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Effects of colonisation on aboriginal people
Effects of colonisation on aboriginal people
European impact on aboriginal people
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Before European contact in North America, Aboriginal Women held traditional roles in society and in family life. Different beliefs and social codes were introduced to the Aboriginal society when non-Aboriginal contact arrived in what is now Canada. They brought with them their ideologies about patriarchal social codes and the goals of assimilating and civilizing of the Aboriginals. Colonialism has damaged Canadian Aboriginal women’s roles through imposition of patriarchy and the act of marginalization. Aboriginal women’s roles in society and the family were diminished through the Europeans beliefs of patriarchy. In Aboriginal societies before European contact, men and women held separate and distinct roles that complemented each other. Many First Nations were matrilineal, meaning that descent – wealth, power, and inheritance -- were passed down through the mother. (Hanson, E. (n.d.)) Motherhood was honored and respected by First Nations citizens and the women had a strong role in political decisions. The Aboriginal women were also key to electing …show more content…
Generations of clans, houses, and families that had established long lasting social networks and systems were forced to split up and were joined with other families and houses. Aboriginal women, who had the role of caring for and nurturing children now had to get a job to afford to live and to not let their children go hungry; yet, finding a job was extremely difficult because of marginalization and competition from immigrants who were working for cheaper wage. (Harris, Cole. 2002) They felt that they were suddenly unable to support and sustain themselves and their families. But, leaving the reserve meant they would face discrimination for abandoning their home, their Indian rights would be stripped and they would lose or jeopardize connection to their family and land ever
Her book focuses on the myriads of issues and struggles that Indigenous men and women have faced and will continue to face because of colonialism. During her speech, Palmater addressed the grave effects of the cultural assimilation that permeated in Indigenous communities, particularly the Indian Residential School System and the Indian Act, which has been extensively discussed in both lectures and readings. Such policies were created by European settlers to institutionalize colonialism and maintain the social and cultural hierarchy that established Aboriginals as the inferior group. Palmater also discussed that according to news reports, an Aboriginal baby from Manitoba is taken away every single day by the government and is put in social care (CTVNews.ca Staff, 2015). This echoes Andrea Smith’s argument in “Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy: Rethinking Women of Color Organizing” that colonialism continues to affect Aboriginals through genocide (2006, p. 68). Although such actions by the government are not physical acts of genocide, where 90% of Aboriginal population was annihilated, it is this modern day cultural assimilation that succeeded the Indigenous Residential School System and the Indian Act embodies colonialism and genocide (Larkin, November 4,
Fleras, Augie. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.” Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print.
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
Kids were scattered across the country and family ties were obliterated forcing families to grieve their lost relatives This was devastating because in the First Nations culture, children are valued very highly, and those without children are viewed as being disadvantaged. The removal of children introduced problems of alcoholism, emotional stress and low self-esteem in Aboriginal communities. The events that played out “weakened the traditional family structure, and in doing so, weakened Aboriginal society as a whole”. An entire generation was not taught about their Aboriginal culture , traditions, customs or values, and this played a major role in the shaping of their
As stated before, Aboriginal women played an essential role not only as bed partners, but in the fur trade industry as well. Without the help of their intelligent skills and diligent hard work ,the fur trade would not be such a success. The fur traders of this time married Aboriginal women. These women put in tons, and tons of work at the posts. They often went with their husbands on fur-trading trips and acted as guides. They were far from lazy individuals. They worked with their husbands and men in general to maneuver the canoes and they also helped to carry the heavy loads a...
Aboriginal family life has been disrupted and forcibly changed over the last two hundred years, as a result of the many segregation and assimilation policies introduced by Australian governments. Often a combination of the two was employed. The policy of segregation has impacted upon Aboriginal family life, for through this policy, Aboriginals were restricted and prohibited to practice their traditional culture, hence, resulting in the loss of their Indigenous identity and limiting the cultural knowledge for future Aboriginal generations. The segregation policy also achieved in disfiguring the roles of family members, primarily the male's role within the family. The policy of assimilation, in comparison to the segregation policies, has also affected Aboriginal family life, because through the removal of children from their Aboriginal homes they to as a result were deprived of their Indigenous identity and cultural links. However, the policy of assimilation has had far greater an impact upon Aboriginal family life, for it has not only separated families and communities, but denied the parenting and nurturing of a generation of Aboriginal peoples and has also attributed to breakdowns in relationships between the non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal parent.
Morris, M. (2000). Some facts and dates in Canadian women’s history of the 20th century. Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, 20(1). Retrieved from http://criaw-icref.ca/millenium.
There is a belief that before European Contact Indigenous women had a huge role of leadership and responsibilities along with the men. After European Contact Indigenous women had very minimal rights. Men were considered their social, legal and political masters if you will. If a women had an argument or suggestion to discuss with the tribe or council she must discuss the issue through her husband, for her husband to later mention the issue. To this day this affects Indigenous women with trying to get their views back to what it once was. European contact resulted in Indigenous women not having the equality that they had before. Indigenous women are working hard with protesting and trying to win their equality
Despite the decreasing inequalities between men and women in both private and public spheres, aboriginal women continue to be oppressed and discriminated against in both. Aboriginal people in Canada are the indigenous group of people that were residing in Canada prior to the European colonization. The term First Nations, Indian and indigenous are used interchangeably when referring to aboriginal people. Prior to the colonization, aboriginal communities used to be matrilineal and the power between men and women were equally balanced. When the European came in contact with the aboriginal, there came a shift in gender role and power control leading towards discrimination against the women. As a consequence of the colonization, the aboriginal women are a dominant group that are constantly subordinated and ignored by the government system of Canada. Thus today, aboriginal women experiences double jeopardy as they belong to more than one disadvantaged group i.e. being women and belonging to aboriginal group. In contemporary world, there are not much of a difference between Aboriginal people and the other minority groups as they face the similar challenges such as gender discrimination, victimization, and experiences injustice towards them. Although aboriginal people are not considered as visible minorities, this population continues to struggle for their existence like any other visible minorities group. Although both aboriginal men and women are being discriminated in our society, the women tends to experience more discrimination in public and private sphere and are constantly the targeted for violence, abuse and are victimized. In addition, many of the problems and violence faced by aborigin...
“Honey, you’re not a person, now get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!” If a husband were to say these words to his wife today, he would likely receive a well-deserved smack to the face. It is not until recently that Canadian women have received their status as people and obtained equal rights as men. Women were excluded from an academic education and received a lesser pay than their male counter parts. With the many hardships women had to face, women were considered the “slave of slaves” (Women’s Rights). In the past century, women have fought for their rights, transitioning women from the point of being a piece of property to “holding twenty-five percent of senior positions in Canada” (More women in top senior positions: Report). The Married Women’s Property Act, World War I, The Person’s Case, and Canadian Human Rights Act have gained Canadian women their rights.
By using different perspectives, functionalism and feminism analyze why the murders in the Aboriginal community are occurring. For functionalists, society is similar to a biological organism with dependent parts functioning together to help society reach equilibrium (Ravelli and Webber 38). The social system is at equilibrium when its members are appreciated and satisfied (Ravelli and Webber 39). The members experience these feelings through the organizations allowing them to meet their necessities and aspirations (Ravelli and Webber 38). For example, schools are functional for the members of society because they help them attain a job with a good income (Ravelli and Webber 38). However, when changes occur society will make modifications to
Both males and females amongst the aboriginals are overrepresented in the various levels of secured custody. However, based on the enormity of the native involvement in the Canadian Penal System, there have been a number of commissions meant to resolve the dilemma regarding the aboriginal people (Crnovich 2005 : 8). While both the premises of the aboriginal and also the contemporary models related to justice have been identified as being mu...
According to Smith, sexual violence “is not simply a tool of patriarchy, but also a tool of colonialism and racism” (Smith 2005, 8). As a result, women are being forced to suffer abuse, which damages their identity. Because of colonialism, Native women often find themselves forced into silence around sexual and domestic violence in their communities. By staying silent about sexual and domestic violence, Native communities are “able to maintain a united front against racism” (Smith 2005, 1). Accordingly, Native women are constantly being marginalized in patriarchal discourses regarding racism, colonialism, and white supremacy discourses. Historically, it is mentioned that sexism is the inability of both patriarchy and white supremacy discourses,
Europeans refrained from choosing partner in their life. It was evident that the form of marriage in Britain was patriarchal. The European women suffered a lot as they were not allowed to leave the marriage even though their husband was unfaithful or created domestic violence. European women were not allowed to have romantic or sexual goal once she was married. Aboriginal women enjoyed more freedom than the European-origin women as infidelity was acting as the social agent. They could easily leave abusive relationships. Aboriginal women were given the right to choose their own marriage partner. This resulted in acceptance of polygamy by most of the Aboriginal people. The Canadian government imposed life-long monogamous practices for the newcomers along with the Aboriginal people in western Canada. The Canadian government reported immorality in the Northwest by ordering “unmarried farm instructor and Indian agents to get married, and missionaries were instructed in May of 1886 not to communicate with the newspaper ‘even if allegations against public officials were true.’” The Aboriginal people followed their cultural marriage practices whereas the newcomers followed multiculturalism. The Canadian government did not accept a variety of marriage models in western Canada. It considered the household made of the male-headed which consists of a man, his lawful wedded wife and their children. Things like sex outside marriage, polygamy, divorce and same-sex relations were all prohibited. This situation forced federal government to impose one view of marriage on the lives of non-Aboriginal women and men in the Prairie West before 1914. At the same time government imposed the Criminal code that stated “everyone who being married marries any other person during the life of the former husband
Prior to western involvement in aboriginal society, the culture was considerably different. Men and women both contributed and partook in labor intensive duties. Both sexes hunted, constructed tools, and engaged in rituals, but women were responsible for child care and rituals that were specific to care for the land or “country”. In a way, the rituals of women can be considered more important as they typically focus on health, nurturing, growth, and something continually emphasized; care of country.