Setting foot in North America for the first in my life, moving to Canada from Thailand, made me realized how much history I’ve actually missed out on. And one of the biggest issues I’ve bumped into since I’ve been here is with the indigenous people. I’ve never been involved in a culture that was made by the suffering of another’s. I had no idea what these people had to go through. And while I was in UBC, I had the chance to befriend a native from the Musqueam tribe. By knowing him, I was allowed to visit the reservation, meet the people, and hear of their experiences.

I refuse to say whether lives are going great or not because I’m in no position to say, especially as an outsider not only to the natives but to Canada as well. But the sense of family, the sense of community, is so strong and actually feels refreshing.  I never really saw a problem until getting into my Law and Society’s topic over the second semester. The past that these people have been through is actually astonishing. Being stripped away from their homes and lives, it’s hard to believe that the native I call my friend seems to be enjoying life. But he is.

I believe Boyden was making a statement here referring to how First Nations people have always been treated poorly by non-native Canadians traditionally. It could also be surmised that a warning is being issued with the relating of how the trapper died because of Niska. This warning could be applied to either men who choose to treat first nation women in a demeaning manner, or the poor treatment of/or towards first nation people in general. The incident caused me to ponder the idea of curses and how many curses have been put on non-native people over the years.