different indigenous peoples."

Used politically, the term defines these groups as particularly vulnerable to exploitation and oppression by nation states, and as a result a special set of political rights in accordance with international law have been set forth by international organizations such as the United Nations, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank. The United Nations issued a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, with the intent to protect the collective rights of indigenous peoples to their culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and natural resources.

However, the phrase is not applied consistently in all cultures. The notion of an indigenous group depends on context and other issues. The World Banks policy for indigenous people states:

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Different states designate the groups within their boundaries that are recognized as indigenous peoples according to international legislation by different terms. These include, for example "Native Americans" and "Pacific Islander" in the United States; "Inuit", "Métis" and "First Nations" in Canada; Aborigines in Australia; Hill tribes in South East Asia; indigenous ethnic minorities, Scheduled tribes or Adivasi in India; tribal groups, or autochtonous groups.

Definition

The adjective ''indigenous'' has the common meaning of "from" or "of the original origin". Therefore, in a purely adjectival sense any given people, ethnic group or community may be described as being ''indigenous'' in reference to some particular region or location.

Key to a contemporary understanding of "indigenousness" is the political role a cultural group plays, for all other criteria usually taken to denote indigenous groups (territory, race, history, subsistence lifestyle, etc.) can, to a greater or lesser extent, also be applied to majority cultures. Therefore, the distinction applied to indigenous groups can be formulated as "a politically underprivileged group, who share a similar... identity different to the nation in power", and who share territorial rights to a particular area governed by a colonial power. However, the specific term ''indigenous peoples'' has a more restrictive interpretation when it used in the more formalized, legalistic, and academic sense, associated with the collective rights of human populations. In these contexts, the term is used to denote particular peoples and groups around the world who, as well as being native to or associated with some given territory, meet certain other criteria (such as having reached a social and technological plateau thousands of years ago).

Criteria

Drawing on these, a contemporary working definition of "indigenous people" for certain purposes has criteria which would seek to include cultural groups (and their continuity or association with a given region, or parts of a region, and who formerly or currently inhabit the region) either:

before or its subsequent colonisation or annexation; ''or''

alongside other cultural groups during the formation and/or reign of a colony or nation-state; ''or''

independently or largely isolated from the influence of the claimed governance by a nation-state,

and who furthermore:

have maintained at least in part their distinct cultural, social/organisational, and/or linguistic characteristics, and in doing so remain differentiated in some degree from the surrounding populations and dominant culture of the nation-state.

To the above, a criterion is usually added to also include:

peoples who are self-identified as indigenous, and/or those recognized as such by other groups.

Note that even if all the above criteria are fulfilled, some people may either not consider themselves as indigenous or may not be considered as indigenous by governments, organizations or scholars. The discourse of indigenous / non-indigenous may also be viewed within the context of postcolonialism and the evolution of post-colonial societies.

Characteristics

Population and distribution

Indigenous societies range from those who have been significantly exposed to the colonizing or expansionary activities of other societies (such as the Maya peoples of Mexico and Central America) through to those who as yet remain in comparative isolation from any external influence (such as the Sentinelese and Jarawa of the Andaman Islands).

Precise estimates for the total population of the world's Indigenous peoples are very difficult to compile, given the difficulties in identification and the variances and inadequacies of available census data. Recent source estimates range from 300 million to 350 million as of the start of the 21st century. This would equate to just fewer than 6% of the total world population. This includes at least 5000 distinct peoples in over 72 countries.

Contemporary distinct indigenous groups survive in populations ranging from only a few dozen to hundreds of thousands and more. Many indigenous populations have undergone a dramatic decline and even extinction, and remain threatened in many parts of the world. Some have also been assimilated by other populations or have undergone many other changes. In other cases, indigenous populations are undergoing a recovery or expansion in numbers.

Certain indigenous societies survive even though they may no longer inhabit their "traditional" lands, owing to migration, relocation, forced resettlement or having been supplanted by other cultural groups. In many other respects, the transformation of culture of indigenous groups is ongoing, and includes permanent loss of language, loss of lands, encroachment on traditional territories, and disruption in traditional lifeways due to contamination and pollution of waters and lands.

Common characteristics

Characteristics common across many Indigenous groups include present or historical reliance upon subsistence-based production (based on pastoral, horticultural and/or hunting and gathering techniques), and a predominantly non-urbanized society. Not all indigenous groups share these characteristics. Indigenous societies may be either settled in a given locale/region or exhibit a nomadic lifestyle across a large territory, but are generally historically associated with a specific territory on which they are dependent. Indigenous societies are found in every inhabited climate zone and continent of the world.

Common concerns

Indigenous peoples confront a diverse range of concerns associated with their status and interaction with other cultural groups, as well as changes in their inhabited environment. Some challenges are specific to particular groups; however, other challenges are commonly experienced. Bartholomew Dean and Jerome Levi (2003) explore why and how the circumstances of indigenous peoples are improving in some places of the world, while their human rights continue to be abused in others. These issues include cultural and linguistic preservation, land rights, ownership and exploitation of natural resources, political determination and autonomy, environmental degradation and incursion, poverty, health, and discrimination.

The interaction between indigenous and non-indigenous societies throughout history has been complex, ranging from outright conflict and subjugation to some degree of mutual benefit and cultural transfer. A particular aspect of anthropological study involves investigation into the ramifications of what is termed ''first contact'', the study of what occurs when two cultures first encounter one another. The situation can be further confused when there is a complicated or contested history of migration and population of a given region, which can give rise to disputes about primacy and ownership of the land and resources.

In further evidence of how vulnerable some of the Indigenous Peoples are, the Bangladesh Government has stated that there are "no Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh".. This has angered the Indigenous Peoples of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, collectively known as the Jumma (whichs include the Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Tenchungya, Chak, Pankho, Mru, Murung, Bawm, Lushai, Khyang, Gurkha, Assamese, Santal and Khumi).. Experts have protested against this move of the Bangladesh Government and have questioned the Government's definition of the term "Indigenous Peoples". . This move by the Bangladesh Government is seen by the Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh as another step by the Government to further erode their already limited rights.

Historical cultures

The migration, expansion and settlement of societies throughout different territories is a universal, almost defining thread which runs through the entire course of human history. Many of the cross-cultural interactions which arose as a result of these historical encounters involved societies which might properly be considered as indigenous, either from their own viewpoint or that of external societies.

Most often, these past encounters between indigenous and "non-indigenous" groups lack contemporary account or description. Any assessment or understanding of impact, result and relation can at best only be surmised, using archaeological, linguistic or other reconstructive means. Where accounts do exist, they frequently originate from the viewpoint of the colonizing, expansionary or nascent state or from rather scarce and fragmented ethnographic sources compiled by those more congenial with indigenous communities and/or representatives thereof.

Classical antiquity

Greek sources of the Classical period acknowledge the prior existence of indigenous people(s), whom they referred to as "Pelasgians". These peoples inhabited lands surrounding the Aegean Sea before the subsequent migrations of the Hellenic ancestors claimed by these authors. The disposition and precise identity of this former group is elusive, and sources such as Homer, Hesiod and Herodotus give varying, partially mythological accounts. However, it is clear that cultures existed whose indigenous characteristics were distinguished by the subsequent Hellenic cultures (and distinct from non-Greek speaking "foreigners", termed "barbarians" by the historical Greeks). Greco-Roman society flourished between 250 BC and 480 AD and commanded successive waves of conquests that gripped more than half of the globe. But because already existent populations within other parts of Europe at the time of classical antiquity had more in common culturally speaking with the Greco-Roman world, the intricacies involved in expansion across the European frontier were not so contentious relative to indigenous issues. But when it came to expansion in other parts of the world, namely Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, then totally new cultural dynamics had entered into the equation so to speak and we see here a beginning if you like, of what was to take the Americas, South East Asia, and the Pacific by storm a few hundred years later. The idea that peoples who possessed cultural customs and racial appearances strikingly different to that of the colonizing power is no new idea borne out of the Medieval period or the Age of Reason. In fact, this idea had its roots in the political and intellectual ideologies of classical antiquity which tended towards dualizing the interdependent composites of nature and culture to the extent that all 'civilized' peoples were seen to be exemplary of a culture that was unequivocally refined and quintessentially separate from nature in its sociorelational characteristics and resultant political ability to embrace unashamedly a conquering mindset informed by what was believed to be the elemental urge and rational inclination towards accumulation of status and wealth. Therefore, this prevailing social belief in the efficacy of a hierarchical order of supreme rationality governed all political decisions both major and minor, in the Greco-Roman world. This is what the culture and politics of expansionism hinged itself upon coupled with a marked disdain for any culture that dared to prop itself up in resistance against this self-interested power. Indigenous cultures that did such actions to counter the acculturative influences of Greco-Roman rule in this period were often met with brute suppression and a magnitude of cultural disintegration equaled in scope during the subsequent latter European colonial period which stretched from the 15th century into the 20th. Two of the most well known of these earlier movements of indigenous resistance include the popular "Zealot" uprisings in ancient Israel which brazenly refuted the self-appointed efficacy and cultural ostentation of Greco-Roman imperial presence and the audacious counter-culture of dissent thrown at imperial Rome by Christian exiles from their traditional territory in Israel, which was thrown into political turbulence in 70 AD.

European expansion and colonialism

The rapid and extensive spread of the various European powers from the early 15th century onwards had a profound impact upon many of the indigenous cultures with whom they came into contact. The exploratory and colonial ventures in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific often resulted in territorial and cultural conflict, and the intentional or unintentional displacement and devastation of the indigenous populations.

The Canary Islands had an indigenous population called the Guanches whose origin is still the subject of discussion among historians and linguists.

Contemporary distribution and survey

Indigenous populations are distributed in regions throughout the globe. The numbers, condition and experience of indigenous groups may vary widely within a given region. A comprehensive survey is further complicated by sometimes contentious membership and identification.

Arab Tribal Societies

The Arabian peninsula and adjacent areas are home to numerous indigenous Arab tribes. Both the far eastern seaboard of the Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula are home to a vast number of Bedouin tribes that lived in the area since pre-historical times. Many Arab tribes have moved into Africa, South Asia and South East Asia in which case they are not considered indigenous. Remnants of old South Arabian indigenous people are found in Oman and Yemen. Amongst Arabs, a distinction is often made between Adnani Arabs (Arabic: العرب المستعربة) - (Arabized Arabs) and Qathani Arabs (Arabic: قحطان‎ ). Since Islam forbade discrimination on racial grounds and ruled that the offspring of a slave and a free person was to inherit the family name, be an heir and also be set free, there has been a strong foreign impact on the Arab population. Because of historic intercultural intermingling there are now certain tribes that are almost entirely referred to as black and some tribes on the Mediterranean's far eastern seaboard that look similar to what are referred to as white people. In the Gulf countries, in recent times there has been a large number of Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and Persians immigrants that actually outnumber indigenous communities in many smaller states. Many have acquired citizenship trough naturalization. It is believed that these foreign groups will impose a strong future pressure on indigenous populations who are by comparison, relatively small in number. As a general rule tribes in this geographical vicinity do not practice tribal enrollment based on blood quantum as some Native American tribal governments do. It is a mistake to assume that only Bedouin Arabs are members of indigenous tribes. However, there are indigenous tribes who can trace their heritage to one of the many ancient Arabian tribes and there are indigenous groups who, for some reason or other, have lost their tribal names or affiliation due to sedentary live style or other factors.If the latter are to be considered indigenous in the narrow sense, remains subject of debate.

Africa

In the post-colonial period, the concept of specific indigenous peoples within the African continent has gained wider acceptance, although not without controversy. The highly diverse and numerous ethnic groups which comprise most modern, independent African states contain within them various peoples whose situation, cultures and pastoralist or hunter-gatherer lifestyles are generally marginalized and set apart from the dominant political and economic structures of the nation. Since the late 20th century these peoples have increasingly sought recognition of their rights as distinct indigenous peoples, in both national and international contexts. Although the vast majority of African peoples can be considered to be indigenous in the sense that they have originated from that continent and middle and south east Asia, in practice identity as an "indigenous people" as per the term's modern application is more restrictive, and certainly not every African ethnic group claims identification under these terms. Groups and communities who do claim this recognition are those who by a variety of historical and environmental circumstances have been placed outside of the dominant state systems, and whose traditional practices and land claims often come into conflict with the objectives and policies promulgated by governments, companies and surrounding dominant societies. Given the extensive and complicated history of human migration within Africa, being the "first peoples in a land" is not a necessary precondition for acceptance as an indigenous people. Rather, indigenous identity relates more to a set of characteristics and practices than priority of arrival. For example, several populations of nomadic peoples such as the Tuareg of the Sahara and Sahel regions now inhabit areas in which they arrived comparatively recently; their claim to indigenous status (endorsed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights) is based on their marginalization as nomadic peoples in states and territories dominated by sedentary agricultural peoples. The Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC) is one of the main trans-national network organizations recognized as a representative of African indigenous peoples in dialogues with governments and bodies such as the UN. IPACC identifies several key characteristics associated with indigenous claims in Africa:

''political and economic marginalization rooted in colonialism;''

''de facto discrimination based often on the dominance of agricultural peoples in the State system (e.g. lack of access to education and health care by hunters and herders);''

''the particularities of culture, identity, economy and territoriality that link hunting and herding peoples to their home environments in deserts and forests (e.g. nomadism, diet, knowledge systems);''

''some indigenous peoples, such as the San and Pygmy peoples are physically distinct, which makes them subject to specific forms of discrimination.''

With respect to concerns expressed that identifying some groups and not others as indigenous is in itself discriminatory, IPACC states that it:

''"...recognises that all Africans should enjoy equal rights and respect. All of Africa's diversity is to be valued. Particular communities, due to historical and environmental circumstances, have found themselves outside the state-system and underrepresented in governance...This is not to deny other Africans their status; it is to emphasise that affirmative recognition is necessary for hunter-gatherers and herding peoples to ensure their survival."''

At an African inter-governmental level, the examination of indigenous rights and concerns is pursued by a sub-commission established under the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), sponsored by the African Union (AU) (successor body to the Organization of African Unity (OAU)). In late 2003 the 53 signatory states of the ACHPR adopted the ''Report of the African Commission's Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities'' and its recommendations. This report says in part (p. 62):

''...certain marginalized groups are discriminated in particular ways because of their particular culture, mode of production and marginalized position within the state[; a] form of discrimination that other groups within the state do not suffer from. The call of these marginalized groups to protection of their rights is a legitimate call to alleviate this particular form of discrimination.''

The adoption of this report at least notionally subscribed the signatories to the concepts and aims of furthering the identity and rights of African Indigenous peoples. The extent to which individual states are mobilizing to put these recommendations into practice varies enormously, however, and most Indigenous groups continue to agitate for improvements in the areas of land rights, use of natural resources, protection of environment and culture, political recognition and freedom from discrimination.

Americas

Indigenous peoples of the American continents are broadly recognized as being those groups and their descendants who inhabited the region before the arrival of European colonizers and settlers (i.e., Pre-Columbian). Indigenous peoples who maintain, or seek to maintain, traditional ways of life are found from the high Arctic north to the southern extremities of Tierra del Fuego. The impact of European colonization of the Americas on the indigenous communities has been in general quite severe, with many authorities estimating ranges of significant population decline due to the ravages of various genocide campaigns, epidemic diseases (smallpox, measles, etc.), displacement, conflict, compulsory boarding schools, massacres and exploitation. The extent of this impact is the subject of much continuing debate. Several peoples shortly thereafter became extinct, or very nearly so.

All nations in North and South America have ''populations'' of indigenous peoples within their borders. In some countries (particularly Latin American), indigenous peoples form a sizable component of the overall national population—in Bolivia they account for an estimated 56%-70% of the total nation, and at least half of the ''population'' in Guatemala and the Andean and Amazonian ''nations'' of Peru. In English, indigenous peoples are collectively referred to by several different terms which vary by region and include such ethnonyms as Native Americans, Amerindians, Indians. In Spanish or Portuguese speaking countries one finds the use of terms such as ''pueblos indígenas'', ''povos'', ''nativos'', ''indígenas'', and in Peru, ''Comunidades Nativas'', particularly among Amazonian societies like the Urarina and Matsés.

Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" are falling into disuse in Canada. There are currently over 600 recognized First Nations governments or bands encompassing 1,172,790 ²⁰⁰⁶ peoples spread across Canada with distinctive Aboriginal cultures, languages, art, and music. National Aboriginal Day recognises the cultures and contributions of Aboriginals to the history of Canada

The Inuit have achieved a degree of administrative autonomy with the creation in 1999 of the territories of Nunavik (in Northern Quebec), Nunatsiavut (in Northern Labrador) and Nunavut, which was until 1999 a part of the Northwest Territories. The self-administering Danish territory of Greenland is also home to a majority population of indigenous Inuit (about 85%). In the United States, the combined populations of Native Americans, Inuit and other indigenous designations totalled 2,786,652 (constituting about 1.5% of 2003 US census figures). Some 563 scheduled tribes are recognized at the Federal level, and a number of others recognized at the State level.

In Mexico, approximately 6,011,202 (constituting about 6.7% of 2005 Mexican census figures) identify as ''Indígenas'' (Spanish for natives or indigenous peoples). In the southern states of Chiapas, Yucatán and Oaxaca they constitute 26.1%, 33.5% and 35.3%, respectively, of the population. In these states several conflicts and episodes of civil war have been conducted, in which the situation and participation of indigenous societies were notable factors (see for example EZLN).

The Amerindians make up 0.4% of Brazil's population, or about 700,000 people. Indigenous peoples are found in the entire territory of Brazil, although the majority of them live in Indian reservations in the North and Center-Western part of the country. On 18 January 2007, FUNAI reported that it had confirmed the presence of 67 different uncontacted tribes in Brazil, up from 40 in 2005. With this addition Brazil has now overtaken the island of New Guinea as the country having the largest number of uncontacted tribes.

Guatemala is 50 to 80% indigenous, depending on whose statistics are used (Nelson, Finger in the Wound 1999)

Asia

: ''See also: :Category:Indigenous peoples of Asia''

The vast regions of Asia contain the majority of the world's present-day Indigenous populations, about 70% according to IWGIA figures.

The most substantial populations are in India, which constitutionally recognizes a range of "Scheduled Tribes" within its borders. These various peoples (collectively referred to as Adivasis, or tribal peoples) number about 68 million (1991 census figures, approximately 8% of the total national population).

Nivkh people are an ethnic group indigenous to Sakhalin, having a few speakers of the Nivkh language, but their fisher culture has been endangered due to the development of oil field of Sakhalin from 1990s.

Ainu people are an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. As Japanese settlement expanded, the Ainu were pushed northward, until by the Meiji period they were confined by the government to a small area in Hokkaidō, in a manner similar to the placing of Native Americans on reservations.

The languages of Taiwanese aborigines have significance in historical linguistics, since in all likelihood Taiwan was the place of origin of the entire Austronesian language family, which spread across Oceania.

There are indigenous peoples of the Philippines, which Spain and the United States colonized.

The Assyrians and Marsh Arabs are indigenous to areas of the geocultural region of Mesopotamia which includes parts of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The Lurs also inhabit parts of Iraq close to the Iranian border with the provinces of Lorestan and Ilam.

The Bahrani are the indigenous people of the archipelago of Bahrain and the oasis of Qatif on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia (see historical region of Bahrain).

Europe

:''See also: :Category:Indigenous peoples of Europe and European ethnic groups'' Since most of Europe in historical times was never colonized by non-European powers with lasting effect (arguably except for Hungary, Turkish Thrace, Tatarstan, Kalmykia and islands such as Malta or Cyprus), the vast majority of Europeans can be considered indigenous. However several widely accepted formulations, which define the term ''"Indigenous peoples"'' in stricter terms, have been put forward by internationally recognized organizations, such as the United Nations, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank. Indigenous peoples in this article is used in such a narrower sense.

In Europe, present-day recognized indigenous populations are relatively few, mainly confined to northern and far-eastern reaches of this Eurasian peninsula. Whilst there are various ethnic minorities distributed within European countries, few of these still maintain traditional subsistence cultures and are recognized as indigenous peoples, ''per se''. Notable indigenous populations include the Sami people of northern Scandinavia, the Nenets and other Samoyedic peoples of the northern Russian Federation, and the Komi peoples of the western Urals.

The Basque people, inhabiting northern Spain and southwestern France, are one of the oldest indigenous groups in Europe. It is widely held that most likely the Basques are the last surviving ethno-linguistic group descended from populations of Neolithic Europe before the intrusion of Indo-European languages and peoples. Another theory about Basque origins suggests that they are a remnant of Paleolithic Europeans inhabiting continuously the Franco-Cantabrian region since at least Magdalenian times. The only archaeological evidence for an invasion of the Basque Country dates to some 40,000 years ago when Cro-Magnon people first arrived in Europe and superseded Homo neanderthalensis.

North Caucasus is unique in its diversity, with a greater variety of languages spoken there than in any region of similar size in the world. Caucasus region is the home of over 50 cultural minorities like the Circassians. See also: Peoples of the Caucasus.

Oceania

Many of the present-day Pacific Island nations in the Oceania region were originally populated by Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian peoples over the course of thousands of years. European colonial expansion in the Pacific brought many of these under non-indigenous administration. During the 20th century several of these former colonies gained independence and nation-states were formed under local control. However, various peoples have put forward claims for Indigenous recognition where their islands are still under external administration; examples include the Chamorros of Guam and the Northern Marianas, and the Marshallese of the Marshall Islands.

The remains of at least 25 miniature humans, who lived between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago, were recently found on the islands of Palau in Micronesia.

In most parts of Oceania, indigenous peoples outnumber the descendants of colonists. Exceptions include Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. According to the 2001 Australian census, indigenous Australians make up 2.4% of the total population, while in New Zealand 14.6% of the population identify at least partially as indigenous Māori, with slightly more than half (53%) of all Māori residents identifying solely as Māori. The Māori are indigenous to Polynesia and settled New Zealand relatively recently, the migrations were thought to have occurred between 1000-1200 CE. In New Zealand pre-contact Māori tribes were not a single people, thus the more recent grouping into tribal (iwi) arrangements has become a more formal arrangement in more recent times. Many Māori tribal leaders signed a treaty with the British, Treaty of Waitangi, so that the modern geo-political entity that is New Zealand was established by partial consent. However, the Māori language translation of the Treaty of Waitangi which they signed is worded ambiguously and does not fully match the English version. The treaty process gave British citizenship to the 'native' population. However, some of the British settlers ignored the Treaty of Waitangi and through some illegal acts of colonisation and war (though there were legitimate land sales between Maori and the settlers) Maori lost 95% of their land and resources from the 1850s through to the 1970s which resulted in the large scale socio-economic marginalization of the vast majority of Maori. Since the 1970s there has been a cultural renaissance by Maori, and a political drive to assert their Treaty rights to their land, resources and culture through the Waitangi Tribunal process. This has resulted in the legal recognition of the Maori language and culture and has resulted in the return of some land, resources and money so that today Māori businesses have an estimated value of over NZD$14 billion. Māori have also formed an important political party.

The independent state of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a majority population of indigenous societies, with some 700+ different tribal groups recognized out of a total population of just over 5 million. The PNG Constitution and other Acts identify traditional or custom-based practices and land tenure, and explicitly sets out to promote the viability of these traditional societies within the modern state. However, several conflicts and disputes concerning land use and resource rights continue to be observed between indigenous groups, the government and corporate entities.

Rights, issues and concerns

Wherever indigenous cultural identity is asserted, some particular set of societal issues and concerns may be voiced which either arise from (at least in part), or have a particular dimension associated with, their indigenous status. These concerns will often be commonly held or affect other societies also, and are not necessarily experienced uniquely by indigenous groups.

Despite the diversity of Indigenous peoples, it may be noted that they share common problems and issues in dealing with the prevailing, or invading, society. They are generally concerned that the cultures of Indigenous peoples are being lost and that indigenous peoples suffer both discrimination and pressure to assimilate into their surrounding societies. This is borne out by the fact that the lands and cultures of nearly all of the peoples listed at the end of this article are under threat. Notable exceptions are the Sakha and Komi peoples (two of the northern indigenous peoples of Russia), who now control their own autonomous republics within the Russian state, and the Canadian Inuit, who form a majority of the territory of Nunavut (created in 1999).

It is also sometimes argued that it is important for the human species as a whole to preserve a wide range of cultural diversity as possible, and that the protection of indigenous cultures is vital to this enterprise.

An example of this occurred in 2002 when the Government of Botswana expelled all the Kalahari Bushmen known as the San from their lands on which they had lived for at least twenty thousand years. President Festus Mogai has described the Bushmen as "stone age creatures" and a minister for local government, Margaret Nasha, likened public criticism of their eviction to criticism of the culling of elephants. In 2006, the Botswanan High Court ruled that the Bushmen had a right to return to their land in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Health Issues

In December 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, and requested UN specialized agencies to consider with governments and indigenous people how they can contribute to the success of the Decade of Indigenous People, commencing in December 1994. As a consequence, the World Health Organization, at its Forty-seventh World Health Assembly established a core advisory group of indigenous representatives with special knowledge of the health needs and resources of their communities, thus beginning a long-term commitment to the issue of the health of indigenous peoples.

The WHO notes, that "Statistical data on the health status of indigenous peoples is scarce. This is especially notable for indigenous peoples in Africa, Asia and eastern Europe", but snapshots from various countries, where such statistics are available, show that indigenous people are in worse health than the general population, in advanced and developing countries alike: higher incidence of diabetes in some regions of Australia; higher prevalence of poor sanitation and lack of safe water among Twa households in Rwanda; a greater prevalence of childbirths without prenatal care among ethnic minorities in Vietman; suicide rates among Inuit youth in Canada are eleven times higher than the national average; infant mortality rates are higher for indigenous peoples everywhere.

Accredited organizations

Various organizations are devoted to the preservation or study of indigenous peoples. Of these, several have widely recognized credentials to act as an intermediary or representative on behalf of indigenous peoples' groups, in negotiations on indigenous issues with governments and international organizations. These include:

African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR)

Center for World Indigenous Studies

Cultural Survival

Friends of Peoples Close to Nature (fPcN)

Incomindios Switzerland

Indigenous Dialogues

Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC)

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA)

Survival International

Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV)

International Day of the World's Indigenous People

The International Day of the World's Indigenous People falls on August 9 as this was the date of the first meeting in 1982 of the United Nations Working Group of Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the Commission on Human Rights.

The UN General Assembly decided on 23 December 1994, that the International Day of the World's Indigenous People should be observed on August 9 every year during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (resolution 49/214). Later on 20 December 2004 the assembly decided to continue observing the International Day of Indigenous People every year during the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (2005–2014) (resolution 59/174).

Knowledge and culture

The preservation and investigation of specialized Indigenous knowledge, particularly in relation to the resources of the natural environment with which the society is associated, is a goal of both the Indigenous and the societies who thereby seek to identify new resources and benefits (example: partnerships established to research biological extracts from vegetation in the Amazon rainforests).

For some people (e.g. Indigenous communities from India, Brazil, and Malaysia and some NGOs such as GRAIN and Third World Network), Indigenous peoples have often been victims of biopiracy when they are subjected to unauthorized use of their natural resources, of their traditional knowledge on these biological resources, of unequal share of benefits between them and a patent holder.

Viewpoints

A range of differing viewpoints and attitudes have arisen from the experience and history of contact between Indigenous and "non-indigenous" communities. The cultural, regional and historical contexts in which these viewpoints have developed are complex, and many competing viewpoints exist simultaneously in any given society, albeit promulgated with greater or lesser force depending on the extent of cross-cultural exposure and internal societal change. These views may be noted from both sides of the relationship.

Indigenous viewpoints

Indigenous peoples are increasingly faced with threats to their sovereignty, environment, and access to natural resources. Examples of this can be the deforestation of tropical rainforests where many native tribe's subsistence lifestyles are threatened. Assimilative colonial policies resulted in ongoing issues related to aboriginal child protection.

Non-indigenous viewpoints

Indigenous peoples have been denoted ''primitives,'' ''savages,'' or ''uncivilized.'' These terms were common during the heights of European colonial expansion, but still continue in modern times. During the 17th century, indigenous peoples were commonly labeled "uncivilized". Whilst there was a swell in bringing back creative elements of classical antiquity in artistic pursuits, there was also the not so creative side of regurgitating xenophobic ideas from that period. Some philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes considered indigenous people to be merely 'savages', while others are purported to have considered them to be "noble savages". Those who were close to the Hobbesian view tended to believe themselves to have a duty to civilize and modernize indigenes. Although anthropologists, especially from Europe, used to apply these terms to all tribal cultures, it has fallen into disfavor as demeaning and, according to anthropologists, inaccurate (see tribe, cultural evolution). Survival International runs a campaign to stamp out media portrayal of indigenous peoples as 'primitive' or 'savages'. Friends of Peoples Close to Nature considers not only that indigenous culture should be respected as not being inferior, but also sees their way of life as a lesson of sustainability and a part of the struggle within the "corrupted" western world, from which the threat stems.

After World War I, however, many Europeans came to doubt the value of civilization. At the same time, the anti-colonial movement, and advocates of indigenous peoples, argued that words such as "civilized" and "savage" were products and tools of colonialism, and argued that colonialism itself was savagely destructive.

In the mid 20th century, European attitudes began to shift to the view that indigenous and tribal peoples should have the right to decide for themselves what should happen to their ancient cultures and their ancestral lands.

Several criticisms of the concept of indigenous peoples are:

Peoples have invaded or colonized each other's lands since before recorded history and so the division into indigenous and non-indigenous is a matter of judgment. Even in recent centuries there are difficulties: for example, are the Zulu people indigenous to South Africa?

Lumping indigenous peoples into one group ignores the vast amounts of diversity among them and at the same time imposes a uniform identity on them, which may not be historically accurate.

See also

Collective rights

Colonialism

Ethnic minority

Human rights

The Image Expedition

Indigenous intellectual property

Intangible Cultural Heritage

Isuma

Uncontacted peoples

United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization

List of ethnic groups

Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Assessment Initiative

Notes

References

Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. ''Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples.'' London: Zed Books, 1999. ISBN 978-1-85649-624-7.

Further reading

United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, from ''Study of the Problem of Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations'', J. Martinez Cobo, United Nations Special Rapporteur (1987)

Report of the African Commission's Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations/Communities November 2003

FRITZ Jean-Claude, ''La nouvelle question indigène. Peuples autochthones et ordre mondial'' (en co-direction avec Frédéric Déroche, Gérard Fritz et Raphaël Porteilla), Paris, L'Harmattan, 2006.

FRITZ Jean-Claude, ''L'humanité face à la mondialisation. Droit des peuples et environnement'' (en co-direction avec Charalambos Apostolidis et Gérard Fritz), Paris, L'Harmattan, 1997.

''Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Issues: An Encyclopedia'', by Bruce E. Johansen. Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 2003. 506p., ISBN 978-0-313-32398-0

External links

Institutions

UNEP Indigenous People's Website

IFAD and indigenous peoples (International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD)

IPS Inter Press Service News on indigenous peoples from around the world

Indigenous studies

Indigenous Peoples in Brazil. Instituto Socioambiental (ISA)

Indigenous Peoples Issues & Resources

Janssen, D. F., ''Growing Up Sexually. Volume I. World Reference Atlas'' [full text]

Category:Indigenous peoples

als:Ureinwohner ar:سكان أصليون az:Aborigen zh-min-nan:Goân-chū-bîn ca:Indígena cs:Domorodec da:Aboriginer de:Indigene Völker et:Pärismaalased el:Αυτόχθονες πληθυσμοί es:Indígena eo:Indiĝenaj popoloj eu:Indigena fa:مردمان بومی fr:Peuple autochtone gl:Indíxena hi:आदिवासी id:Pribumi iu:ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ/nunaqaqqaaqsimajut it:Popoli indigeni he:ילידים kn:ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಜನರು kk:Аборигендер la:Indigena lt:Čiabuviai nl:Inheemse bevolking ja:先住民 no:Urfolk nn:Urfolk nds:Indigene Völker pl:Ludy tubylcze pt:Indígenas qu:Ayllu runa ru:Коренные народы si:ආදිවාසීන් sl:Domorodno ljudstvo fi:Alkuperäiskansa sv:Ursprungsfolk tl:Mga katutubo te:మూలవాసులు tr:Yerli halklar tk:Aborigenler uk:Автохтони zh:原住民

Dorothy Dobbie (born January 5, 1945) was a Canadian politician. She served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1993, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Dobbie was a publisher before entering political life, and was a founder of Association Publications Ltd and Naylor Communications. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. In 1983, she was named Outstanding Business Citizen of the Year by the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce.

She was narrowly elected to the House of Commons in the 1988 election, defeating Liberal candidate Allan Kaufman by 715 votes. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the election, and Dobbie entered parliament as a government backbencher.

She served as parliamentary secretary to several ministers between 1989 and 1993, as was co-chair of the Castonguay-Dobbie Committee on the Renewal of Canada. The committee's recommendations later formed the basis of the government's Charlottetown Accord, which was defeated in a national referendum.

Dobbie supported Jean Charest's bid to succeed Brian Mulroney as Progressive Conservative party leader in 1993 (''Winnipeg Free Press'', 11 June 1993), and retained her own nomination over a challenge from Charles Maximilian (''Winnipeg Free Press'', 16 March 1993).

The PC Party was resoundingly defeated in the 1993 election, losing all but two of its parliamentary seats. Dobbie lost her candidate's deposit, receiving 6,432 votes (12.29%) for a third-place finish against Liberal Reg Alcock. During the campaign, she accused the rival Reform Party of being controlled by Christian fundamentalists and criticized her own party for running advertisements that mocked Liberal leader Jean Chrétien's facial deformity (''Winnipeg Free Press'', 17 October 1993). She also called for the abolition of the Canadian Senate (''Winnipeg Free Press'', 18 July 1993).

In 1997, Dobbie was appointed to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council - Prairie Region. After Charest's resignation as Progressive Conservative Party leader in 1998, she endorsed Joe Clark to be his successor (''Toronto Star'', 29 June 1998).

Dobbie helped to found Pegasus Publications Inc. in 1996, and still serves as its president. She is now the publisher of Manitoba Gardener, Ontario Gardener and Alberta Gardener magazines, and has written several articles on gardening.

She opposed the Progressive Conservative Party's merger with the Canadian Alliance in 2003, and endorsed Liberal candidate Glen Murray in the 2004 federal election.

References

External links

Category:Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Manitoba Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian women Members of Parliament Category:Women in Manitoba politics

Name	Babbu Maan
Background	solo_singer
Born	March 18, 1976
Origin	Khant, Fatehgarh Sahib Punjab
Record label	Point Zero Production
Genre	Punjabi, Bhangra, Romantic, Hindi Pop Punjabi Rap
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, Actor, Producer
Years active	1998–present
Website	}}

Babbu Maan (born Tejinder Singh Maan on Mar 18) is a Punjabi singer-songwriter, actor, and producer. Born in the village of Khant Maanpur in the Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab, India. Babbu Maan has been very fond of playing music since his childhood, singing on stage for the first time during a school function in his village school at the age of seven. He would see everything through the eyes of a musician, even turning cooking pans into musical instruments as he created rhythmic sounds. He learned how to write lyrics, while at school (Punjab University, Chandigarh) when he was about 16. After college, he started singing and composing music. He is one of the few singers who writes his own lyrics for all of his songs. He sang for Mavi music recording studio and recorded his first album when he was only 23.

Babbu Maan is the only Punjabi singer who sings his own lyrics in his own great music. Babbu Maan is famous for his distinctive music and lyrics, at present he is one of the great Punjabi singers who has given a new trend to Bhangra Music. His sad songs are urbane with the synchronized Punjabi music, as that no one else could create. Now he is entrenched Punjabi pop singer, composer, lyricist, playback singer and actor as well.

Career

Babbu Maan debuted in 1998 with his album Sajjan Rumal De Giya. Unhappy with the album he went back to the drawing board and re-wrote many of the songs, many of which were re-released in his following albums. Tu Meri Miss India, his second album was released in 1999 was a smash hit.

His third album Saaun Di Jhadi released in 2001 was a highly successful album; It sold over ten million copies in India alone and many more overseas. In 2003 Maan was selected as actor and Music Director for the movie Hawayein in which he worked alongside his favourite singer, Sukhwinder Singh. The movie was highly successful. It was followed by his album, Ohi Chann Ohi Rataan. This album also fared well, in both critical acclaim and sales. Pyass was he's next album.

In 2006 Maan started on his first playback movie called Rabb Ne Banayien Jodeian, with its songs scoring another success for Maan. Mera Gham was a highly successful Hindi album. It focused more on slow romantic and sad songs with a few up-beat songs. The song "Ek Raat/One Night Stand" shocked many listeners, but nevertheless, the song has a very catchy beat.

Maan starred in a New Year's special called Aao Saare Nachiye which was also highly successful. Part 1 was released in 2008 and Part 2 in 2009. Maan's Film Hashar... A love Story, was the biggest film success yet in his career; the songs were also a hit. Recently Babbu released a religious album,Singh Better Than King. A song from this album "Ik Baba Nanak Si" was banned by the government. This was followed by a tv survey in which 80% of people supported Babbu Maan, 6% people supported the censorship of the song and 14% people did not participate. Nevertheless, it was successful album and it sold more than 25 million copies in (INDIA). On March 25, 2010, Maan came out with his new Film Ekam - Son of Soil. The film faired well at the box office.

Discography

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2007	''Mera Gham''	Point Zero
2005	''Pyass''	T-Series
2004	''Ohi Chann Ohi Rataan''	T-Series
2001	''Saaun Di Jhadi''	T-Series
1999	''Tu Meri Miss India''	Catrack
1998	''Sajjan Rumal De Giya''	Catrack

Religious

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2009	''Singh Better Than King''	Point Zero

Soundtrack

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2010	''Ekam: Son of Soil''	Point Zero
2008	''Hashar: A Love Story...''	Eros
2006	''Rabb Ne Banaiyan Jodiean''	T-Series
2003	''Hawayein''	T-Series

Compilation

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2011	''Aao Saare Nachiye Vol. 4''	Point Zero
2010	''Aao Saare Nachiye Vol. 2''	Point Zero
2009	''Aao Saare Nachiye''	Point Zero

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Character
2011	''Hero Hiter in Love''
2010	''Crook''	Playback singer
2010	''Ekam: Son of Soil''	Ekam
2009	''Vaada Raha...I Promise''	Playback singer
2008	''Hashar: A Love Story...''	Maninder
2006	''Rabb Ne Banaiyan Jodiean''	Jelly
2003	''Hawayein''	Kanpuria

References

External links

BabbuMaanOnline.com Babbu Mann's official website

Cine Punjab - Information

mannfilms.com/ekam Ekam: Son of Soil official website

pointzeroentertainers.com Point Zero official website

mannfilms.com Mann Films official website

Hashar a Love Story official website

Listen Babbu Mann Songs

http://www.herohitlerinlove.com/

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Indian Sikhs Category:Panjab University alumni Category:Punjabi-language singers

hi:बब्बू मान te:బబ్బూ మన్

name	Rick Mercer
birth name	Richard Vincent Mercer
birth date	October 17, 1969
birth place	St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
website	http://www.rickmercer.com/ }}

Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer (born October 17, 1969) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and blogger.

Mercer first came to national attention in 1990, when he premiered his one man show ''Show Me the Button, I'll Push It, or Charles Lynch Must Die'' at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. A pointed, satirical political commentary on Canadian life after Meech Lake, ''Show Me the Button'' made Mercer a national star as he toured the show across Canada. Mercer came to greater attention for his role in the satirical news show ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', and his spinoff special ''Talking To Americans'' was the highest-rated comedy special in the history of CBC Television, with 2.7 million viewers.

Television shows

In 1992, he created and performed his second show, ''I've Killed Before, I'll Kill Again'', which was also a popular touring show. Also in that year, he began to work with former ''CODCO'' members Cathy Jones, Mary Walsh, and with fellow Newfoundlander Greg Thomey, to create a new television series for CBC Television which became ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''.

In the first eight seasons of ''22 Minutes'', Mercer provided some of the show's signature moments, including an Internet petition (on the '' 22 Minutes'' website) to force Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day to change his first name to Doris.

Mercer's tightly scripted and performed two-minute "rants," in which he would speak directly to the camera about a current political issue, shot in a style similar to those Denis Leary used in MTV commercials, quickly became the show's signature segment. In 1998, he published a book, ''Streeters'', which compiled many of his most famous ''22 Minutes'' rants. It quickly became a national bestseller. In 2007 he published his second book, ''Rick Mercer Report: The Book''.

In November 2010, Mercer contributed a rant he had previously recorded in 2007 on the subject of teen bullying in high schools to Dan Savage's It Gets Better Project.

''Made in Canada''

Mercer co-created the series ''Made in Canada'', which ran for five seasons on CBC Television from 1998 – 2003. The show was a fast-paced situation comedy which self-referentially satirized the Canadian TV production industry, often drawing from details of its own production companies and including thinly veiled parodies of contemporary programs. It was syndicated abroad as ''The Industry'' and won several Gemini Awards (which were themselves satirized in subsequent episodes.)

''Talking to Americans''

One of Mercer's trademark comedy routines on ''22 Minutes'' was ''Talking to Americans'', in which he would travel to a major American city or institution and conduct on-the-street interviews with average Americans regarding Canadian politics, the weather, etc., often with hilarious results as the subject's ignorance about Canada was illustrated. One famous example saw Mercer asking Americans' opinion on whether Canada should change its "20 Hour Clock" to the 24 hour one used by the United States. He received approval from citizens and from the Governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack. On another occasion he got the support of Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in calling on Canadians to save the "National Igloo."

Mercer made international headlines in 2000 when he pulled a ''Talking to Americans'' stunt on then-presidential candidate George W. Bush. He successfully got Bush to answer questions about non-existent Canadian Prime Minister "Jean Poutine". Bush was not amused at the time, and thereafter refused to accept interviews from the CBC. However, he did make a joking reference to this incident during his visit to Canada in 2004. In the same US election campaign, Mercer asked Democratic candidate Al Gore to promise to visit the "Canadian capital city" of Toronto after his election. Gore did not question Mercer's incorrect identification of the capital of Canada.

In 2001, Mercer co-produced a CBC special based on ''Talking to Americans'', which attracted 2.7 million Canadian viewers—the highest-rated television special in Canadian history. Later, the respected ABC News program ''Nightline'' would devote a show to it. This was his last major project related to ''22 Minutes''—at the end of the 2000–2001 season, he announced his departure from that show. It was rumoured that he had decided to leave because of friction between Mercer and co-star Mary Walsh, although other reasons include focusing on his other television show, ''Made in Canada''. ''Talking to Americans'' was nominated for a Gemini Award, but following the 9/11 attacks, Mercer declined the nomination.

''The Rick Mercer Report''

In 2003, ''Made in Canada'' ended its run as well, and Mercer began to work on a new CBC series, ''Rick Mercer's Monday Report''. Similar in format to ''22 Minutes'' and ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', the show debuted in January 2004. Also in 2003, Mercer went to Afghanistan to visit the Canadian troops stationed there (See: Operation Athena), resulting in the television special ''Christmas in Kabul''.

Despite reports of a long-standing feud Mercer invited Walsh to appear on ''Monday Report'' as a special guest to promote her own series ''Hatching, Matching and Dispatching''.

At the end of its second season, ''Monday Report'' was the highest rated arts and entertainment show on the CBC. Mercer has had a who's who from the world of Canadian entertainment and politics appear as guests on his show. Ex-Prime Minister Paul Martin gave him a private tour of 24 Sussex Drive and former New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent made snow angels with Mercer on Parliament Hill. Other prominent guests were NDP leader Jack Layton; Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper (now Prime Minister); Green Party leader Elizabeth May; then-Conservative MP Belinda Stronach; Conservative MP Peter MacKay; Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams; Olympic gold medallist Kyle Shewfelt; author Pierre Berton; recording artists Jann Arden, Bif Naked, Rush bassist Geddy Lee, and Sarah McLachlan; publishing mogul Conrad Black; and former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. When Mercer hosted a relief benefit concert for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, musical guests Barenaked Ladies appeared in a segment Mercer shot backstage completely naked.

Since Mercer launched his own show, he became a regular target of his old show ''22 Minutes''. Criticism of Mercer focused mostly on his ongoing support of the Canadian Forces and his personal wealth.

In 2005, the CBC moved ''Monday Report'' to Tuesday nights, which caused the show's name to be changed to ''The Rick Mercer Report''. On his blog, Mercer wrote of the time slot shift that "we ended the season as the highest rated comedy show on the network. Clearly some drastic changes were needed."

A book by Mercer, ''Rick Mercer Report: The Book'', based on his television program, was published on September 25, 2007, by Doubleday Canada. This was Mercer's first book since his bestselling ''Streeters'' of 1998, and contained a collection of the best of Mercer's "rants" from the first four seasons of ''Rick Mercer Report'', together with choice moments from interviews for the program and other writings by Mercer. On CBC Radio's ''Sounds Like Canada'' on September 21, Shelagh Rogers said of the book that "it's the most fun I've had in bed in a long time." The book entered the ''Globe and Mail'' books chart on October 6 at number three. A continuing commercial success, it was number one in the ''Globe'' bestseller list in the week before Christmas 2007, and has been reprinted eight times.

An expanded and updated paperback version of ''Rick Mercer Report: The Book'', called ''Rick Mercer Report: The Paperback Book'', was published by Anchor Canada on September 16, 2008 and immediately entered the top ten of the ''Globe and Mail'' bestseller list. It continues to sell well and has been reprinted several times.

Other film and television work

Mercer has hosted ''It Seems Like Yesterday'', which examines pop-culture from the 1950s to the 1980s. He has appeared in a few films, including ''Secret Nation'', ''Understanding Bliss'' and ''Bon Cop, Bad Cop''.

Awards

Mercer has received more than 20 Gemini Awards for his television work. He has also been a winner of the prestigious Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award, presented to him at the 2003 Banff Television Festival. In 1993, Newfoundland premier Clyde Wells honoured Mercer with the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council's Artist of the Year award. In 2004, Mercer was presented with the Governor General's Performing Arts Award. He donated his $15,000 cash prize to the LSPU hall, the theatre in Newfoundland where Mercer performed his early work.

He holds honorary degrees from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Brock University in St. Catharines, McMaster University in Hamilton, Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, and the University of British Columbia. He received an honorary high school diploma for his outstanding efforts and determination from Landmark East School in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in 1999.

Mercer was awarded the 30th Annual Bob Edwards Award in Calgary.

In 2007, he was named honorary colonel of the 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron, based in Shearwater, Nova Scotia; the squadron flies the Sea King helicopters.

Spokesperson and endorsements

Rick Mercer is co-chair, along with Belinda Stronach, in the Spread the Net campaign, partnered through UNICEF, which kicked off at Brock University on September 10, 2008. Spread the Net provides bed nets for $10 each to prevent the spread of malaria among children in Africa.

In December 2004 Mercer appeared on the commercials advertising the One-Tonne Challenge for the Government of Canada. Mercer also appeared as a model in a national ad for men's clothing store, Harry Rosen, wearing a Canali suit. All of Mercer's fees for the campaign went to Casey House, a hospice in Toronto for people living with AIDS. Casey House was founded by June Callwood, who appeared as a celebrity guest on ''Monday Report''.

In September 2005, Mercer became the national spokesperson for the 2005 Walk For Life, a series of 132 fund-raising walks across Canada that raise money for people living with HIV and AIDS. The Walk for Life is a project of the Canadian AIDS Society.

Mercer has narrated an animated science video on climate change for Science North in Sudbury.

In November 2010, Mercer joined the It Gets Better, Canada campaign, a series of videos that aim to help gay and lesbian youth to overcome bullying.

Personal life

Mercer was born in St. John's, Newfoundland. He dropped out of Prince of Wales High School in St. John's before completing his diploma requirements. However, in 2002 he was presented with an honorary doctor of letters by Laurentian University and in 2005 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Memorial University of Newfoundland. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets when he was in his teen years.

Mercer's partner is television producer Gerald Lunz. Although the romantic relationship came first, Lunz is also Mercer's long-time partner in business, who discovered him, fostered his career, and is currently the executive producer of ''The Rick Mercer Report''. He regards his personal life as private, and says little about it in public.

References

Further reading

External links

Personal website

''Rick Mercer Report'' Official website

Category:1969 births Category:Canadian bloggers Category:Canadian satirists Category:Canadian television comedians Category:Gemini Award winners Category:LGBT comedians Category:LGBT people from Canada Category:LGBT television personalities Category:Living people Category:People from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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