More handpicked essays just for you.
Effects of colonization on indigenous peoples
Impact of colonization in canada
The effects of colonialism on indigenous people
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Effects of colonization on indigenous peoples
It is well-known that Indigenous Peoples in Canada have experienced an extremely disturbing and distressing past. From colonization to residential schools and major oppression, the negative impact continues to weigh on Indigenous populations today, as they carry the affects of this horrifying historical experience. Four generations of Indigenous residential school survivors in Canada have passed down these experiences of trauma to their children, grandchildren as well as other members living in the community (Elias 1561). Thus Indigenous children in Canada are highly susceptible to mental health problems such as substance abuse, suicide and mental disorders such as low academic achievement, due to this ongoing transmission of intergenerational
This again shows the traumatic effects of residential schools and of cultural, psychological, and emotional upheaval caused by the intolerance and mistreatment of Aboriginals in Canada. Settlers not only displaced Aboriginal people from their land and their homes, but they also experienced emotional trauma and cultural displacement.
Residential schools undoubtedly created detrimental inter-generational consequences. The dark legacy of residential schools has had enduring impact, reaching into each new generation, and has led to countless problems within Aboriginal families including: chemical dependence, a cycle of abuse in families, dysfunctional families, crime and incarceration, depression, grief, suicide, and cultural identity issues (McFarlan, 2000, p. 13). Therefore, the inter-generational consequence...
The current generation of native people in Canada are greatly impacted by efforts made by the Canadian government that forced previous generations to assimilate and give up their culture. Most of the fifth generation of native people are not directly impacted by the atrocities that forced their people to give up their culture for the benefit of others; however, their diminished cultural identity is a result of it. Parents who are raising the fifth generation have difficulty passing on their Indian identity to their children (Deiter-McArthur 381). The parents and grandparents of the fifth generation were raised in the residential school system, where they were stopped from showing affection or love for one another even if it was their own brother or sister. This results in a lack of ability for some of them to show love toward their children (Maniitok). Another e...
“To kill the Indian in the child,” was the prime objective of residential schools (“About the Commission”). With the establishment of residential schools in the 1880s, attending these educational facilities used to be an option (Miller, “Residential Schools”). However, it was not until the government’s time consuming attempts of annihilating the Aboriginal Canadians that, in 1920, residential schools became the new solution to the “Indian problem.” (PMC) From 1920 to 1996, around one hundred fifty thousand Aboriginal Canadians were forcibly removed from their homes to attend residential schools (CBC News). Aboriginal children were isolated from their parents and their communities to rid them of any cultural influence (Miller, “Residential Schools”). Parents who refrained from sending their children to these educational facilities faced the consequence of being arrested (Miller, “Residential Schools”). Upon the Aboriginal children’s arrival into the residential schools, they were stripped of their culture in the government’s attempt to assimilate these children into the predominately white religion, Christianity, and to transition them into the moderating society (Miller, “Residential Schools”). With the closing of residential schools in 1996, these educational facilities left Aboriginal Canadians with lasting negative intergenerational impacts (Miller, “Residential Schools”). The Aboriginals lost their identity, are affected economically, and suffer socially from their experiences.
Definition: Mental health has become a pressing issue in Indigenous communities. Often, a combination of trauma, a lack of accessible health resources, substance abuse, violence, and socioeconomic situations lead to high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in Indigenous Peoples. This crisis is especially apparent in Indigenous youth, where there is a growing suicide epidemic but little mental health support and resources are provided. The increase in stigmatized and untreated mental illness has continued as trauma and systemic injustices remain unaddressed. Indigenous groups, governmental parties, and health organizations are involved.
The Canadian and American governments designed a residential school system to assimilate Indigenous children into Western society by stripping them of their language, cultural practices as well as their traditions. By breaking these children’s ties to their families and communities, as well as forcing them to assimilate into Western society; residential schools were a root cause of many social problems, which even persist within Aboriginal communities today.
When the policy of aggressive civilization was supported by the Canadian government, public funding became available for the residential school project which involved stripping aboriginal children of their cultur...
The creation of the Residential Schools is now looked upon to be a regretful part of Canada’s past. The objective: to assimilate and to isolate First Nations and Aboriginal children so that they could be educated and integrated into Canadian society. However, under the image of morality, present day society views this assimilation as a deliberate form of cultural genocide. From the first school built in 1830 to the last one closed in 1996, Residential Schools were mandatory for First Nations or Aboriginal children and it was illegal for such children to attend any other educational institution. If there was any disobedience on the part of the parents, there would be monetary fines or in the worst case scenario, trouble with Indian Affairs.
A long family tree of mistreatment and undue suffering in addition to present lack of resources and poverty has resulted in considerable distress among tribal members and families living within the majority of reservations today. As a result of such distress and despair, many Native American families living in reservations have been torn apart as alcohol, drugs and family violence have become rampant within their communities. Furthermore, the inaccessibility of most reservations combined with lack of resources proves challenging to provide proper housing for families. In addition, the American Indians make up a minority of the least educated, sickest and poorest people within our country. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for Native American youths in the 15-24 age group and 2.5 times the national rate.
Justice has began to commence for many of Canada’s Indigenous people now that considerably one of our Nation’s darkest secrets has been spilled. The Residential School system was a collection of 132 church-run, government-funded boarding schools that was legally required for all Indigenous Canadian children. Canadian Residential Schools ran up until 1996 and, for decades, the secrets from within the walls of the institutions have been hidden. But now, the truth has finally come to light.
Indigenous leadership is a key element of the Canadian leadership landscape, and is virtually ignored in Wren’s discussion of modern views on leadership. In Part IV of The Leader’s Companion: Insights on Leadership Through the Ages, Wren guides the reader through a summary of modern leadership theory that mainly includes Euro-centric, Western ideologies. Save for a small section on cross-cultural theory (which summarizes a lack of research on the subject) Wren does not tend to address the globalization of academic theory. By that, I mean the general academic movement towards global theories that acknowledge and draw on many cultures across the world. Since the book’s publication in 1995, there have been some major strides in the formation of Indigenous leadership theory in Canada. Inclusion of these leadership theories is essential because, as stated by Satsan (Herb George), president of the National Centre for First Nations Governance,
Canada’s military in the First World War is commonly discerned to have had significant minority contributions from 1914 to 1918. However, the minorities are not as commemorated as the European majority of Canada’s military at the time. In World War One, Canadian minorities that made notable and substantial additions to the military include the Aboriginal community of Canada, African Canadians, and French Canadians. The minority group that deserves the greatest recognition for their military contributions is often speculated, when greatest recognition refers to the group that is deserving of the highest level of appreciation for how their contributions in aiding Canada’s military in World War One. The Aboriginal community of Canada should receive
Some of the residential school students were so scarred from the way they were treated in the schools, that they even started putting the same abuse that they had received in the schools, onto their own children. The abuse has left the students with mental trauma and many of the students were unable to erase the memories of abuse from their minds. Many the survivors of the Canadian Residential Schools have been inflicting their children and spouses with physical abuse similar to the abuse that they had received previously in the Residential Schools. In an article talking about the victimization of aboriginals they stated, “Males who had experienced abuse as children were found to be at a significantly high risk to repeat the cycle of violence with future spouses” (Scrim as cited in McGillivray and Comaskey 1996). This sad cycle shows that even though the last Residential School closed in the late 1990’s, the experiences that students had during their time is still negatively affecting their lives today. Many of the former students of the Canadian Residential Schools have turned to substance abuse in hopes to try and cope with their struggling mental health. It is shocking to see that a school this harsh could have such long lasting impacts on its students. In an article related to helping people understand the trauma
“Intergenerational trauma is the transmission of historical oppression and its negative consequences across generations” The children who were taken from their families at a young age are now parents of their own children have the parental knowledge to raise their own children. Rosanna Deerchild, a woman whose mother was a victim of residential schools says “growing up, my mother often cried or raged or drank or disappeared into herself. She found it difficult to express affection” . This shows how the distance between parent and child have been effected by Residential schools. The distance between parent and child is not the only issue that was caused due to residential schools but also the increase in sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities. Many of the children who were sexually abused on residential school have now become abusers. In 2015, the American Indian Culture and Research Journal published a review study; “researchers say child sexual abuse is one of the major challenges facing indigenous communities across the continent.” It is proven that Aboriginal Canadians have a greater risk of being sexually assaulted, or of being the victims of child sexual abuse. The closeness of the Aboriginal people living on reserves creates a higher chance for the abuse to go unreported. If someone were to report the issue their whole family would be impacted and the family would be seen differently in their communities. In many communities, it is discouraged to report incidents of sexual abuse because it brings shame to family and community. Furthermore, many of the victims of intergenerational trauma or sexual abuse turn to alcohol or drugs to get rid of their
In the 1870s the Canadian government decided that there was a problem between the white people ( the Europeans) and the aboriginal/indigenous people, the “Indian Problem”. The white people did not agree and understand the indigenous people, they considered them as “filthy indians”. As a solution to the “ Indian Problem”, the Canadian government created: Residential Schools, A place where the aboriginal children would learn the christian’s way, without their parents interfering. Throughout the hours of these residential schools, Many efforts of assimilating the children had positives, but were often overtaken by the negatives.The staff's methods of educating and disciplining the children began harsh and started to involve abuse. Abuse then became a regular activity in the residential schools, meaning the children experienced Spiritual abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse from their caretakers, the people they were supposed to be able to trust.