Why do Americans call Native Aboriginal People “Native Americans” but Canadians Call Native Aboriginal People “First Nations?”
On this blog there were nine entries (as of May 24, 2017) where the internet community has responded to the above question. I wanted to learn the difference between First People and Indian. Generally speaking there are two common answers that have both political and constitutional historical laws and those are:
- Beginning in the 1980s Canadians felt it was politically incorrect to use the term Indian. Even though many options were considered “First Nation” was eventually derived because these were the first people who made a civilization on North American soil.
- From the American perspective the term originates form the grotesque historical inaccuracies of Christopher Columbus Voyages to the “New World.” Additionally at the same time that the concept changed in Canada it became politically incorrect in the continental USA to refer to a tribe as a tribe.
Blackhorse: Do You Prefer “Native American” or “American Indian?” 6 Prominent Voices Respond
In this article 6 prominent individuals with a First People ethnic background were asked the the same question. Overall in a holistic sense there was not a unified answer nor opinion towards the exact terminology above because it was a personal choice. Every person had a different reason and I found this to be very enlightening because it showed the incredible diversity of First Nation cultures that once existed in North America and continue to exist in our globalized society. This was noteworthy because of the destruction and harassment that had occurred at the Residential Schools and the ramifications of ruined cultural identity of tribal communities today.
Professional Development Field Trip: Audian Art Museum
The Audian Art Museum was opened on Mar 12, 2016 in Whistler and was a site of my professional development during the Friday May 5, 2017 STA (Surrey Teachers Association) Pro-D Day. I wanted to spend the day exploring this art museum and listening to the traditional Coast Salish Masks stories that were on display. However, the most important lesson I learned was witnessing the new art forms of the local communities. When you compare the new art forms such as creating a totem pole that is entirely comprised of golf bags and hockey shoulder pads to the traditional masks with human hair you really understand the tremendous pressure and strain the local community is facing in light of urbanization and globalization. This showed the incredible pressure that their communities are facing and the new faucets of individual expressionism that are being explored by their youth.
Whale Tales: Killing Grounds Spill Their Secrets
On Vancouver Island, and north of the community of Tofino, there is an ancient Nuu-chah-nulth whalers community and the island of Wickaninnish. I was spurred to research more into the history of whaling in British Columbia as the result of the Makkah Whale Hunt article. In the Vancouver Sun story Joe Martin and Jim Darling outlined how on this island through carbon dating 52 different whale bone samples had been found. It is widely known that there is a history of whaling in the Pacific Northwest by the Nuu-chah-nulth but the type of whales that were hunted for either commercial or spiritual reasons has not been clear. From the island researchers have found bones to Humpback, Grey, Fin and Right Whales. Some of these creatures scientists not been seen in the BC waters for decades but in recent years these whales are started to be spotted once again in the north.
A History of Residential Schools in Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280
This was an article that I found written by CBC which outlines the history and ongoing developments in the aftermath of Residential Schools. It is a comprehensive outline of what happened, why it happened and the steps the Federal Government has made to initiate the healing process. I found this article after the third week readings because I needed more information to put everything about reconciliation, including what Dr. Lee Brown had said about emotional intelligence, into context.