Bands and Agencies

Introduction

The Bands and Agencies guide provides information about Indian bands and the local field offices that administered them.

You can find records created about a band using its name as a search keyword in Archives Search, a research tool available on the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website.

If you cannot find records using the band name as a keyword in Archives Search, try the name of the agency or field office that administered the band instead. For example, if you enter "Crooked Lake Agency" as keywords, your search results will include a series of records entitled Crooked Lake Agency containing files about the Cowessess band.

Please note that the responsibility for bands moved from one field office to another over time as agencies were created, restructured or abolished.

The finding aids listed below link bands with the various agencies and field offices that administered them for different time periods. You can access these finding aids on-site only.

To improve search efficiency, LAC is currently developing a database with these finding aids; it will be accessible from this page at a later date.

• Finding aid 10-12: Guide to Indian Bands and Agencies in Western Canada, 1871-1959
• Finding aid 10-157: Guide to Indian Affairs Field Office Organization in Ontario, 1845-1990
• Finding aid 10-202: Guide to Indian Bands and Agencies in British Columbia, 1875-1990
• Finding aid 10-249: Répertoire des agences et des bureaux locaux du Ministère des affaires indiennes au Québec, 1763-1995.
• Finding aid 10-475: Guide to Indian Affairs field Office Organization in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, Confederation to late 20th century

For more information about band and agency names in Western Canada, Ontario and British Columbia, please see:

• Ontario
• British Columbia
• Index of Bands in Western Canada
• Index of Agencies in Western Canada
• Index of Inspectorates and Regional Offices in Western Canada
• Index by Language and Band in Western Canada