Hello all!
My name is Patrick Connolly, and I’m currently going into my fourth year of a Double Major in Creative Writing and English Literature at the University of British Columbia. This blog will serve as a place for reflection on the distance course English 470A Canadian Studies, which will focus on literature detailing the historical and continuing relationship between Canadian First Nations and those who would come later. My first love is literature, which is what initially drew me to this course, but the general theme is what really got me interested.
The notion of “home” has always been a poignant one for me. I was born and raised in Edmonton, and ever since I left for the coast (and maybe because of my parent’s obstinate civic pride), it’s been hard for me to accept my surroundings. I grew up ten blocks away from where my father did, I attended the same Irish Catholic ceremonies in the same buildings that he did as a child, I skated in the same rinks. My notion of Canadiana – and ultimately “home” – is a half section of post-war bungalow footprints on the South Side.
Before Vancouver though, my notion of home was also a hopeful “somewhere you eventually leave”. Along with the bungalows, it seemed that the social conscience of my city and my province has remained relatively unchanged since my father’s childhood. That’s reflected by our provincial government, which has been in power since the early seventies, but it’s also reflected in the way we view those who live on the outside of that quaint, largely white, half section.
Edmonton has the second largest First Nations population in the country but I wouldn’t have guessed it from what I heard growing up. As other racial slurs became less and less tolerated, those involving First Nations seemed to be the only ones to thrive throughout my childhood. And it wasn’t just those on the playground, but also those monitoring it. The school constable at my high school was investigated for abusing nine homeless First Nations people. A few years before that, as a teenager, I was busted for underage drinking (another parallel with my father, I was later told). The police officer writing up my ticket matter-of-factly informed me that I was lucky he had gotten to me before a First Nations person had a chance to “beat [me] up, steal [my] liquor, and leave [me] to die”.
It’s getting better in that city, slowly. The new mayor, a 34 year old progressive, acknowledged the city site as originally inhabited by First Nations people in his acceptance speech. He later proclaimed this year to be a Year of Reconciliation in the city. Even the Edmonton Oilers (god love ’em) dedicated a home game to the celebration of First Nations culture this year. Small steps, I know, but a huge leap for this city.
Evidently, I’ve got my own notion of home down pat. What I’m excited to explore in this course is the relationship of my notion of home and another person’s idea of that same place. What can I learn from those who were here before the bungalows? What can those who will be here after them learn from me?
I hope you all enjoy reading through these posts; please add your thoughts at the bottom.
– Patrick
CBC News. “3 officers face disciplinary hearings.” . CBC News, 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/3-officers-face-disciplinary-hearings-1.873400>.
City of Edmonton, The. “Mayor Iveson Proclaims A Year of Reconciliation in Edmonton.” . The City of Edmonton, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/news/2014/mayor-iveson-proclaims-a-year-of-reconciliation-in-edmonton.aspx>.
Edmonton Oilers Press Release. “Oilers to Host a Celebration of First Nations Hockey on March 30.” . Edmonton Oilers, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://oilers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=711341>.
INews880. “Don Iveson victory speech part 3.” . YouTube, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 May 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKRPdfULddc#t=00m52s>.
Paterson, Erika. “ENGL 470A (3 cr): Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres.”. UBC Blogs, May 2014. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://ctlt.ubc.ca/distance-learning/courses/engl/engl470a/>.
Turner, Annie, Susan Crompton, and Stéphanie Langlois. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: First Nations People, Métis and Inuit.” . Statistics Canada, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-eng.cfm>.