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Impacts of colonization on aboriginal people
Creation of residential schools and the impact they had on Aboriginal culture
Impacts of colonization on aboriginal people
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Indigenous people are incarcerated at much higher rates than non-Indigenous in Canada and are incarcerated for longer periods of time (Cook & Roesh, 2012, p.222). Canadians have put Indigenous communities through much heartache and pain. With the colonization of Indigenous people to residential schools, Canadians continue to stigmatize and treat Indigenous people poorly. Indigenous people are more likely to suffer from drug abuse using needles because of the intergenerational trauma suffered through their parents attending residential schools in Canada (Bombay, Matheson, & Anisman, 2014, p. 327). This puts them at a higher criminal risk than others because of what they have been subjected to.
The Metis people whole dynamic and attitudes changed and faced such degrading racism every time and everywhere they went. The effects of the past are still a problem and struggle today for the aboriginal people, as stated “Activism for the ages” “will take a long time to change attitudes at all levels of government, throughout society, as well as in our schools such a long time that it will be the children, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, who will need to carry on this work. And we have a responsibility for helping them.” (Shaker 3). Attitudes of the hegemonic society need to shift in order to make way for real social change.
Historic trauma stems from relocation, disease, residential schools, the Indian Act, and racial policies meant to assimilate and eradicate Aboriginal people (First Nations Health Council, 2011). Contact between Aboriginal Peoples and non-Aboriginals facilitated the spread of epidemic diseases which lead to the Aboriginal population collapse (First Nations Health Council, 2011). Daschuk, Hackett and MacNeil (2006) note that different severities of diseases experienced by First Nations were directly related to the new realities of the First Nations peoples as they struggled to adapt to the world of the colonisers including economic dislocation, political changes, and changes from traditional diets all created the perfect environment for breading diseases. The government and churches actively colonized and controlled Aboriginal peoples by eroding all Aboriginal systems including “spirituality, political authority, education, health care systems, land and resource access, and cultural practices” (First Nations Health Council, 2011, p. 13). It is important to recognize that colonial structures have purposely sought to “eliminate Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous governments and Indigenous constitutional orders” (Ladner, 2009, p. 90).
I would say that “Cultural genocide” is the correct term to use of the treatment of Aboriginals by the Canadian Government. Residential schools had a big part of this. As First nations children went to these residential schools they would never teach anything in the Aboriginal culture. They were mostly focused on instilling the European culture on Aboriginals. Many aboriginals were mentally and physical harmed in these residential schools if they were not trying to conform to this European way of life.
Cultural competence is seen as being able to master a skill-set (Barlow, Reading, & Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, 2008) rather than analyzing power imbalances, institutional discrimination, colonization and colonial relationships (NAHO, 2006 as cited in Charlotte Loppie’s presentation). “Cultural safety emphasizes relationships of trust in which the patient determines whether the care is ‘safe’” (Barlow, Reading, & Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, 2008, p. 3). I really like the term “relational care” introduced in the as the Barlow, Reading, and Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (2008) article as the term “is rooted in the connections within and relationships among Aboriginal people and health care providers” which is grounded in the traditional teachings and values of Indigenous Peoples (p.
Residential schools had horrible effects on both the students who attended them and the generations which followed as the conditions were terrible, abuse left scarring memories and the actions/incidents had a dreadful impact on their life. Living conditions of the schools were so harsh that more than 4000 students died during ther time in the schools. The overcrowded schools made it difficult for many of the students who did not understand English or were new to the school to get extra lessons or help from the teachers, leading to severe punishment. In the movie, Abraham faced a similar situation as he did not know what the teacher was saying while the students were practicing marching, so along with beating him up with a stick,
Historically, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health has been severely neglected and intentionally devasted by governmental policies and legislation. Despite some reformation in the health system, Indigenous people's health is still far below their non-indigenous counterparts. To rectify this, a human rights approach must be utilised, as by turning human rights from purely legal instruments into effective policies, practices, and practical realities, the Australian Parliament can redress its ongoing failures to incorporate Indigenous perspectives. The implementation of damaging legislation and policies created a system in which Aboriginal people were denied their human right to health, this system still governs Indigenous people today.
In fact, it can be quoted by Emily Hill, advocacy director at Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto, who says, "We see that in many areas there has been no improvement and in some areas it's gotten worse.” It was also mentioned that many Aboriginal people were unaware that they had legal rights that were to be treated with respect and without discrimination. That being said, this proves that the amount of discrimination they receive was enough for them to be unconscious of the fact that their rights were to protect them. Although this may be true, some people may argue that this isn’t a serious issue, and that discrimination occurs everywhere. However, the murder rate of Indigenous women is 3.5 times higher compared to other women in Canada, according to a report released by the RCMP.
Canada is known for its amazing healthcare and it is considered one of the best in the world. In Canada, healthcare is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Heath Care Act. However, not everyone has equal access to healthcare, Aboriginals being some of them. Aboriginals have trouble getting the access they need because of socio-economic status, geography, lack of infrastructure and staff, language or cultural barriers an more. Aboriginals on reserve face many barriers when it comes to access to healthcare, they include cost, language, distance, climate, education and more.
Canada’s Aboriginal people have to deal with racism in their everyday lives and activities. Even today, residential school survivors see high rates of racism in their communities. These people are called “indians” and “redskins” some are even called “niggers” directly
Aboriginal people are the very first people to inhabit the Canadian land. Many years ago, English and French men came and forcibly took over the land that the Natives owned. They introduced alcohol and many deadly diseases that made the First Nations very vulnerable. For many years they have been systemically oppressed. Oppression is “a set of policies, practices, traditions, norms, definitions, and explanations which function to systematically exploit one social group to the benefit of another social group” (Sensoy, O., DiAngelo, R.).
With the country’s population being around 33 million in 2011 (“Stats Canada,” 2011), and over 1,400,000 of those people were aboriginals making them about 4.3% of the Canadian population. (“CBC News,” 2014) This high percent of aboriginals in Canada impacts many other statistics as well, there are even times where the statistics for aboriginal peoples out number the non-aboriginals. However this is not always a positive aspect. For example, the suicide rate for aboriginal males in Canada is 126 per 100,000 compared to 24 per 100,000 for non-Aboriginal males.
The inequality amongst Aboriginal people and the rest of Canadians has been a pressing issue for many years without resolution. Currently, they inequalities exist within health cares, employment and education institutions. The Aboriginal people of Canada have suffered many hardships since the European settlers had first came to the country. The colonizers exploited and assimilated the Aboriginals by the colonialism, treaties, the residential schools they established and the 60’s scoop. These situations may explain why there were inequalities in the past; however, those days have past, and society is still faced with reoccurring imbalances.
Additionally, students were forced to eat all of their food, despite the face that the food was spoiled (Connie). In conclusion, residential schools left a negative impact on the people who attended such as taking away their culture and traditions, molesting the students and physically abusing the students. All of these factors drastically changed the lives of these people who attended residential schools in Canada. Aboriginal communities throughout Canada have some of the highest rates of alcoholism, crime, violence, disease and suicide due to the trauma of residential schools.
The colonization of Indigenous peoples has dramatically affected their health, and health-seeking behaviours, in a myriad of ways. The Indian Act of 1876 was, in essence, created to control the Indigenous population. The Indian Act laid out laws and regulations that tightly regulated the lives of natives economically, ideologically, and politically. This included a wealth of ways in which their identities were stripped away, and in which they were taken advantage of by the Government of Canada. This has resulted in a reduced quality of life for Canada 's indigenous population, as well as adverse health problems, and prejudicial perceptions that we still see the impact of today.
