In terms of indigenous nations taking part in constituting a political community with the rest of Canada, the land issue is one of the most prominent issues in which the colonizers exploited leading to continuous tensions with the federal government and the fragility in Canada’s political community. For indigenous nations, colonization deprived them of the relationship with their land in which indigenous identities are defined along (Hudson & MacDonald, 2012, p. 429). Although indigenous people and the British had treaty-like agreements, much of those treaties were ignored and the indigenous land was taken without the consent of the indigenous nations. An example of a treaty that was ignored by the colonizers is the Royal Proclamation of 1763 …show more content…
Although residential schools were founded before Canada’s confederation in the Indian Act, attending residential schools became mandatory under the federal government’s amendment to the Indian Act in 1894 (Miller, 2012). Despite being crimes at the time they were committed, the Canadian government permitted the physical, sexual, cultural, and spiritual abuses at residential schools (Roach, 2014, p. 566). In fact, the objective of the Canadian government was to “kill the Indian in the child” as that was believed to be the best way to assimilate the indigenous population in Canada into the more dominant culture (Anisman, Bombay & Matheson, 2014, p. 322). In other words, residential schools did not provide proper education and indigenous children were taught that their language, cultural beliefs, and traditions are shameful and uncivilized (Anisman, Bombay & Matheson, 2014, p. 322). In addition, many of the children that attended residential schools and survived suffered from mental and physical health problems that persist today as generations of indigenous children were forced into the Indian Residential School System (Anisman, Bombay & Matheson, 2014, p. 323). Thus, the indigenous nations in Canada’s political community remain in a state of trauma while fighting …show more content…
For many indigenous nations, surviving in the aftermath of residential schools is troubling as many suffer from historical trauma (Anisman, Bombay & Matheson, 2014, p. 320). Other than experiencing mental and physical health problems due to various forms of neglect and abuse, the indigenous population in Canada will continue to suffer as “attending residential schools across several generations will have cumulative effects” (Anisman, Bombay & Matheson, 2014, p. 320). In fact, historical trauma will further undermine the well-being of contemporary members of indigenous nations throughout Canada as historically traumatic events will accumulate across generations (Anisman, Bombay & Matheson, 2014, p. 322). It is, therefore, hard for indigenous nations to forget that they have lost their identities, culture, rights, land, and language under the Canadian government and fellow Canadian who they are constituting a political community
The atrocities that the children of residential schools had to endure is not something that can be ignored, just as the lessons these children learned, like shame, humiliation, hate, compassion, and forgiveness cannot be overlooked (Borrows 486-7). Borrows raises an important point, which is that the children of the Residential schools, who survived, grew up to eventually become elders (487). Although there are some who feel Residential schools had positive impacts, the high suicide rates in Indigenous communities cannot be
Like many articles on Aboriginal Peoples issues, Anna Banerji’s CBC article “Improving Indigenous Health Starts With Reconciliation” (Banerji, 2015), is a critique on the treatment of Native Peoples in Canada. Her main thesis focuses on the inequality that exists in Canada, by underscoring the biases and discriminations perpetrated on Indigenous Peoples, in terms of basic human rights. Banerji’s advocacy, although commendable, leaves an empty space, in terms of both a governmental (policy) perspective, and her own assertion’s credibility, due to her writing style and content. These ingredients are essential for an understanding by the target audience (Canadians, in general), as it could allow for a powerful critique on the human rights violations
Essay Outline The human race that inhabited the lands earlier than anyone else, Aboriginals in Canada had conquered many obstacles which got them to what they are today. In the past, Canadian Aboriginals have dealt with many gruesome issues that primarily involved the Canadians opposing them or treating them like ‘‘wards.’’ The Indian Act is a written law which controls the Indian’s lives and it is often amended several times to make Indian lives either peaceful or cruel but especially, cruel. Aboriginals found the Indian Act a massive problem in their lives due to it completely controlling them and how they lived on their reserve.
More than 130 Indian residential schools operated in Canada from the 1870s to the 1990s. The system forcibly separated children from their families for extended periods and prohibited them from acknowledging their Indigenous heritage and culture or speaking their language. School staff often used punishment methods such as solitary confinement, whipping, fasting, and slapping. The Government of Canada sought to educate and transform Indigenous youth and integrate them into Canadian society. However, the coercive, brutal and violent ways in which schools disrupted lives and communities created long-term problems for Indigenous peoples.
The effects of residential schools on Indigenous children and communities are blatantly shown by Maisie's story. She suffers from the violence she endured physically and emotionally in the residential school, as well as the trauma of being unwillingly torn away from her family and culture. We can see that she deals with the trauma she's endured in unhealthy ways like self-harm, and drugs to eventually end her life. Her experience is like a reminder of the tragic impact that Canada's residential schools had on Indigenous peoples, as well as the continued need for peace and healing. Sociological imagination helps us understand Maisie’s experiences at the micro level.
Inequity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is highlighted throughout the book, where Talaga describes the discrimination that happened to the youth before and after death as well as the historical mistreatment of Indigenous people in Canada. The deaths of the youth spawned an inquest and led to numerous recommendations to ensure the safety of Indigenous students in the future, but many problems still exist and Talaga draws parallels in the book
Canada is often regarded as multicultural country with a high human development, great education, high life expectancy and extraordinary healthcare, proving it is an over all exceptional place to live. Although this might be the case, a fraction of Canadians who are “Indians” believe their native culture is being compromised and quality of life does not reflect that of the over all population. In the Globe and Mail article , To be Indian in Canada Today… by Richard Wagamese’s the author argues the pros and cons to granting Métis and non-status Indians status under the Constitution Act. As well as, when it comes to nationalism how are Indians regarded and what role do the first nations play in the construction of Canadian culture (Wagamese,
Indigenous peoples of Canada have been considered inferior to all other citizens, and have been abused and neglected through European history, and can be seen as a form of genocide. In Canadian residential schools, children were removed from the home, sexually assaulted, beaten, deprived of basic human necessities, and over 3 500 women and girls were sterilized, and this went on well into the 1980 's (Nicoll 2015). The dehumanization of Indigenous peoples over the generations has left a significant impact on society today; the generational trauma has left many Indigenous peoples heavily dependent of drugs and alcohol, and the vulnerability of Indigenous women has led to extremely high rates of violent crime towards these women. A report that
Imagine being ripped apart from family members, culture, tradition, and labelled a savage that needs to be educated. Imagine constantly facing punishment at school for being one’s self. Unfortunately, these events were faced head on for many First Nations people living in Canada in the late 20th century. These First Nations people were the victims of an extensive school system set up by the government to eradicate Aboriginal culture across Canada and to assimilate them into what was considered a mainstream society.
The TRC’s “The History” author appeals to logos through the use quantitative findings. The use of logical evidence from the collection of testimonials made by former residential school students is an effective way to aid the persuasion of a reader. Throughout “The History”, the author describes the memories of known First Nations peoples Frederic Ernest Koe, Marlene Kayseas, Lily Bruce and many others. In addition, the author quotes Vitaline Elsie Jenner’s use of ‘kaya nakasin’ (TRC, 2015, p.38) in describing her experience with residential school. The author’s example that contains the use native language reaffirms his credibility and detailed knowledge of the
Critical Summary #3: First Nations Perspectives In Chapter eight of Byron Williston’s Environmental Ethics for Canadians First Nation’s perspectives are explored. The case study titled “Language, Land and the Residential Schools” begins by speaking of a public apology from former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He apologizes for the treatment of “Indians” in “Indian Residential Schools”. He highlights the initial agenda of these schools as he says that the “school system [was] to remove and isolate [Aboriginal] children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them[…]” (Williston 244).
The indigenous people have a long and proud history, including the rich cultural and spiritual traditions. However, many of these traditions have been changed or even disappeared after the arrival of the European settlers. Forced introduction of European culture and values, Aboriginal community, indigenous land being deprived, and the imposition of a period of governance outside the pattern of the beginning of a cycle of social, physical and spiritual destruction. You can see the effects of today. Some of the effects include poverty, poor health, and drug abuse.
Firstly, the most profound effect that residential schools had on the First Na-tions children was the loss of their Indigenous languages and traditions. As Boyden discussed, many children were punished and physically abused whenever they com-mitted a wrong doing such as speaking their mother tongue at the residential schools. Because of this, First Nations children lost their Indigenous languages at an early age as they attended the schools. The children were forced to attend residential schools as Million states that the they “were removed by priests, social workers and police to residential schools” (2000). Many parents of the First Nations children simply felt that they “had no choice but to do what the government told them” (Boyden 184) as they were
In the 1800’s, the European people created Residential schools to assimilate First Nations children or in other words, taking the Indian out of the child. As a result, the era of residential schools left a long lasting impact on the Indigenous culture and identity. Several years after the last residential school closed in 1996, the Canadian government formally acknowledged the First Nations traumatic past involving residential schools through an apology. On behalf of the Canadian government, Stephen Harper apologized to all aboriginal people for their role in residential schools (Government of
Looking at the schooling of Indigenous people is important to understand how they were forced into the European education system. However, they also have their own education system and way of doing activities. In this paper, we will examine how the education system effects the Indigenous population within Canada during the twentieth century. The focus will also be on how Indigenous girls and women experienced education in the twentieth century. Women and girls experienced schooling differently because of gender standards set at the time.