I find myself, over and over, assuming the worst about colonization, about Canada, about the United States, and, in particular, about the fate of the aboriginal peoples of whom I am learning about. Almost every type of literature, film, or radio broadcast I engage with to learn about aboriginal peoples, I am overwhelmed with feelings that make me think that there is no hope for these people. I think to myself that all that they have is their horrible pasts and stories, all the things they fought for — and nothing to show for it.
After watching the Canadian Residential School Propaganda Advertisement from 1955 (just one year before my own parents were born which really disturbs me to think this was all happening within their own lifetimes), these feelings came rushing over me all over again. The advertisement itself is just full of fallacies and lies. It shows the principal “dispensing first aid duties” and over all providing for the children. It describes the children as “orphans”, “convalescents”, and students whose homes are “too far in the wilderness” to be able to attend school. The narrator plays it off, again, as the residential school providing for these children. The narrator describes what the children are learning as “ordinary Canadian” knowledge, something that as First Nations they wouldn’t understand, right? The music is like that of The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, and Gone with the Wind: orchestra heavy, full of wonder, and slightly epic. It compliments the propaganda within the clip perfectly, aiding the viewers into thinking that what the narrator is describing is really, actually true.
Of course, I don’t believe that. I’ve done too many readings, listened to too many interviews, and seen too many films to even slightly believe what the narrator is describing. What do I believe? That most students had only reached grade 5 by the time they were 18, 24% of Aboriginal children died in their residential school, and students were physically and mentally abused (to such extremes that if they were caught speaking their native language, then they would have a needle shoved into their tongues).
I know you may not want to, but please see here for more facts like these: http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/the-residential-school-system.html . (Understanding what happened in the past through facts will help understand what I am going to say next.)
Our discussion in ASTU has made me recently realize something else though. As awful as these histories are, the First Nations people within Canada are not hopeless, and I shouldn’t classify or subjugate them to that title. They are making strides for change, are making headlines of this change, and, ultimately, are making change. Just googling First Nations Canada pulls up this website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal. It chronicles all the recent news and shows just how aboriginal cultures are not dying, but rather rebuilding from what they were forced into and now thriving. I know now that these peoples have much to show for all that they went through and all they will continue to progress to. I look forward to learning even more about the aboriginal people within Canada as we continue in ASTU.
I used to feel the exact same way as you did Emilia. Coming from a place where the indigenous peoples were also subject to forceful assimilation and who’s history is full of lost battles against oppression, I too only saw the dark side to their stories. However, every time I learn a little more about indigenous people’s culture and how parts of it are still thriving, I have more hope that people who are still troubled by their pasts can see a brighter future. When I learn about their culture and their tradition, I wish that that was the part we focused on more. We have so much to learn from them in every aspect of life, and instead of seeing them as a victimized demographic, we must see them as a group of people from whom we can learn the true meaning of spirit and resilience.
Although learning about the Aboriginal communities in Canada does horrify me, it does help me realize that despite all these attempts that were perpetuated by the Canadian law itself, the Indigenous people are still alive. Their culture and traditions still exists and with increasing education, more and more people are learning and gaining these knowledge. However, I still believe just recognizing Aboriginal the culture is not sufficient enough. Canadians still have this notion that the government’s order is the only way to do things and have lacked the determination and initiative to truly rebuild relationships with the Aboriginal peoples.