Analyzing the Indigenous Cultural Genocide - A Broad Understanding

Despite claiming the land in Canada first, the Indigenous communities were an outgroup after the Pope introduced the Inter Caetera. There was a higher and stronger population of colonizers which forced the Indigenous to become a minority. This led to an unspoken power differential between the colonizers and the Indigenous which continued throughout history. Since the Indigenous people were not granted equal power in the government, they were mistreated. This was demonstrated through unjust resource allocation, cultural assimilation, unequal rights and lack of representation in politics.

The Impact of Citizenship and Heritage:

Citizenship is the legal recognition of an individual belonging to a certain area. Heritage is a form of cultural identity passed on by generations in a family. Citizenship and heritage impact identity because it places a cultural influence and a sense of belonging on an individual. This creates means that people from the same area and heritage would share an aspect of their identity and could be categorized.

The divide between those with Indigenous identity and Euro-Canadian identity is caused by a difference in citizenship and heritage. When the Indigenous population became out-grouped. Their heritage and culture were endangered. Since the Euro-Canadian body was stronger and larger than the Indigenous population. They were able to marginalize and assimilate some of the population.

Systemic discrimination and prejudice:

When a group is marginalized by a stronger and more powerful group, they are susceptible to mistreatment and exploitation. The institutionalized discrimination against the Indigenous community was formed through the societal norms of colonization and assimilation from the settlers that founded Canada.

Institutions contribute to instability and inequality for certain groups by creating a divide in power and not allocating certain rights and privileges to that group through rules and regulations. This creates legal barriers that are hard to overcome and renders it impossible to create change.

Since many of these policies are in favor of the Euro-Canadian body because it grants them more power or entirely does not impact them, many people would not advocate for justice for the Indigenous population. In addition, political and media presences in previous years showcased the Indigenous population as unwanted or a threat, which in turn tainted the Euro-Canadian body's depiction of the Indigenous. For example, the Indian Act depicted Indigenous people as people who needed to be integrated into a "civil society." The engrained prejudice in the Euro-Canadian population defended the government's antics and allowed systemic injustice to continue and undermine Indigenous rights.

The most important breaches of human rights in the Indigenous genocide are:

• 1493 - The publishing of the Inter Caetera.

  • It granted Spain and Portugal the right to colonize the Americas and gave them the power to have authority over the Indigenous peoples. This led to the initial power differential between the colonizers and the indigenous population which caused them to become marginalized.

• 1615 - The arrival of Récollet and Jesuit missionaries to convert the Indigenous population to Catholicism.

  • This is a prime example of cultural assimilation as the colonizers who were an ingroup were trying to push their religion and values onto the Indigenous people.

• 1831 - The development of residential schools.

  • The residential school system sought to eliminate a child's cultural heritage through indefinite familial separation and harsh treatment. It was responsible for thousands of children ultimately being placed in foster care and losing ties to their cultural heritage.

• 1845 - The publishing of the Bagot report.

  • The Bagot Report proposed the assimilation of indigenous children into Euro-Canadian society through parental separation and residential schools throughout Canada.

  • It also forced Indigenous people to choose between being legally labeled as an Aboriginal or Canadian Citizen. This caused a dilemma as many did not wish to lose their indigenous status, however, identifying as a Canadian Citizen would have granted them better rights.

• 1876 - The publishing of the Indian Act.

  • The Indian Act sought to eliminate indigenous culture through policies and laws. It prohibited certain practices and placed restrictions on certain rights such as voting, which forced the Indigenous population to be underrepresented in government and lose integral parts of their culture and heritage.

• 1960 - The Sixties Scoop.

  • The Sixties scoop was a period during the 1960's in which Indigenous children were taken from their families, without consent from Bands or their parents, and placed into foster care or adoption centers to become culturally isolated. Approximately, 16,000 Aboriginal children were displaced from their families.

Provinces had adoption programs to support mass assimilation, for example, Saskatchewan has the Adopt an Indian Metis program. This was an attempt at mass assimilation as each province had an adoption program to promote the relocation of Indigenous youth. It severed the connection children had to their families and promoted cultural isolation, as most of the adopting families were European, Canadian and American. Consequently, Aboriginal children that were raised by non-Aboriginal families did not adapt well to the new environment as they had a distinct identity and were forced into Euro-Canadian society.

Additionally, the “60’s scoop” had a lasting impact on the current Canadian foster care system as it increased the number of Aboriginal youth under the age of fourteen in the foster care system. For example, in Canada, fifty percent of children in foster care are from an indigenous background. Displaced children that entered the foster care system have no method of reuniting with their families.

• 1968 - The publishing of the White Paper.

  • The White Paper was a document proposal written by Pierre Trudeau and the former Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien. On surface, it sought to end inequality between the Aboriginal and Canadian population.

The White Paper is a prime example of the misuse of laws to force assimilation as it granted promises such as equality to gain the support of the Euro-Canadian body, however its main purpose was to force large scale assimilation.

Examples of large scale assimilation within the white paper include:

ARTICLE 2: “not always, but too often, to be an Indian is to be without - without a job, a good house, or running water; without knowledge, training or technical skill and, above all, without those feelings of dignity and self-confidence that a man must have if he is to walk with his head held high.”

The White Paper attempted to eliminate the Indian Status and prevented Aboriginal individuals to legally identify with their heritage. The government justified this by associating the Indian Status with poverty, a lack of education and other negative traits. Not only were Aboriginal individuals being denied the right of legally retaining the Indian Status, they were also being informed that their heritage was the cause of misfortune and had negative impacts on their lives. This also reinforced stereotypes about the Indigenous within the Euro-Canadian body and further pitted the two groups against each other.

ARTCILE 2: “the governments of the provinces that they take over the same responsibility for Indians that they have for other citizens in their provinces. “

The White Paper advocated for privatization of First Nation reserves and allowing the occupying Band to own it. This would force occupants to abide by provincial and municipal laws, as well as prevent Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, along with the Government, from being responsible for the activities practiced on the land. This would have led to a westernized community as the individuals would be living in a Euro-Canadian society because of the laws.

In addition, by privatizing reserve lands, the money invested in indigenous programs, such as free post-secondary education, would be dissolved. This would revoke the financing for many of the privileges given to the Indigenous communities and result in unfair treatment to those families who cannot afford to invest in non-essential commodities.

ARTICLE 2: " Propose to Parliament that the Indian Act be repealed and take such legislative steps as may be necessary to enable Indians to control Indian lands and to acquire title to them."

The execution of the White Paper would have led to the elimination of the Indian Act. The Indian Act is responsible for most rights on reserve land and it grants certain privileges. For example, eliminating the Indian Act would eliminate the Indian Status and revoke free post-secondary education for those individuals with an Indian Status. It will also impact the execution of wills, land rights and the resolution of other issues. Termination of the Indian Act would disrupt the life of reserves as it forces occupants to follow federal and municipal laws, instead of the documented laws. This would lead to a disruption in politics and resolution of legal matters on reserve lands. It will also lead to conflict between the government and Aboriginal individuals as they are losing important privileges and are not receiving any compensation.

• 1970 - Project Surname was established.

  • A unique part of Inuit culture is the manner in which they name their children. The naming culture in Inuit culture differs from European traditions, as they select names based on personality, and they can change their names accordingly. In addition, a married couple does not share the same last name and names are not gender specific.

In the 1940's when the Euro-Canadian body started trading with the Inuit in northern Canada, the government assigned numbered discs to the Inuit families as a method of easing trade between the two groups.

In the 1970's the use of the discs was discontinued and Project Surname was implemented. Project Surname was an attempt to assimilate the Inuit in northern Canada into Euro-Canadian society by assigning Catholic and Cristian names to them. The surnames replaced the discs and allowed the Inuit to give themselves Euro-Canadian names.

Since the names were mandatory, it had a lasting impact on the Inuit in northern Canada as it caused aspects of their culture to alter as a result of colonization. The new Surnames were the first piece of English writing that the Inuit had to become familiarized with. In addition, since many of the families were not familiarized with English or French names, Priests often named their children. This eliminated a key part of their culture which is to assign names that suit personalities.

It also led to many children who had traditional names assigned at birth, having to change their name at a young age. This prevented them from truly being connected with their heritage as names were very important.

Since then, English and French names have also been co-opted in Inuit culture. For example, names such as Johnny became Joanasie, and David became Davidee.

Memorialization:

Memorialization is important because it acknowledges and preserves the knowledge of past events. This allows us to gain a collective view of all the events in a genocide and dissect the stages that led to the cultural genocide of the Indigenous people.

By remembering and analyzing past events, we can prevent future atrocities to happen and move forward without repeating the same mistakes.

It also allows us to be aware of a certain culture's past and we can reconcile relationships without being ignorant towards their hardships. This allows us to make better choices when trying to bring justice to certain events.

Reconciliation and Recognition:

In recent years, reconciliation with the Indigenous community has been the solution to restoring the relations lost with them. Nothing can ever truly be done to make amends for the prejudice faced by the Indigenous community, but the Canadian body can start through reconciliation and acknowledgment. Reconciliation allows us to acknowledge our past and move forward together. It allows us to build a better future relationship between the Indigenous body and the Canadian government.

However, we must still acknowledge that the Indigenous community is unrecognized for its hardships and underfunded. For example, 4.9% of Canada's population is Indigenous, yet 25% of all of Canada's Aboriginal, Métis and Inuit population and 40% of all indigenous children live below the poverty line. Only 8.7% of the rest of Canada lives in poverty. There is a clear distinction between the poverty rates in the Indigenous body compared to the Canadian body that can be traced back to the underfunding of reserves, unjust resource allocation and lack of educational opportunities. We still have a long way to go to fully restore relations between Indigenous communities and the government of Canada, but reconciliation is a start.