Until the 1960s, the Indian Agent principally controlled band councils. .
The obligation and imposition of the Indian Act was followed by considerable.
resistance by First Nations peoples. Although, several of the measures have been removed or altered, many people argue that the Indian Act remains to be an inadequate foundation for First Nations self-government. Over the years, important amendments have been applied to the Indian Act. Such adjustments include membership in First Nations, taxation policies, and the authority and powers of the band councils.
The provisions and conditions of the Indian Act were primarily developed without reference to previous or existing governing systems, and the elected governments were openly unfamiliar and alien in terms of form, operation, and function. .
Attempts to modify or repeal the Indian Act before other safety measures are implemented have been obstinately and fervently refused. The Indian Act has austerely restrained, constricted, and controlled First Nations people. However, the Act has also defined their special status and has ensured some recognition by the Canadian government and the Canadian society. Though this recognition can be both positive and negative. As stated in an excerpt from Indian Self-Government in Canada: A Report of the Special Committee on Indian Self Government, titled "Setting the Stage," states that there was severe inconsistency represented in the Indian Act, .
The Indian Act represents a paradox for the Indian people; it confirms the special .
status to Indians, but it can also be viewed as a mechanism of social control and .
assimilation.Indian felt about the Indian Act--their resentment of its constraints .
and yet their dependence on it for the special rights it provided.
(1983).
Although, the Act recognized special rights it also created much damage that has become irreversible. Many First Nations peoples were forced out of their communities and some distant from their families.