Historical Indian Affairs Agents Application Profile

Purpose

The purpose of this application profile is to document how Historical Indian Affairs Agents data is modelled for compatibility with the wider LINCS data model. This document provides patterns used in the mapping of Historical Indian Affairs Agents data which correspond to the categories outlined in the main LINCS Application Profiles.

This document introduces classes and properties as used in this specific context (LINCS and the Historical Indian Affairs Agents dataset), without providing complete definitions for them. You can find the full definitions in the documentation of CIDOC CRM version 7.3.1 and other reference ontologies.

As part of the Canadian History dataset collection, the Historical Indian Affairs Agents application profile is integrated with the Cabinet Conclusions and Historical Canadian Persons application profiles. See the respective documents for more information.

Dependencies

This section reports the ontologies, vocabularies, and authority files adopted in the Historical Indian Affairs Agents dataset. The tables below list the acronyms used to refer to each resource and the prefixes used to compose the URIs in Turtle code examples found throughout the document.

Ontologies

For more information about ontologies, see Linked Open Data Basics – Ontologies.

Acronym	Prefix	Ontology	Purpose
CIDOC-CRM	`crm:`	CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model	Main reference ontology.
CRMdig	`crmdig:`	CRM Digital	To represent digital objects.

Vocabularies

For more information about vocabularies, see Linked Open Data Basics – Vocabularies.

Acronym	Prefix	Vocabulary	Purpose
Biography	`biography:`	LINCS Biography	To represent name types.
Event	`event:`	LINCS Event Vocabulary	To represent event types.
Occupation	`occupation:`	LINCS occupation vocabulary	To represent people's occupations.
XSD	`xsd:`	XML Schema Datatypes	For literal datatypes.

Authority Files

For more information about authority files, see Terms – Authority File.

Acronym	Prefix	Authority File	Purpose
DCB	N/A	Dictionary of Canadian Biography	Source of URIs for DCB entries.
GeoNames	`geo:`	GeoNames	Authority for place URIs.
LAC Reports	N/A	Library and Archives Canada – Indian Affairs Annual Reports	Source of URIs for Indian Affairs reports.
LINCS	`lincs:`	LINCS-minted entities	To represent entities not described elsewhere.
VIAF	`viaf:`	Virtual International Authority File	Authority for people and group URIs.
Wikidata	`wikidata:`	Wikidata Knowledge Base	Authority for people, group, place, and occupation type URIs.

Main Classes

The classes listed below are imported from CIDOC CRM and use prefix crm: except where otherwise noted.

Entity Type	Class	Declaration Snippet (Turtle Syntax)
Agent	E21 Person	`<agent> a crm:E21_Person .`
Name	E33 E41 Linguistic Appellation	`<name> a crm:E33_E41_Linguistic_Appellation ; crm:P2_has_type <name_type> .`
Birth	E67 Birth	`<birth> a crm:E67_Birth .`
Agency	E74 Group	`<agency> a crm:E74_Group .`
Type	E55 Type	`<type> a crm:E55_Type .`
Department	E74 Group	`<department> a crm:E74_Group .`
Place	E53 Place	`<place> a crm:E53_Place .`
Occupation	E7 Activity	`<occupation> a crm:E7_Activity ; crm:P2_has_type event:OccupationEvent . crm:P2_has_type <occupation_type> .`
Report	D1 Digital Object (CRMdig)	`<report> a crmdig:D1_Digital_Object .`
DCB Entry	D1 Digital Object (CRMdig)	`<dcb_entry> a crmdig:D1_Digital_Object ; crm:P2_has_type wikidata:Q36774 .`

Overview

The Historical Indian Affairs Agents dataset is a collection of biographical entries about Indian affairs agents, i.e., people who worked with the agencies of the Department of Indian Affairs. This dataset is part of the Canadian History project along with the Cabinet Conclusions and Historical Canadian Persons datasets. See the respective application profiles for more information.

The image below shows an overview of the entire Historical Indian Affairs Agents application profile. Each section of the diagram is described in detail in one of the sections of this document. Click here or on the image for a large-scale, more readable version.

Graph Patterns

This section presents the graph patterns adopted in the Historical Indian Affairs Agents application profile, along with examples of usage. The URI of the Historical Indian Affairs Agents graph which can be used to query the dataset through the LINCS SPARQL endpoint is <http://graph.lincsproject.ca/hist-canada/ind-affairs>.

Basic Patterns

This section describes basic patterns that are reused across the Historical Indian Affairs Agents dataset.

Type

An entity may have one or more types.

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	An entity has a type.
	Abstraction	`E1 CRM Entity` → `P2 has type` → `E55 Type`
	Applies to	Agency. Every agency has one or more types. Name. Every name has one or more types. Occupation. Every occupation has one or more types.
Values	Type of Value	Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
	Expected Value	A URI that uniquely identifies the type.
	Authorities	Biography for the name type. Personal names have type `biography:personalName`. Event. All occupations are assigned type `event:OccupationEvent`. Occupation for the specific occupation type.
Examples	Typical Example	The Assiniboine Agency was a government agency and an employer.
	Example Abstraction	`lincs:uHpXmbg9zxY` → `P2 has type` → `wikidata:Q327333`, `wikidata:Q3053337`.
	Generalized Pattern (Turtle)	`<entity> a crm:E1_CRM_Entity ; rdfs:label "<entity>" ; crm:P2_has_type <type> . <type> a crm:E55_Type ; rdfs:label "<type>"@en .`
Sample Data (Turtle)	`lincs:uHpXmbg9zxY a crm:E74_Group ; rdfs:label "Assiniboine Agency"@en ; crm:P2_has_type wikidata:Q3053337, wikidata:Q327333 . wikidata:Q327333 a crm:E55_Type ; rdfs:label "government agency"@en . wikidata:Q3053337 a crm:E55_Type ; rdfs:label "employer"@en .`
Note	The `E1 CRM Entity` class represents all entities, but is not actually found in the dataset. More specific classes are applied instead (see Main Classes above).

Agent

An agent is a person who has worked with one or more agencies of the Department of Indian Affairs. Each agent has a name and one or more occupations. Agents may also have a birth event if the agent has been matched to a person with a DCB entry and their parent also has a DCB entry.

Name

Each agent has a name, i.e., a string of text that identifies them.

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	An agent is identified by an appellation (name).
	Abstraction	`E21 Person` → `P1 is identified by` → `E33 E41 Linguistic Appellation` → `P190 has symbolic content` → `xsd:string`
	Applies to	Agent. Each agent has at least one name.
Values	Type of Value	`xsd:string` (a string of text).
	Expected Value	A string of text that identifies the entity.
	Authorities	XSD for the datatype. LINCS for the name type.
Examples	Typical Example	Oronhyatekha has name "Oronhyatekha".
Examples	Example Abstraction	`lincs:K7Eq2y5IYbi` → `P1 is identified by` → `E33 E41 Linguistic Appellation` → `P190 has symbolic content` → `"Oronhyatekha"`
Generalized Pattern (Turtle)	`<agent> a crm:E21_Person ; rdfs:label "<agent>" ; crm:P1_is_identified_by <name> . <name> a crm:E33_E41_Linguistic_Appellation ; rdfs:label "Name of <name>" ; crm:P2_has_type <type> ; crm:P190_has_symbolic_content "<name>" .`
Sample Data (Turtle)	`viaf:104461457 a crm:E21_Person ; rdfs:label "Oronhyatekha"@en ; crm:P1_is_identified_by lincs:K7Eq2y5IYbi ; owl:sameAs wikidata:Q7103784 . lincs:K7Eq2y5IYbi a crm:E33_E41_Linguistic_Appellation ; rdfs:label "Name of Oronhyatekha"@en ; crm:P190_has_symbolic_content "Oronhyatekha"@en ; crm:P2_has_type biography:forename, biography:personalName .`
Note	Agent records were manually reviewed to merge them together when they represent the same person. Variations in names remain based on how they were spelled out in different records.

Occupation

Each agent has one or more occupations, i.e., activities carried out by them on behalf of an agency of the Department of Indian Affairs.

Diagram
Note	For information about the modelling of an agent's occupation, see the Occupation section below, and specifically the Employer & Employee subsection describing how the agent is connected to the agency through an occupation event.

Birth

Note	Birth events are not included in this dataset. Their modelling is described in the Historical Canadian Persons application profile.

Occupation

An occupation is an activity carried out by an agent (a person) with an agency of the Department of Indian Affairs.

Employer & Employee

Each occupation connects an agent to an agency through an occupation event.

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	An agent has an occupation with an agency.
	Abstraction	`E21_Person` → `P14i_performed` → `E7_Activity` → `P2_has_type` → `E55_Type`
	Applies to	Agent. Every agent has at least one occupation (if known).
Values	Type of Value	Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
	Expected Value	A URI that uniquely identifies the occupation activity. A URI that uniquely identifies the occupation type. `event:OccupationEvent` as a type for every occupation.
	Authorities	LINCS for the occupation activity. Occupation and Event for the occupation type.
	Example Values	`lincs:0w2KstqiD5H` (occupation) `lincs:DkVxYJIb3gI` (occupation type) `event:OccupationEvent` (occupation type)
Examples	Typical Example	Sister Leblanc was a hospital nurse for the Blood agency starting in 1910.
Examples	Example Abstraction	`lincs:0w2KstqiD5H` → `P14 carried out by` → `lincs:OdGRhxx2WiJ` → `P2 has type` → `lincs:DkVxYJIb3gI`, `event:OccupationEvent` `P11 had participant` → `lincs:2EChJkPZ4LC`, `lincs:U3kQTohZuA9`
Generalized Pattern (Turtle)	`<occupation> a crm:E7_Activity ; rdfs:label "<occupation>" . crm:P14_carried_out_by <person> ; crm:P2_has_type event:OccupationEvent, <occupation_type> ; crm:P4_has_time-span <time-span> .`
Sample Data (Turtle)	`lincs:UnZeko4zabM a crm:E7_Activity ; rdfs:label "Hospital Nurse occupation of Sister Leblanc starting in 1911"@en ; crm:P14_carried_out_by lincs:OdGRhxx2WiJ ; crm:P11_had_participant lincs:2EChJkPZ4LC, lincs:U3kQTohZuA9 ; crm:P2_has_type lincs:DkVxYJIb3gI, event:OccupationEvent ; crm:P4_has_time-span lincs:hZgsM5bAXKs ; crm:P7_took_place_at geo:5955891 .`

Place

Each occupation happens at a specific place, i.e., a location where the activity is carried out.

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	An occupation is carried out at a certain place.
	Abstraction	`E7 Activity` → `P7 took place at` → `E53 Place`
	Applies to	Occupation. Every occupation happens at a location.
Values	Type of Value	Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
	Expected Value	A URI that uniquely identifies the place.
	Authorities	GeoNames for the place URI.
Examples	Typical Example	The Senior Clerk occupation of Joseph W. Mackay took place at Victoria County, Nova Scotia.
Examples	Example Abstraction	`lincs:00WN9HDL4m9` → `P7 took place at` → `geo:6174034`
Generalized Pattern (Turtle)	`<occupation> a crm:E7_Activity ; rdfs:label "<occupation>" ; crm:P7_took_place_at <place> .`
Sample Data (Turtle)	`lincs:QvSyTRnV9yq a crm:E7_Activity ; rdfs:label "Senior Clerk occupation of Mackay, Joseph W. starting in 1895"@en ; crm:P7_took_place_at geo:6174041 .`

Date

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	An occupations begins on a certain date.
	Abstraction	`E1 CRM Entity` → `P4 has time-span` → `E52 Time-Span` → `P82 at some point within` → `xsd:string` `P82a begin of the begin` → `xsd:dateTime` `P82b end of the end` → `xsd:dateTime`
	Applies to	Occupation. Every occupation begins on a certain date.
Values	Type of Value	`xsd:string` for the human-readable date. `xsd:dateTime` for the date's begin of begin.
	Expected Value	A string of text expressing the date of the occupation. A datetime value expressing the earliest possible beginning time of the occupation.
	Authorities	XSD for the datatypes.
Examples	Typical Example	The Senior Clerk occupation of Joseph W. Mackay started in 1895.
Examples	Example Abstraction	`lincs:00WN9HDL4m9` → `P4 has time-span` → `lincs:aGgJ6C0zZs3` → `P82 at some time within` → `"1895"@en` `P82a begin of the begin` → `"1895-01-01T00:00:00"^^xsd:dateTime`
Generalized Pattern (Turtle)	`<occupation> a crm:E7_Activity ; rdfs:label "<occupation>" ; crm:P4_has_time-span <time_span> . <time_span> a crm:E52_Time-Span ; rdfs:label "<time_span>" ; crm:P82_at_some_time_within "<date>"^^xsd:string ; crm:P82a_begin_of_the_begin "<begin_date>"^^xsd:dateTime .`
Sample Data (Turtle)	`lincs:QvSyTRnV9yq a crm:E7_Activity ; rdfs:label "Senior Clerk occupation of Joseph W. Mackay starting in 1895"@en ; crm:P4_has_time-span lincs:fhjlh9Q74Pe . lincs:fhjlh9Q74Pe a crm:E52_Time-Span ; rdfs:label "Occupation start date of 1895"@en ; crm:P82_at_some_time_within "1895"@en ; crm:P82_begin_of_begin "1895-01-01T00:00:00"^^xsd:dateTime .`
Note	In this dataset, only the starting year of each occupation is known, while the specific month or day of beginning is not found in the source data and the end date is also unknown. Therefore, the CIDOC CRM property `P82b end of the end` is not applicable.

Type

Diagram
Note	The modelling of occupation types follows the basic pattern for Types. See the corresponding section for more information. Occupation types have been kept as specific as possible and have been connected to broader terms via the CIDOC CRM property `P127 has broader term`.

Agency

An agency is a group within a department of the Canadian government. An agency has one or more Indian affairs agents as its members. It also has one or more types. This dataset only includes agencies within the Department of Indian Affairs.

Membership

Each agency has one or more Indian Affairs agents as its members.

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	A department may have a number of agencies.
	Abstraction	`E74_Group` → `P107_has_current_or_former_member` → `E21_Person`
	Applies to	Agency. Each agency employs one or more agents.
Values	Type of Value	Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
	Expected Value	A URI that uniquely identifies an agency of the Department of Indian Affairs.
	Authorities	LINCS for the agency member (agent).
	Example Values	`lincs:mJ6Twv9ZEoS` (John McKenzie)
Examples	Typical Example	John McKenzie was a miller for the Carlton Agency starting in 1897.
	Example Abstraction	`lincs:8MWD2pGOkf7` → `P107_has_current_or_former_member` → `lincs:mJ6Twv9ZEoS`
	Generalized Pattern (Turtle)	`<agency> a crm:E74_Group ; rdfs:label "<agency>" ; crm:P107_has_current_or_former_member <agent> .`
	Sample Data (Turtle)	`lincs:8MWD2pGOkf7 a crm:E74_Group ; rdfs:label "Carlton Agency"@en ; crm:P107_has_current_or_former_member lincs:mJ6Twv9ZEoS . lincs:mJ6Twv9ZEoS a crm:E21_Person ; rdfs:label "John McKenzie"@en ;`

Type

Each agency has one or more types.

Diagram
Note	The modelling of department types follows the basic pattern for Types. See the corresponding section for more information. Each agency has types `wikidata:Q327333` (government agency) and `wikidata:Q3053337` (employer).

Department

A department is a branch of the Canadian government. A department has a number of agencies and is assigned one or more types. The only department represented in this dataset is the Department of Indian Affairs.

Membership

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	A department has a number of agencies and agents.
Pattern	Abstraction	`E74_Group`→ `P107_has_current_or_former_member` → `E39_Actor`
Values	Type of Value	Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
	Expected Value	A URI identifying an agency or agent of the Department of Indian Affairs.
	Applies to	Department. Each department has one or more agencies and one or more agents.
	Example Values	`lincs:0FCofNQkjI0` (Red Deer Industrial School)
Examples	Typical Example	Red Deer Industrial School was an agency of the Department of Indian Affairs.
	Example Abstraction	`lincs:U3kQTohZuA9` → `P107_has_current_or_former_member` → `lincs:0FCofNQkjI0`
	Generalized Pattern (Turtle)	`<department> a crm:E74_Group ; rdfs:label "<department>" ; crm:P107_has_current_or_former_member <agency_or_agent> .`
	Sample Data (Turtle)	`lincs:U3kQTohZuA9 a crm:E74_Group ; rdfs:label "Department of Indian Affairs"@en ; crm:P107_has_current_or_former_member lincs:0FCofNQkjI0 . lincs:0FCofNQkjI0 a crm:E74_Group ; rdfs:label "Red Deer Industrial School"@en ;`
Note	A department has both agencies and agents. The class `E39 Actor` does not actually appear in the dataset, where it is replaced by the more specific `E21 Person` for agents and `E74 Group` for agencies, using the same pattern.

Type

Diagram
Note	The modelling of department types follows the basic pattern for Types. See the corresponding section for more information. The Department of Indian Affairs has types `wikidata:Q111190932` (Canadian federal department), `wikidata:Q3053337` (employer), and `wikidata:Q422404` (Government of Canada).

Report

A report is a document that contains information about the activities of one or more agencies of a governmental department. A report may mention the names of one or more agencies and one or more agents. The dataset contains Indian Affairs Annual Reports provided by Library and Archives Canada.

Mention

Each report may mention one or more agencies and one or more agents of the Department of Indian Affairs.

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	A report refers to an agency or an agent.
	Abstraction	`D1 Digital Object` → `P67 refers to` → `E39 Actor`
	Applies to	Department. Each report may refer to one or more agencies or agents.
Values	Type of Value	Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
	Expected Value	A URI identifying an agency or agent of the Department of Indian Affairs.
	Example Values	`viaf:16905756` (T. Mayne Daly) `wikidata:Q1585303` (James A.J. McKenna) `lincs:1pqGsL1xMjS` (Caroline Reiffenstein)
	Authorities	VIAF, Wikidata, or LINCS (agent or agency).
Examples	Typical Example	The Dominion of Canada Annual Report of the Department of Indian Affairs for the Year Ended 30th June 1895 refers to Henry C. Ross.
	Example Abstraction	`<http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=indaffannrep&id=10303&lang=eng&ecopy=1895b004>` → `P67 refers to` → `lincs:Mpg0Sh4uy0B`
	Note	The class `E39 Actor` does not actually appear in the dataset, where it is replaced by the more specific `E21 Person` for agents and `E74 Group` for agencies.

DCB Entry

A Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry is a webpage that reports biographical data about an agent. The modelling of DCB entries is described in the Historical Canadian Persons application profile.

Subject

Diagram
Note	The modelling of DCB entries and their subjects is described in the Historical Canadian Persons application profile.

Place

A place is a geographic location that can be identified by spatial coordinates. A place may be contained within a larger place, for example a city may be located within a certain province of Canada.

Coordinates

A place may be identified by geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude).

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	A place is identified by a geographic reference such as coordinates.
Pattern	Abstraction	`E53 Place` → `P168 place is defined by` → `xsd:string`
Values	Type of Value	`xsd:string`
	Expected Value	A string of text representing geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude).
	Authorities	GeoNames for the place URI. Wikidata and GeoNames as sources of coordinates.
	Example Value	`POINT(-63.29844 46.39808)` (coordinates of Prince Edward Island)
Examples	Typical Example	Prince Edward Island has latitude `46.39808` and longitude `-63.29844`
Examples	Example Abstraction	`geo:6113358` → `P168_has_spatial_coordinates` → `POINT(-63.29844 46.39808)`

Spatial Containment

A place may fall within another place.

Diagram
Pattern	Definition	A place may fall within another place.
	Abstraction	`E53 Place` → `P86 falls within` → `E53 Place`
	Applies to	Place. A place may fall within one or more places.
Values	Type of Value	`xsd:string`
	Expected Value	A URI representing a place.
	Authorities	GeoNames for the place URI.
	Example Value	`geo:6113358` (Prince Edward Island)
Examples	Typical Example	Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island falls within Prince Edward Island.
Examples	Example Abstraction	`geo:6171537` → `P86 falls within` → `geo:6113358`

Purpose​

Dependencies​

Ontologies​

Vocabularies​

Authority Files​

Main Classes​

Overview​

Graph Patterns​

Basic Patterns​

Type​

Agent​

Name​

Occupation​

Birth​

Occupation​

Employer & Employee​

Place​

Date​

Type​

Agency​

Membership​

Type​

Department​

Membership​

Type​

Report​

Mention​

DCB Entry​

Subject​

Place​

Coordinates​

Spatial Containment​

Purpose

Dependencies

Ontologies

Vocabularies

Authority Files

Main Classes

Overview

Graph Patterns

Basic Patterns

Type

Agent

Name

Occupation

Birth

Occupation

Employer & Employee

Place

Date

Type

Agency

Membership

Type

Department

Membership

Type

Report

Mention

DCB Entry

Subject

Place

Coordinates

Spatial Containment