View source for First Nations in Alberta

{{Short description|Group of people who live in the Canadian province of Alberta}}
{{redirect|Indigenous peoples in Alberta|text=See also [[Métis in Alberta]]}}
{{Indigenous Peoples of Canada}}

'''First Nations in Alberta''' are a group of people who live in the Canadian province of [[Alberta]]. The [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] are peoples (or nations) recognized as [[Indigenous peoples in Canada]], excluding the [[Inuit]] and the [[Métis in Alberta|Métis]]. According to the 2011 Census, a population of 116,670 Albertans self-identified as First Nations.  Specifically there were 96,730 First Nations people with registered [[Indian Status]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/ref/dict/pop116-eng.cfm|title=Registered or Treaty Indian status - National Household Survey (NHS) Dictionary|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref> and 19,945 [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] people without registered [[Indian Status]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/2011001/tbl/tbl03-eng.cfm|title=Table 3 Distribution of First Nations people, First Nations people with and without registered Indian status, and First Nations people with registered Indian status living on or off reserve, Canada, provinces and territories, 2011|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref> Alberta has the third largest [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] population among the provinces and territories (after Ontario and British Columbia).<ref name=":0" />  From this total population, 47.3% of the population lives on an [[Indian reserve]] and the other 52.7% live in urban centres.<ref name=":0" />  According to the 2011 Census, the First Nations population in [[Edmonton]] (the provincial capital) totalled at 31,780, which is the second highest for any city in Canada (after Winnipeg).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/2011001/c-g/c-g01-eng.cfm|title=Figure 1 Ten census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with the largest Métis populations, 2011|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=2018-10-31}}</ref>  The First Nations population in [[Calgary]], in reference to the 2011 Census, totalled at 17,040.<ref name=":1" />  There are 45 [[Band government|First Nations or "bands"]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1100100020667/1614279204239|title=First Nations in Alberta|website=sac-isc.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=2024-07-30}}</ref> in Alberta (in the sense of governments made up of a council and a chief), belonging to nine different ethnic groups or "tribes" based on their ancestral languages.{{sfn|Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta|2013|p=14}}

== Classifications ==
There are [[Classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas|a variety of ways of classifying]] the various First Nations groups in Alberta. In anthropological terms there are two broad cultural groupings in Alberta based on different climatic/ecological regions and the ways of life adapted to those regions. In the [[Northern Alberta|northern part of the province]] the [[Indigenous peoples of the Subarctic|Subarctic peoples]] relied on [[boreal forest of Canada|boreal]] species such as [[moose]], [[Boreal woodland caribou|woodland caribou]], etc. as their main prey animals,{{sfn|Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta|2013|p=12}} extensively practised [[ice fishing]], and utilized [[canoes]], [[snowshoes]], and [[toboggan]]s for transportation. The [[Plains Indians]] of [[southern Alberta|the south]] lived primarily in a [[prairie|prairie grasslands environment]] (but with access as well to the [[Alberta's Rockies|nearby Rocky Mountains]]) and relied on the [[plains bison]] (or "buffalo") as their major food source and used the [[travois]] for transportation. Peoples in the [[Central Alberta|central]], [[aspen parkland]] belt of Alberta practiced hybrid cultures with features of both the aforementioned groups.

At the time of contact with Euro-Canadian observers, all of the indigenous peoples in Alberta belonged to several overlapping groups: lodges, bands, tribes, and confederacies. The smallest unit was the ''lodge'', which is what observers called an extended family or any other group living in the same dwelling such as a [[Tipi|teepee]] or [[wigwam]]. Several lodges living together formed a [[band society|''band'']]. Bands were highly mobile small groups consisting of a respected (male) leader sometimes called a [[Tribal chief|chief]], possibly his extended family, and other unrelated families. The band was a fundamental unit of organization, as a band was large enough to defend itself and engage in communal hunts, yet small enough to be mobile and [[Consensus decision-making|to make decisions by consensus]] (leaders had only [[charismatic authority]] and no [[Coercion|coercive]] [[Power (social and political)|power]]). Lodges and individuals were free to leave bands, and bands regularly split in two or merged with another, yet no one would want to be without the protection of living in a band for very long. Bands among the [[Northern Peigan|Peigan]] people in southern Alberta ranged in size from 10 to 30 lodges, or about 80 to 240 persons.<ref name="alberta culture">{{cite web |url=http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/history/blackfoothistory/blackfoothistory.aspx |title=Blackfoot History |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=May 22, 2012 |work=Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump |publisher=[[Alberta Culture]] |quote=The basic social unit of the Blackfoot, above the family, was the band. Bands among the Peigan varied from about 10 to 30 lodges, or about 80 to 240 persons. Such bands were large enough to defend themselves against attack and to undertake small communal hunts. The band was a residential group rather than a kin group; it consisted of a respected leader, possibly his brothers and parents, and others who need not be related. A person could leave a band and freely join another. Thus, disputes could be settled easily by simply moving to another band. As well, should a band fall upon hard times due to the loss of its leader or a failure in hunting, its members could split–up and join other bands. The system maximized flexibility and was an ideal organization for a hunting people on the Northwestern Plains. Leadership of a band was based on consensus; that is, the leader was chosen because all people recognized his qualities. Such a leader lacked coercive authority over his followers; he led only so long as his followers were willing to be led by him. A leader needed to be a good warrior, but, most importantly, he had to be generous. Upon the death of a leader, if there was no one to replace him, the band might break up. Bands were constantly forming and breaking–up. |access-date=December 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903014625/http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/history/blackfoothistory/blackfoothistory.aspx |archive-date=September 3, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

By contrast, a ''tribe'' is an ethnic affiliation. A tribe is a group of people who recognize each other as compatriots due to shared language and culture. Bands from the same tribe, speaking the same language, usually relied on each other as allies against outsiders, but in Alberta tribes were not institutionalized, and decision making consisted of leaders from various bands meeting together in council to reach consensus. There are approximately nine indigenous ethnic or tribal groups in Alberta in the twenty-first century, depending on how they are counted. They are the [[Dane-zaa|Beaver / ''Daneẕaa'']], [[Blackfoot Confederacy|Blackfoot / ''Niitsítapi'']], [[Chipewyan people|Chipewyan / ''Denésoliné'']], [[Plains Cree people|Plains Cree / ''Paskwāwiyiniwak'']], [[Sarcee|Sarcee / ''Tsuu T'ina'']], [[Saulteaux|Saulteaux (Plains Ojibwa) / ''Nakawē'']], [[Slavey people|Slavey / ''Dene Tha{{'}}'']], [[Nakoda (Stoney)|Stoney / ''Nakoda'']],  and the [[Woodland Cree|Woodland Cree / ''Sakāwithiniwak'']].  Within these boundaries there is much fluidity, however, as intermarriages and bilingual bands were once very common.  Scholar Neal McLeod points out that bands were loose, temporary groupings which were often polyethnic and multilingual, so that most mentions of "the Cree" by historians of previous decades actually refer to mixed Cree-Assiniboine-Saulteax groups. As well the [[1775–1782 North American smallpox epidemic|smallpox outbreak of 1780–1781]] and the [[whooping cough]] outbreak of 1819–1820 decimated many bands, forcing them to merge with neighbours.<ref name="McLeod">{{Citation
 |last        = McLead
 |first       = Neal.
 |title       = Plains Cree Identity: Borderlands, Ambiguous Genealogies and Narrative Irony
 |work        = The Canadian Journal of Native Studies
 |year        = 2000
 |volume      = XX
 |issue       = 2
 |url         = http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/CJNS/20.2/cjnsv20no1_pg437-454.pdf
 |access-date  = 2013-04-18
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014012332/http://www3.brandonu.ca/library/CJNS/20.2/cjnsv20no1_pg437-454.pdf
 |archive-date = 2014-10-14
}}</ref>

Anthropologists and others often group peoples together based on which language family their ancestral language is from, as peoples with related languages often also have cultural similarities. All of the groups presently represented in Alberta belong to one of three large language families, and are related to other languages across the continent. These are the [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] (Blackfoot, Cree, and Saulteaux), the [[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan or Dene]] (Beaver, Chipewyan, Slavey, and Sarcee), and the [[Siouan languages|Siouan]] (Stoney) families.{{sfn|Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta|2013|pp=18-26}} The list of tribal groups in Alberta is not fixed and is based on differing interpretations of what constitutes a "tribe". The Blackfoot people consist of three dialect groups who were close allies, the [[Siksika]], [[Piikani]], and the [[Kainai]]; they are sometimes considered separate tribes or nations in their own right. The largest First Nations cultural group by population in Alberta is the [[Cree]], if the Woodlands Cree and Plains Cree are counted together. Thirty-two First Nations bands in Alberta are affiliated with Cree culture and are related to other Cree peoples across Canada as far east as Labrador. The Woodland Cree practised a Subarctic culture, and the Plains Cree a Plains culture and they spoke different but related dialects of the [[Cree language]]. Several peoples in Alberta fall under the term [[Dene]], which is a name used by many related peoples in the Northwest Territories. In Alberta this includes the Beaver, Chipewyan, Slavey, and Sarcee. All Dene peoples share similar spiritual beliefs and social organization, but the Sarcee people are a Plains people, while the others are Subarctic. The Stoney people are related to the [[Assiniboine]] and [[Sioux]] and may be considered a branch of either of those groups.  The Stoney themselves are divided into Woodlands (Paul and Alexis bands) and Plains sections (Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Welsey bands). The Saulteaux people are represented by only one band in Alberta, the O'Chiese First Nation.  There many other Saulteaux bands in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, however, and the Saulteaux themselves a branch of the larger [[Ojibwe]] and [[Anishinaabe]] groups. Besides all of these groups, there are also non-Status Indians of mixed Cree-[[Iroquois]] origin living in [[Hinton, Alberta|Hinton]]-[[Grande Cache]] region of the Rocky Mountains and foothills. They are represented by the [[Aseniwuche Winewak Nation of Canada]], which is a non-for-profit society and not a band under the ''Indian Act''.{{sfn|Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta|2013|pp=18-26}}

Other tribes are known to have inhabited Alberta in the past. The [[Blackfoot Crossing|Cluny Earthlodge Village at Blackfoot Crossing]] is a unique-in-Canada example of a permanent fortified village of [[earthlodge]]s probably built around 1740 CE by [[Hidatsa]] or [[Mandan]] peoples.<ref name="parkscan">{{cite web|url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/docs/r/ab/sites/blackfootcrossing.aspx|title=Blackfoot Crossing National Historic Site of Canada|publisher=Parks Canada|access-date=October 6, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605222611/http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/docs/r/ab/sites/blackfootcrossing.aspx|archive-date=June 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.blackfootcrossing.ca/earthlodgevillage.html |title= Earth Lodge Village |work= Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park |publisher= Blackfoot Crossing |access-date= April 7, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140722010117/http://blackfootcrossing.ca/earthlodgevillage.html |archive-date= July 22, 2014 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The [[Assiniboine people]] lived in Alberta at the time of European contact, and it is thought that the Stoney people who still live in the province began as a branch of the Assiniboine.<ref>''The History of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation'' Joseph R. McGeshick, Dennis Smith, James Shanley, Montana Historical Society., pg 14-19</ref> Early accounts by European explorers suggest that the [[Eastern Shoshone]] are thought to have lived in Alberta before being displaced by in Blackfoot by 1787.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://segonku.unl.edu/~ahodge/aftermath.html |title=Beyond Borderlands: Discussion: Aftermath |publisher=Segonku.unl.edu |access-date=2013-12-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101124041/http://segonku.unl.edu/~ahodge/aftermath.html |archive-date=2013-11-01 }}</ref> The [[Gros Ventres]] were reported living in two north-south tribal groups; one, the so-called ''Fall Indians'' (Canadian or northern group) of 260 lodges (≈2,500 population) traded with the [[North West Company]] on the [[Saskatchewan River]] and roamed between the [[Missouri River|Missouri]] and [[Bow River]]s. They were active in southern Alberta through the late 1800s, but were based near present-day [[Fort Belknap Agency, Montana|Fort Belknap, Montana]] by 1862 when Jesuit missionaries arrived there. The U.S. and Canadian governments sought to keep nomadic peoples from crossing the border, and the Americans opened an Indian agency to supply the Gros Ventre with aid at Fort Belknap first from 1871-1876, and permanently in 1878, with a reservation there being established in 1881. The [[Kutenai people|Kutenai]] migrated westwards out of Alberta, possibly in the early eighteenth century, but still occasionally ventured into the [[Bow River]] region to hunt bison by the time of European contact.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Armtsrong|first1=Christopher|last2=Evenden |first2=Matthew|last3=Nelles |first3=H. V. |title=The River Returns: An Environmental History of the Bow|year=2009|publisher=McGill UP|location=Montreal|pages=26–27}}</ref> As well, people from other ethnic groups, such the [[Métis in Alberta|Métis]] and [[Iroquois]] occasionally intermarried with local peoples and were adopted into existing bands or created their own new bands of mixed heritage. An example is the [[Michel Band]] from the [[Calahoo, Alberta|Calahoo]] area, many of whom are descended from William Callihoo, an Iroquois or Métis fur trader from [[Eastern Canada|the east]] who married one or more local Cree women and founded the band.<ref>{{cite web|title= Michel Band: Metis Who Left Treaty |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/57109534/Michel-Band-Metis-Who-Left-Treaty |quote=Father Lacombe wrote of the Iroquois at the Michel reserve saying their language was almost extinct, replaced by Cree or French}}</ref>

Plains peoples were able to congregate into larger communities often when following large buffalo herds and had more complex political structures than Subarctic peoples who had to remain dispersed to find enough food (even centuries later there are more First Nations band governments in the north, but the fewer southern communities are much more populous).{{sfn|Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta|2013|p=12}} A group of bands united into a semi-permanent alliance for common defence was called a [[Confederation|''confederacy'']] by non-Native observers. Such confederacies were often multi-ethnic in that they included bands from a number of tribes. The two key confederacies in what later became central and southern Alberta during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were the [[Blackfoot Confederacy]] (consisting of bands from the [[Piegan Blackfeet|Piegan]], [[Kainai Nation|Kainai]], [[Siksika Nation|Sikisika]] nations, later joined by the [[Tsuu T'ina Nation|Tsuu T'ina]] and, for a time, [[Gros Ventre]]) and the [[Iron Confederacy]] (bands of Plains Cree, Assiniboine, and Saulteaux, and Stoney).  Initially on friendly terms, these two grouping eventually become long-term enemies (the [[Battle River]] was named for conflict between the two groups that happened near it approximately 1810, around the beginning of their hostilities<ref>''The Beaver Hills Country: A History of Land and Life'', Graham A. MacDonald, 2009, Athabasca University Press, p 17.</ref>) until the [[Battle of the Belly River]] on October 25, 1870 near present-day [[Lethbridge]].<ref>{{citation |mode=cs1 |section-url=http://treaty6education.lskysd.ca/1870 |quote=The Blackfoot and the Cree were fighting to gain control of the Cypress Hills boundaries and in the fall of 1870 there was a battle between them called the "Battle of Belly River." Big Bear and Little Pine led the Cree’s and attacked a Blood First Nations camp. The next day, well armed Peigans entered the battle and defeated the Cree, approximately 200-400 Crees died in the battle. Eventually the Cree and Blackfoot negotiated peace and access to the Cypress hills." (Dodson 14) |title=The Story of Treaty Six |section=Suffering (1870s) |publisher=Living Sky School Division No. 202 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306025217/http://treaty6education.lskysd.ca/1870 |archive-date=2014-03-06}}</ref>

When Canada acquired a claim in what is now Alberta in 1870, a process of treaty-making began. The federal government negotiated with various chiefs and councils made up of groups of allied bands. But each band was free to sign or not sign a treaty.  There are three main treaties affecting Alberta. [[Treaty 6]] is between Canada and the Plains Cree and allied bands, with the main signings occurring from 1876 to 1879 with many later additions, and covers the area of [[central Alberta]]. [[Treaty 7]] involves the member tribes of Blackfoot Confederacy as well as the Stoney and was signed in 1877 and covers [[southern Alberta]]. [[Treaty 8]] involves the Woods Cree, Beaver, and Chipweyan, was signed in 1899 and covers [[northern Alberta]].  Under the terms of these treaties, more southerly bands accepted the presence of Canadian settlers on their lands in exchange for emergency and ongoing aid to deal with the starvation being experienced by the plains people due to the disappearance of the bison herds.  Northern bands did not face agricultural settlement (to the same extent), but instead mining and lumber companies wanted access to their lands.  In both cases Indian reserves were to be created where First Nations were expected to settle (meaning to end the nomadic hunting lifestyle) perhaps to begin farming, but certainly to be accessible to the authorities such as the [[Indian agent (Canada)|Indian agents]], [[North-West Mounted Police]], and Christian missionaries.  Not all bands were equally reconciled to the ideas of the treaties, however.  [[Piapot]]'s band signed into a treaty but refused to choose a site for a reserve, preferring to remain nomadic.  The "[[Battle River]] Crees" under the leadership of [[Big Bear]] and Little Pine refused to sign altogether.<ref name="hogue">Michel Hogue, [http://www.visitmt.com/history/Montana_the_Magazine_of_Western_History/Winter02/medicineline.htm?wwparam=1354732893 "Disputing the Medicine Line: The Plains Crees and the Canadian-American Border, 1876–1885"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223112709/http://www.visitmt.com/history/Montana_the_Magazine_of_Western_History/Winter02/medicineline.htm?wwparam=1354732893 |date=2014-02-23 }}, ''Montana The Magazine of Western History'', 52 (Winter 2002), Montana Historical Society, pp 2–17.</ref>  Under the reserve system, each band is attached to one or more reserves.  The band has a list of members, part of the nationwide [[Indian Register]], and these members are eligible to live on reserve and receive treaty benefits.  The band is now considered the fundamental unit of governance under the ''[[Indian Act]]'', first passed in 1876 and still in force with modifications. Modern band governments are the legal successors to the bands that signed the treaties. In the case of the Blackfoot Confederacy, each dialect group is considered a [[First Nations government (Canada)|"band" (government)]] though they historically comprised many hunting bands, while in other cases band governments are direct successors to much smaller historic hunting bands, many of less than 100 people.

{{As of|2013}} there were 48 band governments with their own councils and chiefs.  For the purposes of the ''Indian Act'', however, the federal government lists 45 separate band governments: the [[Saddle Lake First Nation]] and the [[Whitefish Lake (Goodfish) Nation]] are administered separately but considered one band,<ref name= "AANDC FNA-quote">{{cite web|url=https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100020670/1100100020675 |title=First Nations in Alberta |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=Aadnc-aandc.gc.ca |date=2010-09-15 |access-date=2014-02-26 |quote=[Note 1] The Saddle Lake First Nation and Whitefish Lake (Goodfish) First Nation are administered separately but are consider one band under the ''Indian Act''}}</ref> likewise the [[Chiniki First Nation|Chiniki]], [[Wesley First Nation|Wesley]], and [[Bearspaw First Nation|Bearspaw]] First Nations have separate administrations but for the purposes of the ''Indian Act'' are one band government called the [[Stoney Nakoda Nation]].<ref name= "AANDC FNA">{{cite web|url=https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100020670/1100100020675 |title=First Nations in Alberta |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=Aadnc-aandc.gc.ca |date=2010-09-15 |access-date=2014-02-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1363793506737/1363793556753 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Harper Government Continues to Invest in First Nation Education |publisher=Aadnc-aandc.gc.ca |date=2013-03-23 |access-date=2014-04-01 |quote=The Stoney Tribe, located approximately 60 kilometres west of Calgary, consists of three First Nations: Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407085338/http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1363793506737/1363793556753 |archive-date=2014-04-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The above count also does not include bands headquartered in other provinces with reserves that are partially in Alberta, such as the [[Onion Lake Cree Nation]] of Saskatchewan. Band names and sizes, and well as reserve sizes are not static and have continued to change since the signing of the treaties. The newest First Nation band in Alberta is the [[Peerless Trout First Nation]], which was created in 2010 as a separation from the [[Bigstone Cree Nation]] as part of a [[land claims agreement]] with the federal government.<ref name= "AANDC FNA-2">{{cite web|url=http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1341510122354/1341510221934 |title=A New Beginning for Bigstone Cree & Peerless Trout First Nations |publisher=Aadnc-aandc.gc.ca |date=2012-07-09 |access-date=2014-02-26}}</ref>

==Tribal and regional organizations==
Bands can pool their resources by creating regional councils (often called "Tribal Councils" though they may not represent a tribe in the usual sense) and treaty councils related to one of the three treaties dealing with Alberta.  Alberta bands are members of the [[Athabasca Tribal Council]], [[Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations]], [[Four Nations Administration]], [[Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council]], [[Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council]], [[North Peace Tribal Council]], [[Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta]], [[Treaty 7 Management Corporation]], [[Western Cree Tribal Council]], and [[Yellowhead Tribal Council]].{{sfn|Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta|2013|pp=18–26}}<ref name="AB_2015"/>

==Indigenous organizations and services==
Agencies are grouped by sectors, including arts and culture, business and economic development,  communications and media, education, employment services, family services, friendship centres, health, healing and social services, housing services, legal services, urban organizations, women’s organizations, and youth organizations.<ref name="AB_2015">{{Cite book| isbn = 978-0-7785-9868-8| work=Ministry of Indigenous Relations |location=Edmonton, Alberta|pages=66 |series = First Nations and Metis Relations| title = Guide to Aboriginal organizations and services in Alberta| date = 2015}}</ref>

== First Nations in Alberta (2019) ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Recognized First Nations [[band governments]] in Alberta
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Nation
! rowspan="2" class=unsortable | [[List of Indian reserves in Alberta|Reserves]]
! colspan="4" | Population (2019)<ref name=AANDC>{{cite web|url=http://fnp-ppn.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/fnp/Main/Index.aspx?lasng=eng|title=First Nation Profiles|website=Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada|date=14 November 2008 |access-date=September 10, 2019}}</ref>
|-
! Total
! On reserve
! On other land
! Off reserve
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Alexander First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Alexander 134]]
}}
|2,264
|1,062
|0
|1,121
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Alexis 133]]
*[[Alexis Cardinal River 234]]
*[[Alexis Elk River 233]]
*[[Alexis Whitecourt 232]]
}}
|2,066
|1,171
|0
|823
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Chipewyan 201]]
*[[Chipewyan 201A]]
*[[Chipewyan 201B]]
*[[Chipewyan 201C]]
*[[Chipewyan 201D]]
*[[Chipewyan 201E]]
*[[Chipewyan 201F]]
*[[Chipewyan 201G]]
}}
|1,303
|255
|0
|1,048
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Beaver First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Boyer 164]]
*[[Child Lake 164A]]
}}
|1,147
|449
|38
|660
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Beaver Lake Cree Nation]]
|[[Beaver Lake 131]]
|1,210
|398
|0
|776
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Bigstone Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Jean Baptiste Gambler 183]]
*[[Wabasca 166]]
*[[Wabasca 166A]]
*[[Wabasca 166B]]
*[[Wabasca 166C]]
*[[Wabasca 166D]]
}}
|8,236
|3,524
|0
|4,712
|-
| colspan="2" |Blood Tribe ([[Kainai Nation]])
|{{plainlist|
*[[Blood 148]]
*[[Blood 148A]]
}}
|12,699
|8,751
|0
|3,948
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Chipewyan Prairie First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Cowper Lake 194A]]
*[[Janvier 194]]
*[[Winefred Lake 194B]]
}}
|983
|395
|0
|576
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Cold Lake First Nations]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Cold Lake 149]]
*[[Cold Lake 149A]]
*[[Cold Lake 149B]]
*[[Cold Lake 149C]]
}}
|2,960
|1,322
|1
|1,637
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Dene Tha' First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Amber River 211]]
*[[Bistcho Lake 213]]
*[[Bushe River 207]]
*[[Hay Lake 209]]
*[[Jackfish Point 214]]
*[[Upper Hay River 212]]
*[[Zama Lake 210]]
}}
|3,149
|2,161
|0
|988
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Driftpile First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Driftpile River 150]]
}}
|2,889
|963
|51
|1,875
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Duncan's First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Duncan's 151A]]
*[[William McKenzie 151K]]
}}
|328
|144
|2
|182
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Enoch Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Enoch Cree Nation 135]]
*[[Enoch Cree Nation 135A]]
}}
|2,792
|1,805
|43
|944
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Ermineskin Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Ermineskin 138]]
}}
|4,879
|3,290
|11
|1,578
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Fort McKay First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Fort McKay 174]]
*[[Fort McKay 174C]]
*[[Fort McKay 174D]]
*[[Namur Lake 174B]]
*[[Namur River 174A]]
}}
|893
|421
|4
|468
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Fort McMurray First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Clearwater 175]]
*[[Gregoire Lake 176]]
*[[Gregoire Lake 176A]]
*[[Gregoire Lake 176B]]
}}
|860
|282
|1
|577
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Frog Lake First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Puskiakiwenin 122]]
*[[Unipouheos 121]]
}}
|3,391
|1,850
|0
|1,541
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Heart Lake First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Heart Lake 167]]
*[[Heart Lake 167A]]
}}
|363
|204
|0
|159
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Horse Lake First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Clear Hills 152C]]
*[[Horse Lakes 152B]]
}}
|1,238
|507
|0
|731
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Kapawe'no First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Kapawe'no 150B]]
*[[Kapawe'no 150C]]
*[[Kapawe'no 150D]]
*[[Kapawe'no 229]]
*[[Kapawe'no 230]]
*[[Kapawe'no 231]]
}}
|393
|130
|10
|253
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Kehewin Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Kehewin 123]]
}}
|2,240
|1,183
|0
|1,057
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Little Red River Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Fox Lake 162]]
*[[John D'Or Prairie 215]]
}}
|5,942
|4,614
|647
|681
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Loon River First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Loon Lake 235]]
*[[Loon Prairie 237]]
*[[Swampy Lake 236]]
}}
|668
|523
|14
|131
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Louis Bull Tribe]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Louis Bull 138B]]
}}
|2,391
|1,638
|8
|745
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Lubicon Lake Band]]
|{{plainlist|
*Still being surveyed
}}
|715
|107
|232
|376
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Mikisew Cree First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Allison Bay 219]]
*[[Charles Lake 225]]
*[[Collin Lake 233]]
*[[Cornwall Lake 244]]
*[[Devil's Gate 220]]
*[[Dog Head 218]]
*[[Old Fort 217]]
*[[Peace Point 222]]
*[[Sandy Point 221]]
}}
|3,173
|172
|492
|2,509
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Montana First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Montana 139]]
}}
|1,067
|725
|0
|342
|-
| colspan="2" |[[O'Chiese First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[O'Chiese 203]]
*[[O'Chiese Cemetery 203A]]
}}
|1,453
|926
|0
|527
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Paul First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Buck Lake 133C]]
*[[Wabamun 133A]]
*[[Wabamun 133B]]
}}
|2,171
|1,339
|0
|832
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Peerless Trout First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Peerless Trout 238]]
}}
|970
|53
|755
|162
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Piikani Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Piikani 147]]
*[[Peigan Timber Limit B]]
}}
|3,917
|2,451
|0
|1,466
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Saddle Lake Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Saddle Lake 125]]
*[[Whitefish Lake 128]]
}}
|11,006
|6,691
|0
|4,315
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Samson Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Samson 137]]
*[[Samson 137A]]
}}
|8,947
|6,230
|13
|2,704
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sawridge First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Sawridge 150G]]
*[[Sawridge 150H]]
}}
|521
|42
|0
|479
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Siksika Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Siksika 146]]
}}
|7,534
|4,120
|2
|3,412
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Smith's Landing First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[ʔejëre K’elnı Kuę́ 196I]]
*[[Hokédhe Kué 196E]]
*[[K’ı Kué 196D]]
*[[Łı̨ Dezé 196C]]
*[[Tthebacha Náre 196A]]
*[[Tthebatthıe 196]]
*[[Ts’u K’adhe Kué 196F]]
*[[Ts’u Nedhé 196H]]
*[[Ts’u Kué 196G]]
*[[{{not a typo|Tthejëre Ghaı̨lı̨}} 196B]]
}}
|367
|163
|0
|204
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Stoney Nakoda First Nation]]
|Bearspaw
| rowspan="3" |{{plainlist|
*[[Big Horn 144A]]
*[[Eden Valley 216]]
*[[Stoney 142, 143, 144]]
*[[Stoney 142B]]
}}
|2,037
|1,816
|0
|221
|-
|Chiniki
|1,801
|1,594
|0
|207
|-
|Wesley
|1,818
|1,551
|2
|265
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Sturgeon Lake 154]]
*[[Sturgeon Lake 154A]]
*[[Sturgeon Lake 154B]]
}}
|3,466
|1,505
|43
|1,918
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sucker Creek First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Sucker Creek 150]]
}}
|2,930
|759
|38
|2,133
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Sunchild First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Sunchild 202]]
}}
|1,410
|819
|0
|591
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Swan River First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Assineau River 150F]]
*[[Swan River 150]]
}}
|1,450
|425
|0
|1,025
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Tallcree Tribal Government]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Beaver Ranch 163]]
*[[Beaver Ranch 163A]]
*[[Beaver Ranch 163B]]
*[[Fort Vermilion 173B]]
*[[Tallcree 173]]
*[[Tallcree 173A]]
*[[Wadlin Lake 173C]]
}}
|1,385
|523
|1
|861
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Tsuu T'ina Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Tsuu T'ina 145]]
}}
|2,427
|2,089
|1
|337
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Whitefish Lake First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Utikoomak Lake 155]]
*[[Utikoomak Lake 155A]]
*[[Utikoomak Lake 155B]]
}}
|2,930
|1,299
|3
|1,628
|-
| colspan="2" |[[Woodland Cree First Nation]]
|{{plainlist|
*[[Woodland Cree 226]]
*[[Woodland Cree 227]]
*[[Woodland Cree 228]]
}}
|1,176
|814
|6
|356
|}
{{Clear}}

== See also ==
*[[List of Indian reserves in Alberta]]
*[[List of Aboriginal communities in Canada]]
*[[List of First Nations governments]]
*[[List of First Nations peoples]]
*[[Métis in Alberta]]

== References ==

=== Footnotes ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Sources ===
*{{cite book | url=http://www.aboriginal.alberta.ca/documents/2012_MetisSettlementProfile.pdf | author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | title=Metis Settlements and First Nations in Alberta Community Profiles | publisher=Alberta Aboriginal Relations | date=December 2012 | access-date=January 2, 2013 | isbn=978-1-4601-0330-2 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325201106/http://www.aboriginal.alberta.ca/documents/2012_MetisSettlementProfile.pdf | archive-date=March 25, 2013 }}
*{{cite book |title=Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=Alberta Aboriginal Relations |url=http://www.aboriginal.alberta.ca/documents/AboriginalPeoples.pdf |date=November 2013 |access-date=April 7, 2014 |isbn=978-1-4601-13073 |ref={{harvid|Aboriginal Peoples of Alberta|2013}} |archive-date=April 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403200635/http://www.aboriginal.alberta.ca/documents/AboriginalPeoples.pdf |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100020670/1100100020675 |title=First Nations in Alberta |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada |date=2010-09-15 |access-date=2014-02-26}}

{{First Nations in Alberta}}
{{Topics on Alberta}}
{{Canada topic|First Nations in|First Nations in Canada}}
{{Ethnicity in Alberta}}
{{Numbertreaty|treaty=7}}
{{Numbertreaty|treaty=8}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indigenous peoples in Alberta}}
[[Category:First Nations in Alberta| ]]
[[Category:Lists of populated places in Alberta|First Nations]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples in Canada-related lists]]
[[Category:Numbered Treaties]]
[[Category:Political history of Alberta]]
[[Category:First Nations history in Canada]]