| Summary: | This thesis traces the development of political action by the Indians of British Columbia. The Europeans who occupied British Columbia in the nineteenth century placed the natives under a colonial style of administration. Without citizenship or representation in the federal or provincial government for many years, the Indians tried to present their grievances to the government mainly through protest organizations. The effectiveness of Indian protest organizations was weakened by the inability of the natives to unite in one provincial association. The diversity of cultural, religious, and economic factors in the Indian population caused persistent divisiveness. Regional political organizations were formed to resolve local problems. Finally, the prospect of the removal of the Indian Act provided a catalyst for the formation of a single provincial Indian political organization. Arts, Faculty of Anthropology, Department of Graduate
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