Stanton's 10 Stages of Genocide

The 10 stages of genocide were developed by Dr. Gregory H. Stanton to describe the gradual steps taken during a genocide to make it effective. By categorizing the steps of genocide we can better understand what action was taken to make this genocide occur and how to stop it in the near future.

The stages of genocide are not linear, they can happen simultaneously or in varying order. Sometimes stages can be skipped. The end result in this case is assimilation and loss of culture.

How does the Indigenous cultural genocide apply to the 10 stages?

Classification

• The Inter Caetera created a divide between the colonizers and Indigenous people and provided a sense of unspoken entitlement to the land for the colonizers.

• After this, the colonizers developed their own systems of government in which the Indigenous population was not granted equal rights.

Symbolization

• Generalizing the culture of Indigenous people and legally referring to them as “Indians” instead of their traditional names or Indigenous.

Discrimination

• Stereotypes

  • There are stereotypes around Indigenous people that have existed for years. It depicts them as violent or savage.

  • Since a lot of reserves are underfunded and Indigenous people face poverty, there are stereotypes around them being poor or indulging in substance abuse.

  • Indigenous women are often sexualized and objectified. This leads to them being subject to rape or inhumane treatment.

• Laws against the Indigenous

  • Voting restrictions

  • Making certain practices illegal

  • Prohibiting the sale of alcohol to Indigenous people

  • The Indian Act

  • The White Paper

  • Certain treaties took away land

Dehumanization

• Verbal, sexual, mental and physical abuse in residential schools

• Institutionalized racism - For example, people such as Joyce Echaquan are denied proper medical attention or are mistreated in practice.

Organization

• Residential schools

• The Sixties Scoop

  • Extra foster care and adoption centers were set up for the Sixties Scoop

Polarization

• Any staff that opposed residential schools was fired.

Preparation: N/A

Persecution and Extermination

• People who protested were often executed in older days

  • For example in 1869, the leader for the resistance against the transfer of Rupert’s land was hanged.

• Residential schools violated aspects of human rights through verbal, emotional and physical torture. They also had a lot of illness due to the high volume of students and many ended up dying.

Denial

• Many Canadians still get defensive over Indigenous issues.

• Indigenous issues still do not gain mainstream media attention