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Essay on indigenous people of canada
Indigenous people in canada history
Essay on indigenous people of canada
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In the short documentary film “Canada’s shame: Residential schools, unmarked graves, and the search for justice- people and power” I learned a lot about what Canada did to the indigenous people regarding residential schools and the trauma we left on their community. The lives of the indigenous communities are forever altered because of the way these schools were designed to assimilate and strip the children of their identity. Carl Sam was just one of the Saint Mary’s residential school survivors and he says, “His experience at the residential school has stripped him of his whole life”. He goes on to say one day he was put on a boat and all the children were crying around him because they were taken out of their homes and they didn’t know what was going on,
Indigenous people have been called savage, inferiors, negligent, uncivilized, and a scalping party. All this genocide was caused and started by John A. MacDonald and faced by Indigenous communities and their children, who went to residential schools, and some survived the harsh environment. White kids were allowed to succeed while being unaware of humbled by the plight of Indigenous children, whose land
“Indian School Road” by Chris Benjamin sheds light on the horrific experiences of Indigenous children and families at residential schools. It is a non-fiction book that explores the impact of the residential school system in Canada on Indigenous Communities. The author focuses specifically on the Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia, where Indigenous children were taken and forced to attend the school from 1930-1967. The Canadian government established these schools intending to indoctrinate Indigenous children into Christian ways, with churches as the main locations and priests and nuns as educators. The book uncovers the history of the Shubenacadie Residential School, exposing the responsible individuals, the government's passive
Indigenous people across Canada have been suppressed by the government, system, and settlers still to this day. The residential school system was a system of boarding schools that were established by the Canadian government and administered by various churches to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. Many of these children suffered physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from school staff. Even though residential schools have been abolished they can still affect indigenous people today. The book “Indian Horse” clearly represents the intergenerational trauma of Indigenous communities in Canada.
As a result of children being punished for their culture, it ultimately gets lost during their stays at these schools. Culture is a large part of self-identity, and when this is lost it often leads to a lack of self-belonging. Another issue caused by residential schools is intergenerational trauma which is largely caused by the abuse, both emotional and physical, that the children were subjected to. Intergenerational trauma largely affects future
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
1. List five warning signs for each of the clients in the case studies (10 points) Case #1John 1. Sleep difficulties and increased agitation. 2. Lack of social activity.
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).
Thirdly, discriminatory behaviour by surrounding communities and the effects it has on First Nation children. There are many voices in this world that appreciate being heard upon their opinions, but some individuals use their voices as weapons to bring down other people. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, the audience in a hockey game perceive a hockey team full of Indigenous peoples as a source of negative energy for the game in general, and that can be interpreted as racial discrimination. “As we skated onto the ice for our game against the North Bay Nuggets, the crowd booed us. When our line us was introduced, they knew exactly where to direct their energy” (Wagamese
“The Indian Act was (and many would say, continues to be) a discriminatory piece of legislation”, this quote from (Government of Canada, Department of Justice, 2023), shows how the Indian Act to this day is still very discriminatory, and still affects Indigenous communities today, the name “Indian” was a derogatory term used when creating this act who is still used today, proving the discrimination they still face today through government. Going back to the discrimination through the justice system, an example, many Indigenous people go through something called “systemic discrimination”, which is Indigenous overrepresentation in the Canadian Justice system, the cause of this among many other things is the Indian Act, Indigenous people are more likely to be policed aggressively, brought before the court and detained more than non-indigenous individuals, These are all due to failed attempts to amend certain parts of the Indian Act, which still portrays superiority over Indigenous communities, such as limitations in granting Indian status, the discrimination and stereotypes that were shown during the now affect them through justice systems, “Systemic discrimination, and negative stereotypes result in more indigenous people being arrested, charged, and entering the criminal justice system”, this quote from, (Government of
The Ripple Effect of Ignorance - Yin Chin Maracle chooses to display the ripple effect of racism by shedding light on the unjust treatment of the First Nations and Chinese people by writing a story of a First Nation who grew up in a mixed neighborhood that is flooded with prejudice and stereotypes. Maracle further challenges the recurring stereotypes of societal views of minority groups by addressing them through the speaker’s point of view. While sounding like a stereotypical Chinese name or word, the title “Yin Chin” stems from the related sounding word Injun, a way to describe a stereotypical First Nations man or woman who is a “savage warrior” (Churchill 1998). The word dates back to the early settlement of English colonists as a way
The Indian Act was constructed to reflect the Canadian government’s primary goal of assimilation. The government anticipated that the process of organized assimilation through legislation would reduce the number of status Indians in Canada, remove the government from the responsibility of First Nations affairs, and make available the land that was currently reserved for First Nations. Without the responsibility of the ‘Indian problem’, the Canadian government would no longer be required to spend limited federal funds on its burdensome inhabitants. However, the ‘Indian problem’ did not go away and instead produced gender-based discrimination towards the women of Canada’s First Nations communities, resulting in a loss of status, status rights, and identity for generations to come.
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 basis of these problems is a loss of identity and a sense of knowing that their values are oppressed, and their rights are ignored. Likewise, non-indigenous Canadians have become increasingly aware of the unfairness of the richness of indigenous and aboriginal cultures that are taking place.
Residential Schools was an enormous lengthening event in our history. Residential schools were to assimilate and integrate white people’s viewpoints and values to First Nations children. The schools were ran by white nuns and white priests to get rid of the “inner Indian” in the children. In residential schools, the children suffered immensely from physical, emotional, sexual and spiritual abuse. Although the many tragedies, language was a huge loss by the First Nations children.
