The Importance of Resilience in “Three Day Road” “Buy this”, “ Have That”, “Do this”. Everywhere I look, advertisements surround society and myself, keeping watchful eye on everyone and trying to push them in one direction. If they are successful, everyone will abide by them and be identical- assimilated into one. During the 1900s, this was no different, as the white man’s influence on Canada seeped into the assimilation of indigenous people. This was no simple task; however, with the enforcement of residential schools it was obvious that headway was being made. In addition, during these times, most natives moved to town and their culture began to fade into one of the English. Conversely there were some who remained close to their identities …show more content…
that were able to sustain links to their traditions and beliefs. Despite the fact that they were under pressure from the white men, they were able to resist. Within the context of the literary work “Three Day Road’’, Joseph Boyden’s usage of characters and setting emphasised the need for resilience to overcome assimilation. Remaining with what she believes, Niska disregards those around her who are heavily influenced to behave in the ways of the white. Analogous to her, Xavier may have joined the war, but he maintained who he was, following the footsteps Niska set out for him. In contrast, while raised in the influencing environment of a residential institution, Elijah believes in obedience even though it is sometimes erroneous. Throughout the novel Niska is recognized as one of the last bush natives, striving in the atmosphere of the forest ,where her parents raised her, and where they were safe from the exterior world. Yet, this was not always simple, as homeguard natives and the white people constantly maligned Niska and deemed her a dirty bush native, a heathen, and a sorceress. What allows Niska to remain untouched is her resilience and her ability to remain standing, when everyone else is pressuring her to give in . “The old converted Indians blessed themselves and closed their doors when I walked by” (Boyden 168). From the influence of her parents, Niska is headstrong and stays committed to her native lifestyle. If she were to take the slander that others threw at her to heart, their conflicting beliefs would have consumed her as well as pieces of her culture, and above all she would have forgotten what she stood for. Joseph Boyden’s creation of a character whose existence revolved around her own endurance and resistance allowed me to view that in a setting where those who resist are treated like scum, it is possible to thrive and overcome the power of influence. Niska’s only nephew, Xavier is much like her.
Maintaining his beliefs and culture was no easy task in a war where his language is considered a “heathen” tongue, and his indigenous culture is mocked. Consequently, during battle, his masterful skills were downgraded as he was not a white person, but Xavier did not change even though he was being viewed as inferior to those around him. For instance, he does not let the war sever his beliefs and faith as he maintains his prayers to Gitchi Manitou after each kill he was responsible for. Bloodshed remains a tactic of survival for him; it was nothing to be proud of. Consistently, Xavier and Niska’s characters draw parallels to each other, as Xavier’s most valued influence is the forest where he was taught how to live and survive in nature by Niska. Even when Niska is not with him, her lessons follow Xavier. Standing up for what he wants is engraved in his skin, and to me this is what kept Xavier’s resilience intact even when his best friend were constantly being mislead by the white man and ridiculing Xavier. “Elijah shakes his head. ’He is a heathen, speaks his own tongue fluently, nothing else.’” ( Boyden 203). When one’s best friend shows contempt, one becomes more susceptible to back down- yet Xavier stays
resistant. Malleable from childhood as a result of no access to parental guidance, Elijah became his own parent with the sole priority to keep himself safe. Molded by the nuns of the residential school, he saw and experienced the cruel methods of discipline displayed and he knew it was necessary to avoid letting them determine the type of person he wanted to be. The only way Elijah could ensure his well-being was by pleasing the nuns, even though he disagreed with them. Thus he became conforming, knowing that it was the single method to remain safe. Because of the lifestyle that he grew up in, Elijah was never resilient; wherever he goes, he relies on credit and amicability. During the war, the idea of being superior lures Elijah, but the only approach to being the elite in the war is by the number of kills, and killing is no game; each shot results in the death of a soldier. In spite of this, Elijah knows that each dispatch would be a gain, so he pushes his beliefs aside and slaughters to ensure his position. In my perspective, Elijah’s deep love with morphine, and killing begins due to his lack of standards. He disregards his morals to remain the best, and the morphine dulls his actions like it is his safety net. “When he does not take the morphine, he is afraid of the word, and that is not a good feeling, But when the golden liquid is in his veins! Even at night the world is bathed in a soft light” (Boyden 212). His goal was to keep what would keep him secure when all around him, he is losing everything. Setting is the first influence on one’s resilience. Growing up under the wing of her father, Niska grew like the forest; tall and powerful, never letting anything stop her. That resilience remained with Xavier and it rooted deep within him, letting him grow to have endurance and self resilience which keeps him sane during the war. Unlike Xavier, Elijah, grew up inside the walls of the residential school, somewhere that the result of resilience is lashes on your back as well as abuse from authority figures. As a result of these experiences Elijah grew to be whatever he needed to be to survive. Joseph Boyden’s emphasis on resilience found itself in the path of these three characters and portrayed their mechanisms to avoid or partake in assimilation
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.
Palmer, Howard. Patterns of Prejudice: A History of Nativism in Alberta. Toronto, Ont.: McClelland and Stewart, 1982. Print.
...to identity with at least one of the countries predominate languages, English or French, dictated the degree in which they could participate in Canadian life. According to the Commission, this participation was real under two conditions: “that both societies, the French-speaking as well as the English-speaking, accept[ed] newcomers much more rapidly than they have done in the past; and that the two societies willingly allow other groups to preserve and enrich, if they so desire, the cultural values they prize[d]” (RCBB Book 1 xxv). It creates an interesting take on the acceptance of those “othered” groups, as change was necessary not only on the part of the minorities but also from Canada’s French and English-speakers. The Commissions work remains focused on language and culture, more so than ethnicity amongst a bilingual, bicultural and “othered” Canadian society.
The mention of the abolition of multiculturalism for a “new” post-multiculturalist approach becomes difficult to understand. It claims, “to avoid the ‘excesses’ of multiculturalism” (47), however where does this notable governmental and social switch take place? How is the term coined, and how is it understood in theory versus in practice? How is it different from its predecessor? Even the classification of history struggles to define what is considered to be modern, let alone post-modern, and yet the term suggests a positive approach to alleviating difficult assimilation projects similar to those faced elsewhere (47). This notion may developed on the grounds of “someone else’s problems” ¬– in regards to its Canadian context – as a means to label, or justify, miscellaneous aspects of multiculturalism. However, with the government-wide commitment to policies and programs, in conjunction with social understanding, it naturally becomes subject to a wide array of differing opinions. As both immigration and citizenship policies change, its public reception often shifts as well. Especially since the channels referred to within the ‘multiculturalism...
Vancouver currently maintains an image as a sort of maternal ethnic melting pot, a region rich in cultural diversity and with a municipality that is both tolerant and welcoming of various displays and traditions. However, upon closer examination of recent history, it becomes clear that the concept of the city embracing minorities with a warm liberal hug is both incorrect and a form of manipulation in itself. The articles Erasing Indigenous Indigeneity in Vancouver and The Idea of Chinatown unravel the cultural sanitization that occurred in Vancouver at the turn of the nineteenth century as means of state domination. Through careful synthesis of primary documents, the articles piece together the systematic oppression suffered by BC indigenous
Back to the American history, "assimilation" policy was introduced to the Native Americans during the earliest colonial times. During that time, all American Indians must either adopt the White's lifestyles or perish. With the declaration of the Dawes Act, a goal of destroying all tribal structure and their communal life were summoned. Tribal lands were divided among natives and the Westerners, leaving the natives, a land surrounded by the foreigners. With such acts, the American Indians were slowly assimilated into the White's culture and without their own people around them, they will have to communicate with the Westerners with their language instead of their indigenous languages; they ...
Do you know that despite Canada being called multicultural and accepting, Canada’s history reveals many secrets that contradicts this statement? Such an example are Canadian aboriginals, who have faced many struggles by Canadian society; losing their rights, freedoms and almost, their culture. However, Native people still made many contributions to Canadian society. Despite the efforts being made to recognize aboriginals in the present day; the attitudes of European Canadians, acts of discrimination from the government, and the effects caused by the past still seen today have proven that Canadians should not be proud of Canada’s history with respect to human rights since 1914.
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
According to conservative conflict theory, society is a struggle for dominance among competing social groups defined by class, race, and gender. Conflict occurs when groups compete over power and resources. (Tepperman, Albanese & Curtis 2012. pg. 167) The dominant group will exploit the minority by creating rules for success in their society, while denying the minority opportunities for such success, thereby ensuring that they continue to monopolize power and privilege. (Crossman.n.d) This paradigm was well presented throughout the film. The European settlers in Canada viewed the natives as obstacles in their quest of expansion by conquering resources and land. They feared that the aboriginal practices and beliefs will disrupt the cohesion of their own society. The Canadian government adopted the method of residential schools for aboriginal children for in an attempt to assimilate the future generations. The children were stripped of their native culture,...
Systems: The canadian Future in light of the American Past.” Ontario native Council on Justice. Toronto, Ontario.
When a native author Greg Sams said that the reservations are just “red ghettos”, the author David disagree with that. He thinks there must be something else beyond that point. After his grandfather died, he somehow changed his mind. Because he could not think anything e...
Our government’s predecessors have attempted to eradicate Canada’s first people, which is not only an insult to the indigenous people of the past, but to the present. This country did not start off as a joint endeavor of the two general groups of people that inhabited it during its birth, but decimation and forced assimilation of great traditions and people. The assimilation of a great culture, the destruction of oral histories, and the forced loss of language destroyed the chance trust. Only by teaching disgust towards that type of attitude and action, by not excusing it or attempting to justify, will begin a new age of
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.
Tremblay's article on the Americanization of Quebec culture is slightly more than a decade old, yet most of the information he provides is still relevant today. In his article, Tremblay takes a look at the invasion of Quebec 's airwaves by American content. His title refers to a belief in his mind that the Quebecois culture will one day be integrated into that of America , which in turn will lead to Quebec throwing itself into the melting pot of American culture.
Banting noted that some Canadians fear multiculturalism will bring, “…challenges to historic cultures, anxieties about Islam, and fears about insecurity,” (797). As people migrate from one cultural or religious backgrounds, maintaining the identity of the host country becomes difficult. Young children born interact with the immigrants and they could easily emulate foreign cultures thereby putting the historic cultural identity of Canadians at risk of erosion. Winter Elke warned that multiculturalism is changing to give too much preference to the immigrants thereby risking it to become a minority affair (638). Therefore, the relationship between national the majority of Canadians and immigrants need rethinking. Erosion of other cultures as immigrants introduce new ways or adapt to the cultures of the host county (Canada). Furthermore, education of the immigrants could face challenges if they experience difficulty settling in Canada. Given that immigrants later work in Canada, the human resource sector faces a new challenge of managing a diversified workforce, which can create headache for Canadian employers. Banting indicated that there is, “a strong sense that multiculturalism policies have “failed” a reaction that is strongest perhaps in the Netherlands, but is felt in many other countries as well,” (797). Such assertions only fuel resentment towards