Colonialism and First Nations in Canada

THE IMPACT OF COLONIALISM ON FIRST NATIONS' HEALTH IN CANADA.

Colonialism and First Nations in Canada

Colonization occurs when one people are conquered by another people through destroying and weakening basic social structures in the conquered culture and replacing them with those of the conquered culture.

The Aboriginal people are descendants of the original habitants of Canada, as defined by the Constitution Act 1982; Indians, Inuit and Metis. (Wilson, Rosenberg & Abonyi, 2010).

The term " First Nations" was first introduced around the 1970s to replace the term"Indians", which many Aboriginal people deemed political incorrect. (Wilson et al, 2010).

The Raven and the First Man

Historical traumas experienced by the Aboriginal people are link to colonialism which has lead to great impact in the Aboriginal peoples' health. (Jacklin, 2008).

References

Themes of colonialism

Bill Reid Gallery Northwest Coast. A public Gallery for Contemporary Aboriginal Art of the Northwest Coast, 639 Vancouver, BC.

Chinn, P., L., & Kramer, K.,M. (2011). Intergrated and knowledge Development in Nursing 8 Edth. Mosby, Inc., Elsevier Inc

Jacklin, K. (2009). Diversity within: Deconstructing Aboriginal community health in Wikwemikong Unceded indian Reserve. Social Science & Medicine Volume 68 (5) march 2009, P980-989.

Wilson. K., Rosenberg. M>W., & Abony. (2010). Aboriginal peoples, healing approaches: The effects of age and place on health. Social Science & Medicine. Volume 72 (3) February 2011, P 355-364.

1) Loss of First Nations traditional culture and spirituality.

2) Residential schools (Education).

3) Reserve ( Isolation from societal norms)

Increase in Mortality Rate Due To Illness and Disease

Reserve

Risk factors inherent with unsafe physical environments affect health, this demonstrates in high rates of mortality and morbidity from injury and trauma, chronic illness, depression, and family violence. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Illness such as tuberculosis (TB) and respiratory diseases continue to be a health threat because these diseases are exacerbated by crowded housing. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Hilda Spirit

Aboriginal people were physically displaced from traditional territories and many were forced to live on reserves (Wilson et al, 2010).

The majority of Aboriginal people on reserves are 'Registered' or 'Status Indians' (Wilson et al, 2010).

The federal government of Canada only provides health care to the Inuit population and 'status indians' residing in the reserves through the First Nations and Inuit health branch. (Wilson et al, 2010).

These are Aboriginals that are registered under the Indian Act of Canada. (Wilson et al, 2012). Non-Status Indians, Status Indians who do not live on the reserve and the Metis population fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial governments. (Wilson et al, 2010).

This has implications for Aboriginal people's health and healing as provincial health care systems are not generally designed to meet the specific needs of sub population groups rather for the general population. (Wilson et al, 2010).

Residential Schools

Substandard

Living Conditions

Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Residential schools were first established by the missionaries in the late 1800s in various location in Canada. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

The leaders of First Nations communities wanted schools to be built on the reserves.

(Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Approximately 135 residential schools were operated through an agreement between the federal government and the Roman catholic Church, the Church of England, The Methodist church, and the Presbyterian Church between 1892 and 1969. (Stamler & Yiu, 20120.

Loss of Healing Strategies

The effects of chronic trauma in the Aboriginal people have lead to generational and inter generational issues such as high rates of suicide, substance abuse, violence, abuse plague aboriginal communities. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

On the reserve housing is often substandard by Canadian standards. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Essential utilities in urban homes, such as electricity, heating, and indoor plumbing, are not always available to all First Nations community homes. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

The Aboriginal population in Canada has experienced a history of oppression and marginalization as a direct result of colonial policies that aim to erase Aboriginal culture and assimilate Aboriginal people into the dominant population. (Wilson et al, 2010).

Culture is the learned, shared, and transmitted values, beliefs, norms, and life ways of a particular culture that guides thinking, decisions and actions in patterned ways and often intergenerational.

(Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Eagle Box

Physical, Sexual and Emotional Abuse

Development of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

Loss of Parental Right

Loss of Self

The children were physically, emotional and sexually abused and little was done to stop it or punish the abusers (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Children also went hungry and reporting that parent will bring food for them on the weekends thereby; leading to poor growth and development. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their homes to become educated and civilized in schools. (Wilson et al , 2010).

The premises of the residential schools was to assimilate the children through a process of education, religion as well as cultural degradation. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Children were taught to be ashamed of their heritage in order to facilitate the process of assimilation. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

The life of Aboriginal people was profoundly altered by colonization. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Loss of spirituality have also lead to poor unhealthy ways of coping due to trauma. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012). The Aboriginal were forced to adapt the colonial ways of healing.

Poor Performance in School

Culture is a key determinant of health. It is the devaluing of the culture by dominant society and these lives the Aboriginal people with no culture of their own. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

When culture is embrace is restored and embraced and utilized it appears to contribute to the healing or may act as protective factor against poor health. (Jacklin, 2008).

The children will not perform well in school due to the traumas and the lack of parental support.

This will lead to loss of interest in education.

High level of drop out rate

low level of literacy in First Nations people.

This leads to low level of literacy in the First Nations people.

Guilt and Shame

The residential schools experiences of Aboriginal people continue to have a detrimental impact on Aboriginal communities.

Parents lost the right to care for their children. The feelings of guilt and shame developed in the parents. It left the parents with a sense of failure in their parental duties. The parents felt guilt of not passing on the traditional cultural practice to their children.

Depression

Parents were legally required to send their children to residential schools, failure to do so meant incarceration. (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

Children were the ward of the state and would be sent to residential schools (Stamler & Yiu, 2012).

The loss of parental right and feelings of guilt and shame lead to depression in the parents.