...mental, physical and sexual abuse. The Residential schools were run by a variety of participating church organizations, which received funding from the Canadian government. The funding was based on a per aboriginal basis therefore it was in the best interests of the churches to enroll as many aboriginal students as possible. The schools were run in almost every province in Canada from 1860-1884 and claimed to be promoting religious and cultural assimilation. However, the cruelty that was experienced by many young aboriginals in the residential schools emphasizes the differences between the aboriginal societies and the European dominant society making complete assimilation impossible. The imposition of residential schools on First Nations children has led to significant loss of indigenous languages, and this language loss has led to further cultural losses for traditional First Nations cultures in Canada. The earliest known date opening of a Residential school was in 1840, located in Manitowaning, Ontario. The school was the Wikemikong Indian Residential School, it closed in 1879. The last Residential school to close was La Tuque Indian Residential School, located in La Tuque, Quebec. This school opened in 1962 and closed in 1980. These schools, run by religious people, were not a choice for Native Canadians. The education was forced upon these people and it was looked at as the resolution to the "Indian problem”. There were a total of 130 schools across Canada...
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...Robidoux, M. (2002). Imagining a Canadian identity through sport: A historical interpretation of lacrosse and hockey. Journal of American Folklore, 115, (45), 271-282. In his article, Robidoux claims, the origin of the national identity of Canada is closely connected to sports and competition. He also stated that the modernization of sport not only involved the style and rules of play, but also symbolized the introduction of organization, dictatorship and a political structure. The modernization of sport however had an underlining of imperial assimilation as European sports, such as cricket, were being introduced. Robidoux suggests that George Beers, a politician, used sports as Canada’s way of escaping Imperialism and creating unity between Canadians. Beers used the native game, Baggataway, that was soon modernized and renamed to Lacrosse, as a perfect game for the new Canadian identity because it represented the aggressive behaviours that were respected and said to be embodied in a true Canadian. Robidoux suggested that Lacrosse, in design, gave Canadian males an opportunity to display their superiority over one another in competition. Competition became so aggressive and dominant by the working-class and natives, that the upper-class invoked amateurism, which was highly exclusive and made the working-class and native competitors virtually unable to compete. Ultimately Lacrosse became so exclusive that the working-class turned to other sports, of them hockey was the most...
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...for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. The Canadian constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people: Indians (commonly referred to as First Nations), Métis and Inuit. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. More than one million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, according to the 2006 Census.” (Indigenous Nationhood) Although many Aboriginal peoples in Canada identify as being Aboriginal, many Aboriginal peoples struggle to maintain or gain a sense of cultural identity due to the Canadian Governments assimilation policies. Throughout this paper I will discuss how the Indian Act, the Canadian Residential School System, and the Sixties Scoop assimilated Aboriginal peoples into a European way of life, by attempting to integrate them into society by abolishing their Aboriginal identities. This assimilation process impacted Aboriginal peoples in negative ways throughout the generations socially, culturally, and economically. The negative impacts within child welfare system, educational institutions, and the socio-economic status of Aboriginal peoples today, prove assimilation and the total integration of Aboriginal peoples within mainstream society is unacceptable. Decolonization techniques should be applied within those areas in order combat the long lasting effects of assimilation by colonization. Decolonization will also help enable Aboriginal peoples...
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...from different parts of world migrated and settled in Canada, this communities brought their culture and values along with them. As the time elapsed new trends were introduced for the progress of the nation but Canadian government thought that this aboriginal communities cannot accept the changes taking place in the society because of their cultural values, language and traditions. As a result of which “Canadian government developed a policy called aggressive assimilation” (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280). This policy was mainly introduced to assimilate the aboriginal communities to Canadian culture by killing their culture, language and traditions. This policy directly affected the role of women in the society. As a result of this policy even today the aboriginal communities are suffering from poverty, addiction, alcoholism, violence activities and many other social issues which is becoming a barrier in the progress of nation in correct means. The first reason that led to all other issues was that the role of women was affected in the society because of the residential schools, born because of the “aggressive assimilation” policy implemented by the government. On June 11, 2008 Beverley Jacobs the president of Native Women’s Association of Canada relating the present situation and the situation before residential schools says that “Prior to the residential schools and prior to colonization women in our communities were very...
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...CANADA - Before Confederation, the Canadian government was not concerned about the education of the Aboriginal people. However, once the government policy changed in 1830 and it was required to provide Aboriginal youth with education and merge them into Canadian society, the Canadian government and various religious institutions formed church-run residential schools in every province besides Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The Aboriginal leaders and elders anticipated that these schools would let their children learn the skills of the Canadian society and help them easily transition into the dominated society of Canada but the residential schools were of nothing they imagined or hoped for (). RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS: THE DARK SIDE Continued Currently, residential schools are still running and forcibly taking Aboriginal children from the ages five to sixteen from their families and communities and forcing them to attend the schools where they are deprived of their...
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...The Indian Act and Canadian Treaties In modern society the question of why the aboriginal population receives benefits often arises. Much of today’s youth does not understand that the Native American people were often stripped of their rights in the past in order to gain these advantages. Two main incidents were established in the Aboriginal history, the first was the treaties that spread across Canada and the second incident was the Indian Act of 1876. The main difference between the Indian Act and treaties were the aboriginal’s role in the decision-making. Treaties allowed for a compromise between the Natives and the government that allowed for benefits on both ends whereas the Indian act was imposed on the Native culture by the Canadian government without any arrangement with the aboriginals. This paper will first describe the history of treaties and what they entail for both parties and also look at the formation of the Indian Act. Then, this paper will look at how each had affected the Aboriginal people in similar and different ways. Finally this paper will look at the relation in today’s society that the treaties have in Canada and what life would be like if the Indian Act was still a large part of how First Nations people would have been treated if the Act was not changed following World War II. After these points, a reader should have a better understanding of a topic that they may know little about. By looking at both the Indian Act and Canadian treaties, it is...
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...in mainstream society” (Kevin, Beeds, and Filion 340). Aboriginal values were looked down upon. Schools were operated by a staff that consisted of nuns and priests. They focused on teaching children Christianity. This event was significant in Canadian history because it represented the loss of culture, language, and family connection due to long separations and the hardships faced at school. The experience at residential schools continue to affect generations of Aboriginals still to this day. History of the Issue Prior to the Canadian government’s involvement in the education of Aboriginal children, traditional education effectively sustained Aboriginal cultures for decades of years (340). Early in the 1600s French missionaries came to North America to convert Aboriginals to Christianity (340). They established mission schools in New France. By the 1800s the government focused on educating First Nations children in a way to indirectly assimilate them into Canadian society (340). In 1879, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald commissioned Politician, Nicholas Flood Davin, to write a report regarding the education of Aboriginal children. Davin, went to the United States, to study and report back on the industrial boarding schools for Native American children (341). In these industrial schools, children spent part of the day learning farming and housing skills. After his report he recommended Canada to do the same by...
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...ABORIGINAL ISSUES IN CANADA Teacher Name: Bob Gregory Student Name: Juan Carlos Bernal Student Number: 057638082 Date: Monday October 15th, 2012 References: Canada (1891). Indian treaties and surrenders, from 1680 to 1890 Volume I. Ottawa: Brown Chamberlin (Queen's Printer). URL: http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/ItemRecord/91942 Centre for Social Justice URL:http://www.socialjustice.org/index.php?page=aboriginal-issues Canadian Council on Social Development URL: http://www.ccsd.ca/cpsd/ccsd/c_ab.htm Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada URL: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/ Assembly of First Nations URL: http://www.afn.ca/index.php/en The Indian Residential School Settlement URL:https://my.senecacollege.ca/bbcswebdav/courses/CAN275BA.GENH.20123/summary%20of%20court%20settlement.pdf Aboriginal Issues in Canada Many problems exists in aboriginal communities which include their living conditions, crime rates, suicide rates, lack of education and skill training, unemployment and other issues. The living conditions or quality of life for Aboriginals rank 63rd, or amongst Third World conditions. Health Canada states that as of May 2003, 12% of Aboriginal communities had to boil their drinking water and approximately 1/4 of water treatment systems on-reserve pose a high risk to human health. Almost 25% of Aboriginal water infrastructure are a high risk of contamination. House density is twice that of the general population. Nearly 1 in 4...
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...otherness of its chosen subject matter. As a medium of cultural production, film has a necessary relationship with the hegemony of its own culture; sometimes progressive and other times simply perpetuating. As a representation of the debate over the ethics and feasibility of assimilation, ‘Jedda’ reflects the failed premise of its time, the hierarchical approach to culture and civilization perpetuated by white Europeans. Despite this hamartia it has been applauded with “the only dignified Aboriginal male lead that has been allowed to exist in a film made by white directors in Australia,” (Johnson, 1987:48) what is certainly a progressive allowance (though the word is problematic). It has become evident that true representation of the Aborigine in Australian popular culture is dependent on undoing the dualistic understanding that establishes their otherness. Culture is a discourse of common iconography. Signifiers of language, appearance, values, history, cuisine, beliefs… are inscribed, developed and perpetuated by popular media. In Nationalism and Literature Sarah Corse uses canonical texts; “the American The Great Gatsby and the Canadian Fruits of the Earth,” to contrast “American individualism… and Canadian social identification.” Corse contends the differences are “not natural but part of a process of national distinction,” that the canonical novel helps to construct “the form of the canon,”...
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...culture, and heritage of the indigenous people of North America. European intrusion consequently prompts a long arrangement of land usurpation that continuously displaced the natives into confined reservations. It is against this background that Erdrich, in her novel 'Tracks' explicitly illustrates the political and historical experiences of the Native American as shown by the troubles of Chippewa Tribe. The novel ‘Tracks’ dramatically presents the struggle and survival of the Native Americans due to historical injustice, dispossession, and deprivation through colonization. In her novel, Tracks, Erdrich deals not only with individual American...
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...Immigration Within Canada There has been an appeal in immigrating to Canada ever since the early 1800’s, but only in the past seventy years have we seen drastic changes in domestic immigration law and policy. Most notably Canada has received recognition for its Immigration Act of 1976 as well as our current Immigration and Refugee Protection Act from 2002. Canadian immigration is still evolving today and currently Canada is known as a country with a broad immigration policy that is reflected in the countries ethnic diversity. Policy goals, selectivity and trade are three prominent aspects of Canadian immigration that I have found compelling journal articles written on. Although every aspect of immigration has its differences, they all similarly share a united end common goal of further benefiting Canada. Economics is a similarity that plays a large role in each aspect and article, from strategically selecting immigrants that will quickly economically assimilate to using immigration to increase trade flow from foreign countries. Although in contrast – the article that I have found to obtain the most compelling argument on Canadian immigration policy is the one that disagrees with using immigration solely for economic means, it implicitly states that immigration policy should not solely be seen in economic benefits but that it should be seen as primarily a cultural, social and humanitarian policy opposed to an economic one. In the first article I examined ‘Selectivity and Immigration...
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...Nation bands, it does so on the terms of the state. It states in the Mohawk Ten Commandments; “Let no power abolish your nation” highlighting the importance of their nation’s survival (Simpson 27). This is why Haudenosaunee Confederacy will gladly accept any legislation promoting independence and self-governance but they will staunchly deny any state efforts towards assimilation. The Iroquois people do so by denying or refusing any “gifts” from the settler-state, therefore assert the sovereignty of their communities, answering to the confederation’s authority over the authority of colonizers (Simpson 7). By continuing to exist, maintaining traditions and govern themselves, indigenous struggles against state membership embodies the overall failures of colonisation (Simpson...
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...4. Outline the arguments for and against the policy of multiculturalism. What are the advantages and disadvantages of officially promoting multiculturalism? 4. Outline the arguments for and against the policy of multiculturalism. What are the advantages and disadvantages of officially promoting multiculturalism? Background Multiculturalism in Canada is the ideology that all people have equal opportunities and rights regardless of their races, religions and, cultural backgrounds. The Canadian government during the 1970s and 1980s adopted the official policy of multiculturalism in Canada. It originated from the 1960s Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. In 1971, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau declared that the country would adopt multicultural policy. In 1982, multiculturalism was recognized by section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canadian Multiculturalism Act was then passed by Prime Minister Brain Mulroney in 1988. The Act has two fundamental principles: all citizens have equal rights and it promotes all communities of different origins. (Kobayashi, 1983) Benefits of Multiculturalism policy in Canada Economic Benefits Multiculturalism helps integrate visible minorities into the labour market. Canada has experienced more participation of members of minority groups in different business sectors, such as transportation, communications, and banking. The increased participation is the result of the government's effort...
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...Sociology Term Paper The film Education as we see it is a learning video addressing the educational decisions made in the late 1800s pertaining to the Canadian Aboriginals. Aboriginals were not considered productive members of the “white society” and therefore, Canadian government at the time, Duncan Scott believed that their best chance for success was to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs. (Keith & Whyte, 2003) By establishing residential schools where native children were forced to attend, ideally, they would pass their adopted lifestyle on to their children, and native traditions would eventually diminish. Scott stated that his ultimate goal was “to be rid of the Indian question.” (CBC News, 2010) Over the years, the students suffered harsh treatment, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. The issues addressed in the film are good examples of conflict theory as applied to education. Additional social concepts brought up for discussion also include ethnocentrism, social inequality, as well as gender assumptions/discrimination. (Education as we see it) Conflict theory was originally coined by Karl Marx, and later adapted and developed by other theorists’ including Max Weber. According to Karl Marx, in all stratified societies there are two major social groups: a ruling class and a subject class. The ruling class exploits and oppresses the subject class, and as a result there is a basic conflict of...
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...In the 19th century, the Canadian government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for Aboriginal people in Canada. The government believed that the best chance to be successful was for them to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs. In an ideal world, these new customs would be passed onto their children, meaning their native traditions would diminish and completely disappear within a few generations. The Canadian government developed a policy called “aggressive assimilation” to be taught at these new church-run, government-funded schools, called residential schools. It was believed that children were easier to influence that adults, so the idea of sending these children to a boarding school to learn new values would be the most effective. These schools were created based on the belief that aboriginal culture was unable to adapt to a rapidly modernizing society. Students were discouraged from speaking their first language or practising native traditions and were faced with severe punishment if they did not comply. Most students lived at these schools 10 months a year, away from their parents, segregating them from opportunities to see examples of normal family life. Siblings at the same school rarely saw each other, as all...
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