Audio Transcript Auto-generated
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Hello everyone and welcome to my presentation, which addresses the
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history and effects of colonialism on indigenous peoples in Canada
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as well.
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This presentation outlines the ways in which state laws and
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policies have impacted indigenous peoples right to self determination.
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And it also discusses the ways in which non performative
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reconciliation can be pursued with indigenous peoples through the process
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of decolonization.
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When discussing the history of indigenous peoples in Canada.
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One can never omit referencing the devastating impacts of colonialism
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on all aspects of indigenous way of life.
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The colonization of indigenous people in Canada started as early
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as the 15th century and it continues to significantly impact
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them to this day.
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To begin, it's important to situate ourselves with the term
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indigenous peoples.
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Indigenous people communities and nations are those who have a
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historical continuity with pre invasion and pre colonial societies that
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appropriated on their territories and consider themselves distinct from the
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other societies that now prevail in those territories or parts
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of them.
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They form at present non dominant sectors of society and
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are determined to preserve, develop and transmit to future generations,
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their ancestral territories and their ethnic identity as the basis
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of their continued existence as peoples in accordance with their
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own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal systems.
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It's important to note that the word indigenous is a
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term in identity constructed, shaped and lived in the politicized
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context of contemporary colonialism.
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By understanding the sociopolitical context that shape the terminology used
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in these discussions, settlers such as myself can take responsibility
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for the language used to describe a culturally distinct group
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of peoples.
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Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that I
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am not indigenous.
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Nor do I have an extensive research background on indigenous
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peoples, culture, tradition, spirituality and way of life.
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I'm a visible minority who is a settler on indigenous
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peoples land in Canada and I continue to benefit from
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colonization to this day.
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Nonetheless, I think about my relationship to the land frequently
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and I am grateful for everything.
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It has provided me de colonizing my relationship with indigenous
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peoples is something that I care deeply about and I
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will continue to unlearn and relearn the ways in which
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I can support this action.
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This project was written on the traditional and unseated territory
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of the musky um squamish and slow to first nations
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colonial E known as Vancouver BC.
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The picture on the right is my family and I
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picking blackberries on the traditional territory of the hulk minimum
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and the shen chosen speaking peoples.
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Colonial e known as salt spring European imperialism began globally
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for many indigenous peoples in the late 15th century, fueled
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by the Industrial Revolution and the demand for raw resources
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as Europeans decimated the resources and wealth from what Europeans
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considered foreign lands.
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They justified their actions through moral religious and ethical ideologies,
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believing that they were bringing civilization and the benefits of
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Christianity, to quote, unquote backward indigenous peoples.
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Colonialism can be thought of as the manifestation of the
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ideology of imperialism.
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At its core is the idea that the exploitation of
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indigenous lands and people for the benefit of european colonizers
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is acceptable and justified.
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Canada specifically is an example of settler colonialism, where the
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claiming of land and creation of permanent settlements over new
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territories and the colonized in a way that replicated the
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structure of settlers homeland occurred.
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The effects of colonization and government assimilation policies have caused
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the systemic marginalization of indigenous peoples from mainstream society, which
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profoundly impacts all aspects of their life, including health, socio
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economic welfare, traditional roles, culture, language, spirituality, knowledge, access to
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services, equity and many other aspects.
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At the G-20 summit in 2009, during a press conference,
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the Prime Minister of Canada at that time, Stephen Harper
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stated that Canada has no history of colonialism.
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This statement implied that Canada is a country where all
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citizens enjoy equal democratic rights and freedoms, which we all
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know to be gravely untrue.
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The history of colonialism is still felt by indigenous peoples
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today through oppression, violation and increased vulnerability, which destroys their
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right to self reliance and undermines their resilience to the
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impacts of colonialism will continue to affect indigenous peoples in
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Canada unless true reconciliation, decolonization and healing is undertaken.
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Understanding the links between colonization and the oppressive treatment of
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indigenous peoples is fundamental to understanding the current impacts of
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colonization globally.
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However, linking indigenous city to colonization must come with the
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awareness that the perspective of this definition is usually the
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perspective of the colonizers and oppressors.
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Indigenous people have the right to independently self identify and
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may want other defining considerations to be taken into account
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such as cultural identity.
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Indigenous people have a long standing relationship in history with
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the land.
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Colonialism may be the most damaging and systematically marginalising aspect
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of their history, but it is not the whole or
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early story.
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The two Maps Show The Locations of Indigenous Peoples and
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Communities Across Canada.
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Let's get into some examples of settler colonialism in action
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in Canada Tara nucleus and the doctrine of discovery.
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Around the 1600s, indigenous nations were generally welcoming.
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When Europeans arrived on their territory, they traded from a
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position of strength and prosperity.
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Having developed cultural political and ecological systems that grew and
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flourished. Over the course of Millennia, Europeans viewed indigenous lands
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with amazement and envy, having degraded and destroyed most of
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their natural resources back home to justify the appropriation and
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exploitation of the riches of indigenous nations Land, european governments
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developed the doctrine of discovery and the legal concept of
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terran Julius.
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These legal doctrine said that Turtle Island is an empty
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land that belongs to no one.
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According to this reasoning, indigenous nations and the ownership that
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they exercised could be ignored because they don't have permanent
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settlements, farms, Christianity, state governments or a real culture economy
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or civilization.
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Colonial governments granted themselves absolute title to the land by
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virtue of discovery.
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In the 1700s, there was the Royal Proclamation of 1763,
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which the British Crown released to acknowledging Indian title, but
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then they created a process by which this title can
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be extinguished through treaties.
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The proclamation of 1763 envision treaties going forward as a
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way to settle land ownership.
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It stated the right to acquire indigenous land and said
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that it was reserved for the crown, which affirmed nation
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to nation diplomacy but was mostly undertaken so that the
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crown could acquire first nations land.
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In the 1800s, indigenous nations continued to make treaties.
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Some were willing and some were under pressure or under
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outright coercion, but this was all done with colonial government
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so that indigenous nations could safeguard their land and way
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of life.
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But colonial government sought treaties and transactions saw them as
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transactions to acquire land, and indigenous nations saw them as
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agreements to share the land to initiate mutual relationships as
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well. The english version of the treaties often included language
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where First Nations would recognize crown sovereignty and seed their
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indigenous territory.
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Such concepts were often difficult, if not impossible to express
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in a First Nations language and culture, with indigenous nations
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asserting their treaty rights and still trying to use their
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territories and reserves in traditional ways, the Canadian government turned
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to assimilation as a way of eliminating the indigenous claims
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to land.
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The indian act was enacted in 18 76 by the
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parliament of Canada under the provisions of the Constitution Act,
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which provides Canadians federal government exclusive authority to legislate.
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In relation to in quotes, indians and lands reserved for
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indians end, quote, The act defined who was indian without
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any consultation.
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It excluded many individuals that indigenous communities considered members.
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The act also stated that indigenous women who were married
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to settlers would lose their status as well as their
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Children. Nations were broken up into smaller bands and existing
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leaders were not recognized.
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A Western electoral system was imposed on most bands, ignoring
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traditional selection processes and excluding indigenous women.
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The impact of disease was another tragedy from settler colonialism.
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When the Europeans arrived, they brought smallpox and other diseases
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that were previously unknown in north America, the indigenous population
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had no immunity because unlike Europeans, they did not have
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centuries of exposure to these diseases.
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It's estimated that as many as 90-95 of the indigenous
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population died from these introduced diseases.
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The picture on the bottom left shows a medicine man
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caring for an ill person.
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On the bottom right, sorry, In the late 1800s to
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early 1900s, residential schools and cultural repression were occurring at
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unprecedented levels.
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Since indigenous peoples would not voluntary assimilate themselves, the Canadian
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government decided to force them indian affairs and its on
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reserve agents exercise totalitarian control over the lives of indigenous
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people, forcing them to adopt european norms.
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Agents controlled band finances, direct band council meetings and cast
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the deciding vote.
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In the event of a tie without agents permission.
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Individuals couldn't, for example, legally write a will sell crops,
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slaughter livestock or leave the reserve among colonial policies.
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Residential schooling has stood out as one of the most
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damaging assimilation strategies on indigenous peoples.
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The residential school system was intended to eradicate the language,
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cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs of indigenous Children in order
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to assimilate them into the Canadian society.
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Indigenous Children were taken away from their families, homes and
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cultures for schooling and settler culture, attendance was mandatory and
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Children were punished for speaking their language or engaging in
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spiritual and cultural practices, conditions were horrible and thousands died
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from malnutrition, disease running away and suicide.
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Thousands of students were physically and sexually abused and traumatized.
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Survivors returned home years later to family that they barely
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knew when you compound assimilation strategies, land loss and ecological
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destruction. Most indigenous communities were destitute and had little means
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to resist colonial imposition.
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Bands were isolated by their fragmentation and the trauma they
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suffered, and they were further restricted by reserve travel bans.
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Up until the 19 sixties, the political interactions between indigenous
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peoples and the Canadian government were based on a model
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of assimilation, as mentioned.
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Since then, government policy has slowly shifted to a goal
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of self determination for indigenous peoples to be achieved through
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modern day treaties and self government agreements.
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In 1996 the final Royal Commission on aboriginal peoples was
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released and an aboriginal healing fund was established by the
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federal government in 1998.
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Are Cap was mandated to investigate and proposed solutions to
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the challenges affecting the relationship between indigenous peoples, the Canadian
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government and Canadian society as a whole.
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Many felt that this gesture did not address the intergenerational
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trauma of residential schools and was solely a band aid
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gesture. As a result, in 2000 and five, the Assembly
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of First Nations settled the largest class action settlement in
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Canadian history, and the Canadian government agreed to pay monetary
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compensation and create the Truth and reconciliation commission for the
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healing of survivors and families of residential schools.
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Criticisms over Canada's reconciliation measures include the notion that it
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seems indigenous people are being asked to forgive and forget
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in this new period of reconciliation with no land back,
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no justice and no peace.
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The acknowledgement of truth is a critical step towards peace
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as it ensures settlers do not ignore Canada's dark past
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and present violence against indigenous people and promotes personal responsibility
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for the harm done.
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This is important.
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Further efforts to pursue indigenous reconciliation included the United Nations
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Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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This declaration was completed in 2008 and through 46 articles
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set out a range of collective and individual rights that
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constitute the minimum standards to protect the rights of indigenous
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peoples, including resources, languages, economic development, cultures, spirituality, education, self
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determination and laws.
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In 2016 the government endorsed the declaration, and in 2020
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the Canadian government introduced legislation that respects on drip What
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potentially diminishes on drips previous 45 articles.
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However, with respect to indigenous rights is Article 46, and
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it states nothing in this declaration may be interpreted as
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implying for any state people group or person any right
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to engage in an activity or action which would dismember
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or impair the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign
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and independent states.
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The addition of an ambiguous clause like this can completely
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dismantle the power, reconciliation and rights that a declaration intends
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to give to indigenous peoples.
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As we can see, indigenous peoples, freedom, agency and self
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determination are limited and regulated by the discourse of international
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law. However, we do need time to see the real
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benefit or positive change of implementing declarations, like on drip.
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What we must continually ask ourselves as settlers is how
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can reconciliation be possible when indigenous bodies and lands are
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still being violated and oppressed?
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This is especially true for L.
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G. B.
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T. Q.
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And two spirited individual peoples.
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Indigenous people, sorry, mentioned in class readings, is the notion
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that Canada's laws and policies with respect to indigenous identities.
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Lance and reconciliation is equivalent to assimilation and extermination specifically
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toward indigenous women and Children.
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For example, missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and two
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spirited individuals is a crisis.