History of Indigenous Peoples In Canada:
Indigenous peoples have been occupying this land we live on for a significant amount of time. Way before Canada was even “discovered.” There have been wars, hardships, discrimination, racism, pain, and healing all associated with Indigenous peoples and their journey through life. However, I believe we are now at a point in history where the fight back is harder, more effective, and more populated by Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples which in turn is beginning to create a safer, more inclusive, equal space in time.
In Photo: Sherry Bernier, Rya Bernier, Lucy St.Amant, & Ashley St.AmantPhotographer: Mackenzie St.AmantSettler Colonization
Settler Colonization refers to the acquisition of land due to colonizing powers creating long-term settlement on pre-owned or pre-occupied land, often by force. This typically includes enforcement of superiority, oppressive governance, and dismantling of Indigenous cultural forms.
Main example: European settlers in Canada on traditional Indigenous land.
“Settler Colonialism may be said to be a structure, not an historic event, whose endgame is always the elimination of the Natives in order to acquire their land, which it does in countless seen and unseen ways. These techniques are woven throughout the US’s national discourse at all levels of society. Manifest Destiny—that is, the US’s divinely sanctioned inevitability—is like a computer program always operating unnoticeably in the background. In this program, genocide and land dispossession are continually both justified and denied.” (Gilio-Whitaker, 2018).
The Kamloops Indian Residential School in 1937.Credit...National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, via EPA, via ShutterstockResidential Schools:
Residential schools were a dark, heartbreaking part of Canadian and Indigenous history that were run by the Catholic Church. These schools were created to rip Indigenous children away from their homes and culture and put them in these schools that would teach them how to be “proper Canadians.” Basically meaning they mentally, physically, and emotionally abused these children to comply with their specific social and cultural norms rather than continue learning and appreciating their own. 1831 is when the first residential school was opened and the final residential school wasn’t closed until 1996. Over 100 years of residential schools in Canada. This is another factor on why so many Indigenous people in Canada are disconnected from culture. Our ancestors were not even given the chance to learn and appreciate culture because it was not seen as socially acceptable in a Westernized world.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada:
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was made after the impact of residential schools. It was meant to provide those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the system with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences. This commission began to be implemented in 2007. Between 2007 and 2015, the Government of Canada provided about $72 million to support the TRC’s work (“Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada,” 2022). As a part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, Justin Trudeau accepted the Final Report of the TRC on behalf of Canada. “The Government of Canada also recognizes that true reconciliation goes beyond the scope of the commission’s recommendations.” (“Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada,” 2022).
