Over the past few decades, there has been many distinct perspectives and conflicts surrounding the historical context between the Indigenous peoples in Canada and the Canadian Government. In source one, the author P.J Anderson is trying to convey that the absolute goal of the Indian Residential School system in Canada has been to assimilate the Indian nation and provide them with guidance to “ forget their Indian habits”, and become educated of the “ arts of civilized life”, in order to help them integrate into society and “become one” with their “White brethren”. It is clearly evident throughout the source that the author is supportive of the Indian residential school system and strongly believes that the Indian residential School System
The perception was that Native American adults had a limited ability to learn new skills and concepts. Later in the report, it is expressed that children learn little at day school, causing their “tastes to be fashioned at home, and [their] inherited aversion to toil is in no way combated. ”11 Davin recommended that similar industrial boarding schools should be built in Canada, which would attempt to assimilate Native children into the European culture.12 Nicholas Flood Davin’s research and advances about the industrial schools in America, was important in the creation and developing of the Residential school system in
On July 11, 2008, Stephen Harper officially apologizes for the residential school which is called reconciliation. People did feel heard but it was not enough. The movie “Rabbit Proof Fence” made in 2002, it showed that the half castes’ children were taken from their parent and got sent to residential school. Someone in the upper government has controlled power over who will be sent to school, and who will be sent to another place. But it was all done to make the American’s population more spread out.
The Gradual Civilization Act encouraged the Indian people to assimilate into the Canadian society by “encouraging enfranchisement” (Hanson, 2009). However this was a failure since it is said that only one person voluntarily enfranchised. The Indian Act created a “homogenizing and paternalistic relationship” (Hanson, 2009) between the aboriginal people and Canada. In short, the Canadian government saw the aboriginal people as savage and un-civilized so they sought to control the rights of the aboriginal people. The quote by John A Macdonald in Hanson’s article demonstrates how “the great aim of our [the] legislation has been to do away with the tribal system and assimilate the Indian people in all respects with the other inhabitants of the Dominion as speedily as they are fit to change”
In and of itself, residential schools have damaged Indigenous culture and ways of life; they forcibly altered Indigenous lifestyles and have long-lasting adverse effects on Indigenous communities and individuals alike. Cultural genocide originates
At St. Jerome’s Indian Residential School, Saul see’s the lonely world, which crams on him like a black hole with no light, however creates a determination for him to stay strong. As he is expeditiously thrown in to the vast world of a different religion he quickly realizes, “They called it a school, but it was never that” (79) … “There were no grades or examinations. The only test was our ability to endure” (79). The emotions and perspectives present in each quote signify the feelings of Saul towards the school and define the school to be unnerving and painful for the Indians living there, however they also show that Saul knows his expectations and is strong enough to tolerate the torture.
The Indian Act is a part of Canadian legislation that is intended to elucidate how the federal government handles its responsibilities to the Aboriginal population of Canada. The Indian Act was created to civilize, protect and assimilate the Aboriginal people; however, in the past the Canadian government perceived Aboriginal people as wards, and thought that the Native communities and governments were unqualified of running their affairs (Coates, 2008). In the past the Indian Act was also utilized as an instrument to limit rights of the Aboriginal population. It banned Aboriginal people from practicing their cultural practices, denied them the right to vote, controlled who was permitted to travel from reserve settings, and decided where
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,
Who Indigenous peoples including First Nation, Inuit, and Métis children attended residential schools. What Residential schools systematically undermined Aboriginal culture across Canada and disrupted families for generations, severing the ties through which Aboriginal culture is taught and sustained, and contributing to a general loss of language and culture as well as self and worth. Where There was an estimated 139 residential school located in all provinces and territories of Canada. The majority of the schools were located in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Over the past century, assimilation has been the predominant solution to the challenges posed by the existence of Indigenous people. Historically, Canadian sovereignty depended on maintaining the relationship between Canada’s Indigenous people and the Crown through treaties of peace and friendship (Macklem 122). It was not until 1973 when the Calder case formally recognized pre-existing Aboriginal titles to land that the Canadian government committed to settling all pending land claims (Légaré 344). The legitimacy of self-determination was further entrenched when the Constitution Act in 1982 recognized all existing treaty rights as well as the inherent Indigenous right of self-government (Macklem 2001, 101). Indigenous peoples have always wanted control over their own affairs which lead to the constant pressure on the Federal Government to grant them wider powers in the government which they had before the coming of the Europeans.
The Sixties Scoop was a troubling period in Canada's history when Indigenous children were forced to live with non-Indigenous people instead of their families and communities. The policies and actions implemented by the government at this time had a significant impact on Indigenous cultures and identities, and they continue to do so. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Sixties Scoop's causes and effects, as well as the role played by government arrangements, its impact on Native families and networks, and ongoing efforts to reach a compromise. The Indian Revolution and the private educational system set a larger example of expansionism and digestion, which led to the Sixties Scoop. Native children's removal from their families and
Junípero Serra has been decapitated, defaced, and became a saint all within a month’s time. He is surrounded by controversy. Many celebrated for he was the first Latino to become canonized. Rubén Mendoza of California State University of Monterey Bay explains, “Father Serra was not only a man of his time, he was a man ahead of his time in his advocacy for native people on the frontier.” However, Valentin Lopez who is the chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band explains that “Serra’s and the Church’s failure to learn form the teaching of Christ or from the life of St. Francis resulted in the complete extinction of many, many California tribes and great devastation for many others.”
The video by Tasha Hubbard titled “Canadians have been breaking their promises to Indigenous people” displays the multitude of ways in which Canada and its government have failed to fulfill the promises it made to the Indigenous people. These promises that were made almost a century ago before 1945 are yet to be satisfied. In this video, the speaker, Tasha Hubbard details the historical and currently ongoing impact of settler colonialism and the Indian Act on the Indigenous peoples of Canada. In this essay, I will be deconstructing the Indian Act and its role in perpetuating the wrongful treatment of Canada’s original inhibitors.
Historically, British colonization played a detrimental effect on the indigenous community. Through the use of residential schools and assimilation, the Canadian government endeavored in removing the aboriginal culture out of indigenous youth, adversely causing trauma, abuse, and social problems among the Indigenous community. (Brenda Elias, Javier Mignone, Madelyn Hall, Say, P. Hong, Lyna Hart, and Jitender Sareen, 2012). Through the Canadian justice system's use of the NWMP (North-West Mounted Police), they attempted to establish a colonial policing power to govern the Indigenous community to control and punish labelled “dysfunctional” behavior among the Indigenous people (Amanda Nettelbeck and Russell Smandych, 2010).
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 residential school was a government-sponsored religious school founded to assimilate aboriginal children into the Euro-Canadian culture. Originally, Christian schools and Canadian governments have attempted to educate and convert indigenous adolescents into Euro-Canadian society, which has confused life and community and caused long-term problems among the indigenous peoples. With the passage of the British North America Act in 1867 and the implementation of the Indian Act (1876), the government was required to provide Indigenous youth with an education and to integrate them into Canadian society. Large numbers of aboriginal children in Canada were required to attend go to the residential schools. In the article "Impact of residential schooling and of child abuse on substance use problem in Indigenous Peoples" by Amélie Ross states,"According to the First Nations Regional Longitudinal