WEEK 3, Indigenous Ppls, Colonialsim and Canada

Question 1

Anishinaabe

Answer 1

culturally connected Indigenous peoples living around the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada. Jenni identifies more as ojibwe than anishinaabe

Question 2

Loon Clan

Answer 2

clan system is an Anishinaabe governance and kinship structure. Clans are a way of orgnanizing community and governance

Question 3

What is the Indian Act?

Answer 3

Federal law that governs all matters regarding:
- indian status
- bands
- indian reserves

law passed 1876 and still law in Canada today.

Question 4

Implications of the Indian Act…

Answer 4

you are the property of government.

you are unable to handle their own affairs.

Subject to measures meant to help them even if Indians don’t agree.

CREATED RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS!

Question 4

Examples of Protective measures

Answer 4

Indig ppl prohibited from:
- Hiring legal counsel from entering a pool halls.
- From forming political organizations
- Banning potlach powwows
- Foring political organizations
- Destruction of dogs (inuit dog slaughter)

Question 5

Qikiqtani Truth Commission 2005

Answer 5

For the Inuit, DOGS were super important. “the practical uses of qimmiit were enormous: the pulled sleds, carried shit, sniffed out seal holes, avoided ice cracks etc”
RCMP would kill dogs on reserves bc dogs were considered livestock and can kill if off.

In August 2011, the Quebec government offered an official apology for the negative effects on Inuit society of the mass slaughter of sled dogs in Nunavik (northern Quebec) but the damage has been done.

Question 6

Dog slaughters on indigenous reserves

Answer 6

JENNI MAKAHNOUK said her grandma’s dog was shot by RCMP on the reserve. trying to visit her sister and let dog on a bathroom break. RCMP shot there.

Question 7

Inuit dog slaughter as an example of…

Answer 7

Colonial (lasting) forces undermining traditions.

Question 8

Indigenous treaties

Answer 8

they are an INDIGENOUS CREATION!!

Between diff indig groups within lands.

Various Indigenous groups had treaties for various ongoing issues such as hunting, foraging etc

Question 9

Canadian Treaties

Answer 9

between canada and various indigenous groups who occupied the land.
Indig ppl saw treaties as an ongoing continually relationship that could change as needed
Settlers view treaty as divorce, indig see it as a marriage

Question 9

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Answer 9

Has potential to usher in plenty of new thinking and relationship with indigenous communities.

They solve very little themselves.

The TRC is symbolic - only commences when all partie s are ready to cooperate.
1. acknowelge guilt
2. simple and heartfelt sorry but deeds need to follow words and promises must be backed by action.

Question 10

Truth and Reconciliation Commission , what is it?

Answer 10

established as part of a longer process that grew out of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA)
- this shaped focus of report!

explicit aim of report: document and preserve the experiences of survivors from residential schools.

2008, steven harper made an apology (historic).

important note: TRC did not come out of Canada’s own initiative, rather came about as a result of us pushing gov / courts imposed

Question 11

94 calls to action

Answer 11

these were actionable policy reccomendations that were meant to help guide process by:
- acknowledging full, horrifying history of the residential school system
- Creating systems to prevent these abuses from ever happening again in the future

Teach others about past.
create opportunities for indigenous communities.

GOAL: improve the lives of INDIG ppl, implement policy goals, dismantle systemic racism.

Question 11

Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement

Answer 11

What initiated / shaped the focus of the report for the TRC

Question 12

94 calls to action 2 categories

Answer 12

LEGACY (1 to 42)
- Addressing history of the schools

RECONCILIATION
- Subjugated them

Within each, there are several subcategories meant to tackle specific faucets of the reconciliation process.

Question 13

Canada as a Colonial State

Answer 13

Policies and Programs reflect attempts to colonize.

as HUGHES says, we must never lose sight of the fact that what ultimately became Canada had its origins as a colonial state. Europeans sought to force their own ways upon INDIGENOUS groups.

Rather than accepting cultural traditions, Europeans sought to force themselves on Indigenous groups.

Canada colonial bodies had the asusmption of superiority.

Question 14

Nation state

Answer 14

Soverign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogeneous in factors such as language or common descent
Proclaims the ocmmonality of its ppl

Question 15

Imperialism

Answer 15

Policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force

unequal human and territorial relationship

Question 16

Colonization v. colonialism

Answer 16

Colonization: action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

Colonoialism: policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers and exploiting it economically.

Question 17

Is the colonial period over?

Answer 17

NO!
Continues to existttt
Indigenous ppl were not eligible for the same rights

Question 18

Jacques Cartier v. Samuel de Champlain

Answer 18

CARTIER: credited w setting the foundation for further french colonization
CHAMPLAIN: an enthusiastic advocate of colonization earned him the title of “the father of new France” for his role in establishing the colony and quebec city in 1608

Question 19

Settler Ideas (false ones)

Answer 19

false idea that indigenous land practices, including agriculture, were primitive at best and land underutilized

false idea that indigenous ppl had no real governments and laws

false idea many indigenous customs, rituals and ceremonies were uncivilized and barbaric.

Question 20

The meaning of confederation

Answer 20

Events leading to the confederation suggest continuity with british north america’s traditions of limited democracy

women and indig ppl excluded from vote
power reimagined in hands of a small group of white men

no indig representation in the creation of the confederation

only 1 section referncing indigenous people

most settlers viewed indigenous people as UNICIVILIZED

Question 21

Indian Act, via lecture

Answer 21

Basic premise that first nations remained incapable of integrating into civilized society and therefore needed supervision in their economic, poli and social activities

Act introduced processes to replace traditional political structures with elected bands chiefs and councils and subjected all reserve activities to the supervision of white bureaucracies.

Made gender distinctions, indig women who married non-status men lost their status as did their children

act still heavily impacts indigenous peoples lives today

Question 22

The Liberal State vs Indigenous Land Perspectives

Answer 22

Liberal State:
premised on the rights of the individual, including private property rights

depends upon a delinaeation between the private and the public sphere.

political institions protect public interests and private individuals / groups can express ideas.

indigenous perspectives:
- relationship with the land informed by the spirituality and beleifs; practices reflect that
- indigenous perspectives of land is that it is not just abt a resource to be used but there is a system of RECIPROCITY and tradition that is significant

Question 23

reciprocity

Answer 23

important value. especially in terms of LAND! THEY HAVE A CONNECTION

Question 24

Residential School Systems

Answer 24

Set up across CA with intention of removing all Indianess from the children
Aim was to educate indigenous youth by converting them to christianity
Schools existed before confederation
1994 made it mandatory for children to be a part of these schools
Purposeful that it was all intentional of moving children from parents with belief it will help them assimilate into Canadian society
Last school that existed 1996

Question 25

Key issues faced by inuit during transition

Answer 25

1. forced relocation
   - they were relocated due to gov policies aiming to centralize services like education and healthcare. many were moved with little to no preparation, losing valuabel possessions and access to traditional hunting grouds.
2. housing challenges
   - promised housing was often delayed, poorly built, or overcrowded.
   - some families lived in tents or shacks. before receiving proper housing
3. education
   - inuit children were placed in schools far from home - INUKTITUT was often discouraged.
   - education systems created a cultural and generational divide ==> reducing ways they could survive in traditional ways
4. susbtance abuse
   - settlement life introduced alcohol, gambing // this became unhealthy distraction for inuit
   - alcohol abuse was often linked to feelings of displacement and despair causted by settlement life and loss of traditional ways.
5. killing of sled dogs
   - Qimmiit were essential for traditional Inuit hunting and travel but were frequently shot by the RCMP in settlements, often under the guise of disease control or public safety.
   - This policy severely disrupted Inuit hunting practices and contributed to their reliance on settlements for food and livelihoods.

Question 26

The Qikqtani Truth Commission

Answer 26

Provided Inuit with the opportunity to share their stories and seek healing through acknowledgment of historical injustices.

HEALING and RECONCILIATION efforts focus on restoring the relationship between Inuit and the Canadian government by recognizing past wrongs and their lasting impacts.

Question 27

Reconciliation and Healing Reccomendations

Answer 27

The report suggests policy changes to acknowledge Inuit autonomy and their historical connection to the land.
The report stresses the importance of language and cultural preservation, advocating for Inuktitut in schools and governance.

Question 28

Qikiqtani Truth Commission (QTC)

Answer 28

interviewed almost 350 witnesses during public healings.

Documented in detail that many of the decisions, actions and consequences that led to the social and economic transformation of the BAFFIN REGION.

Question 29

Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA)

Answer 29

Established by the Qikiqtani Truth Commission (QTC).

AIM: to create a more accurate and balanced history of the decisions and events that affected Inuit living in the Qikqtani region.

Reflected challenges:
1. Relocations to permenant settlements
2. the deaths of qimmiit
3. this reduced their ability ohunt and support their families; the removal of Inuit children from families for extended periods of time
4. The tragic separation of families due to the lack of medical services in the north

Question 30

The option the TRC has….

Answer 30

If Canada’s relatiosnhip with its Indigenous communities stays the same, this day will represent one more empty promise and betrayal.

OR

TRC can usher in lots of rethinking of this relationship which would mean this day has the potential to be remembered as one of the most momentous in modern Canadian history.

Question 32

Enfranchisement

Answer 32

If the Indian Act defined (and defines) who exactly an “Indian” was, it also sought to dismantle the definition through the concept of “enfranchisement.” As individual Indigenous people—not tribes or groups—were deemed to become “civilized,” bureaucrats decided for them that they would lose their status and become a “productive member” of Canadian society.

Question 33

Reserves

Answer 33

These reserves, held “in trust” for Indigenous peoples by the federal government and not to be confused with ancestral land claims, were the places where Indigenous populations were supposed to live until they were able to prove to the state that they were sufficiently “civilized” to enter mainstream Canadian society. Those who lived and, indeed, those who continue to live on reserves do not own their land or even their houses, both of which are administered under the auspices of the federal government.

Question 34

Ways to loose status (Indigenous)

Answer 34

Historically, if someone with Indian status served in the:
- armed forces
- obtained a university degree
- took up a profession like a doctor because they were then deemed to be sufficiently “Canadian” and by extension, sufficiently “non-Indian”

UNTIL 1960, Indigenous ppl count vote in the federal elections if they first renounced their indian status

an indig woman with status could lose it when marrying a non-status man

Question 35

Bill C-31

Answer 35

ndividuals are now no longer either simply status or non-status, but are referred to as either “6(1)” or “6(2).” Those under subsection “6(2)” are those who had their status reinstated because of Bill C-31. Should a status Indian under subsection 6(2) have children with a non-status person, their children are ineligible for Indian status (the “second-generation cut-off”). If two “6(2)” people marry, then their children revert to “6(1).” Once again, it is the federal government in Ottawa determining who is or is not a (particular type of) status Indian.

Question 36

Current ways indigenous people are disadvantaged

Answer 36

1. aincarceration rate, resource extraction on indigenous territories

MAIN LESSON HERE: that policies of assimilation and dispossession have not vanished, despite the removal of certain clauses from the Indian Act

Question 37

Why the Indian Act is STILL controversial:

Answer 37

Has sought to control lives of indigenous people, forced indigenous communities to try to fit into a society that did not want them and into why many did not want to assimilate.

The federal gov still uses it as the primary legislation to administer everything from laws to membership and elections in the First Nation communities
- Restricts Indigenous self-determination by imposing band council systems.

Legal Dependency: Maintains a paternalistic relationship by treating Indigenous peoples as wards of the state.

Question 38

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

Answer 38

Intent = remove indianess from indig children

Canadian gov funded

Aim = educate indig youth via converting them to christianity and assmiliating them into ca society

Federal gov, christian church – complicit in the systemic direuption of the transmission of indig practices, customs, languages, and beliefs

1894 – MADE IT MANDATORY for indig children to attend these schools

Students were forbidden, on threat of corporal punishment, from speaking their traditional languages and were instead forced to speak English or French. They were also prohibited from performing their traditional spiritual and religious practices

The last school closed only in 1996!!!!

Harm these schools did to the children:
- separated from family
- physical and emotional abuse
- sexual abuse

Question 39

Harm of Residential schools:

Answer 39

Harm these schools did to the children:
- separated from family
- physical and emotional abuse
- sexual abuse
- Those who graduated from the schools were unable to fit into either their own communities or mainstream canadian society (ALIENATED)

!!! PTSD !!!
!!! ALCOHOLISM !!!
!!! SUBSTANCE ABUSE !!!
!!! SUICIDE !!!

Question 40

Why PM Stephen Harper made an apology on behalf of gov, Canadians for the existence of residential school systems:

Answer 40

His apology: The government recognizes that the absence of an apology has been an impediment to healing and reconciliation. Therefore, on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this Chamber so central to our life as a country, to apologize to Aboriginal peoples for Canada’s role in the Indian Residential Schools system. To the approximately 80,000 living former students, and all family members and communities, the Government of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes and we apologize for having done this. We now recognize that it was wrong to separate children from rich and vibrant cultures and traditions, that it created a void in many lives and communities, and we apologize for having done this.

Question 41

What Harper said about TRC

Answer 41

Harper on the TRC: It [the TRC] will be a positive step in forging a new relationship between Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians, a relationship based on the knowledge of our shared history, a respect for each other and a desire to move forward together with a renewed understanding that strong families, strong communities and vibrant cultures and traditions will contribute to a stronger Canada for all of us.

Question 42

TRC AIM

Answer 42

document and preserve the experiences of Survivors from the residential schools.
To achieve its goal of documentation and preservation: the TRC was given a seven-year (2008–2015) mandate to provide residential school Survivors with an opportunity to share their experiences during public and private meetings that were held across the country. The TRC was also charged with preserving records that documented the residential school system and to set up a national research centre to permanently house the documents.
⇒ led to the National centre for truth and reconciliation in 2015 in uni of manitoba

Question 43

Land Claim

Answer 43

A land claim is a formal assertion by Indigenous groups seeking recognition of their rights to ancestral lands, often addressing unresolved treaties or territories taken without consent

Significance ==> lies in rectifying historical injustices, promoting Indigenous self-determination, and fostering reconciliation by ensuring access to land and resources essential for cultural and economic sustainability.

VEEEEERRY symbolically important issue facing federal and provincial government and indigenous populations

Question 44

2 kinds of land claims:

Answer 44

1. comprehensive
   - deal with those communities that did not sign treaties with the gov of canada
2. specific
   - relate explicitly to the administration of the numebred treaties signed between 1871 and 1921 and other agreements

Question 45

Incarceration…

Answer 45

The rate of incarceration among Indigenous people is rising at the same time that the number of federally incarcerated non-Indigenous prisoners has been declining.
Indig women account for 42% of the total female inmate population in Canada
Indig ppl disproportioantely placed in max security institutions
Over-rep in use of force incidents , held longer in solitary confinment
So obvi: problem inherent in CA society that has long overlooked its most marginalized
Many of these problems (incarceration, racism in policing) are direct result of indian act which in its attempt oerase the presence of indig languages and cultures actually succeeded in worsening plight of indig ppl