What Is Genocide?

What is genocide? What is cultural genocide? And how does it relate to Indigenous cultural genocide?

Children in a residential school

Genocide is the deliberate killing of a specific ethnic group or culture. A cultural genocide is a component of genocide in which a party aims to eliminate the identity of a specific ethnic group or culture through a means of assimilation.

This differs from previous human rights violations and crimes against humanity because unlike most cultural genocides where people are exclusively violently persecuted for their culture or beliefs, the Euro-Canadian body chose to assimilate the First Nations into their society. This was done by restricting their culture, placing Euro-Canadian beliefs onto the first nations, familial separation and discriminatory laws.

A genocide has taken place because the colonizers were ultimately successful in deteriorating the culture of the First Nations. For example, in Canada, for the major 40 Indigenous languages spoken, there are approximately 500 speakers left. By ridding an entire population of their native languages, we are restricting their ability to speak with their elders and pass on previous knowledge. We also prevent future generations from ever gaining this knowledge because they would not feel obligated to learn a language that the majority of people around them do not speak. In addition, many traditions and dances have been forgotten by children in residential schools because they were illegal to perform. Even if an individual knew about their connection to their Indigenous roots, they would not be able to be submerged in the culture. The influence of the Euro-Canadian body also led to knowledge of whole cultures being eliminated such as the Beothuk people. Even now, when we are trying to reconcile for past mistakes, Indigenous culture is still dying.

This atrocity was caused by the European settlers who first came to colonize the Americas. After the Pope published the Inter Caetera, there has been an unspoken power differential between the Euro-Canadian body and the Indigenous communities. Colonizers felt entitled to the land and to exercise their power over the Indigenous body. Since the population of settlers was ultimately stronger and experienced more growth than the First Nations, they became an in-group and the First Nations became an outgroup. The First Nations were only allowed to join the in-group if they adhered to the norms by surrendering their culture and heritage. This meant losing an integral part of their identity and ties to their family.

How is this a genocide?

Throughout the years, the Euro-Canadian body has attempted to decimate the Indigenous culture in hopes to isolate this culturally distinct population and assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture.

The first attempt at this was through the Inter Caetera. The Inter Caetera was published by Pope Alexander VI and authorized Spain and Portugal to colonize the Americas. Without consulting the Indigenous people on the land, the Pope granted these countries to have authority over the Indigenous peoples. This created a power differential between the European colonizers and the Indigenous people as it allowed the colonizers to feel entitled to exercise power over this group of people. This led to the Indigenous population being treated like an outgroup and exploited for colonial gain throughout history.