FNIS 100: Course Reflection

The Indigenous Foundations course is a very well-rounded course, reflecting on Indigenous issues in Canada from a variety of different perspectives. In this course, we didn’t solely learn from one textbook, but extracted knowledge from novels, textbooks, informative movies and guest speakers. In  other courses, for example Introduction to Canadian Politics 101, Canada’s history and political issues commence upon the arrival of European settlers, quite frankly ignoring Canada’s rich history. The only times I recall hearing anything related to Indigenous peoples and their presence was when we’ve discussed the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Constitution Act (1867). Even then, the conversations revolving about Indigenous peoples were always induced by fellow students and the topic of conversation only lasted for a few minutes.

It’s been a very insightful experience taking both POLI 101 and FNIS 100 simultaneously. I noted that frequently, both courses would be reflecting on the same period of time or political topic, yet Indigenous peoples were hardly mentioned in any of the POLI 101 lectures and readings. For example, I remember our Professor stating that the Dominion of Canada bought an enormous piece of land from the Hudson’s Bay company. Never was there any mention of the Indigenous people and communities living on  this land, nor an explanation to how suddenly European settlers had the right to “sell” this land. I’m astounded how such courses are designed to depict the history and evolution of Canadian politics in a manner that fails to acknowledge such a crucial aspect. 

Thus, I’ve definitely noticed that I’ve been provoked to think about Indigenous issues all over the world. From Zimbabwe to Australia and Peru, European settlers have encroached foreign lands all over the world, enforcing the idea of European dominance. It’s made me think about the living conditions and equality issues Indigenous peoples face all over the world and question how come Indigenous, Aboriginal and Native people are  not a larger focal point in society, politics and the media.