A simple answer is that racism is the concealed norm, inscribed in organizations, institutions and state level, in our Canadian society. To better illustrate, Herman Ouseley (Ouseley, 1990) states that the pride and ignorance of being British has induced the local government for not improvising equal human and employment rights for the minorities. This has an adverse impact on the population as it reinforces the racist ideology, White are
Missions were compounds established by the churches to provide a safer place where the aboriginal people could feel safer from the mistreatment of European settlers. Mission stations were set up to help assimilate the 'half-caste' Aboriginal children and protect them from their Aboriginal lifestyle, in doing so they caused a lot of pain and suffering because they broke up families and communities. Although the missions may have started out with good intentions they had argumently detrimental influences on the same people they were there to protect. They took away the Aboriginals freedom by controlling everything they did. By making them believe there beliefs were wrong and that the European way of life was the only proper way.
This postcolonial idea is emphasised when the indigenous people are considered sub-human and among the wildlife (“Government of Western Australia, Fisheries, Forestry, wildlife and Aborigines”). This categorisation of the Aboriginal people by the British settlers highlights their inner belief that they are the superior race. In addition to this, the Europeans assumed that the Aboriginals were unclean and uncivilised human beings which is seen when Mr Neville states “I was a little concerned to see so many dirty little noses” and forces them out of their homes to Moore River as a result of a false scabies epidemic. The irony in this movement is that the majority of Aboriginals were healthy and, through the colonising power handed over to the settlers, they also reduced the rations of soap given to the Aboriginals. The first Australians were labelled savages, less than human, by the colonising British settlers who forcibly took over
They are defined as “Activities that are elements of practices, customs or traditions integral to distinctive cultures of Aboriginal nations” This definition explains the way Aboriginals lived their daily lives through logging, farming, trapping, hunting, fishing, story telling, dances, spiritual ceremonies, etc, which define who they are as peoples. This is difficult to maintain if the system is trying to force Canadian sovereignty over them. Conflicts in court arise from misunderstandings that the justice system exaggerates by omitting Aboriginals rights or simply because of their lack of knowledge. These conflicts can have many cons because it refuses to give Aboriginals a chance to prove themselves of innocence, but instead incarcerating them as the only option available. Johnson states, “We need to come together with good minds, healthy spirits” .
That is why the children had the hardest time during colonization. Many children were taken away from their families and sent to farm camps. The colonists claimed to have helped the children out of troublesome situations. Aboriginal families treated these separations as abductions. The parents of the children had no choice if the child was taken away or not.
Canada views itself as “...a nation that values and respects the contributions and individuality of many different cultures,” (Government of Canada. About Canada). In other words, Canada is a multicultural country. Residential schools were a dark spot in Canadian history that had very serious negative impacts on over 150,000 aboriginal students and their families. The philosophy of residential schools contradicted Canada’s vision of being a multicultural country; in fact they were in place to destroy the aboriginal culture by attacking the native religions, languages and customs.
The annual inflation rate, too, only topped 6% twice, and was actually under 2% for 14 of the 25 years in this period. The real average hourly earnings of production workers increased at an average rate of over 2% per year” (Reuss). So, if the U.S. was doing so well during this time, how did this crisis of the 1970s come to be?
They had poorer education and health services than whites and suffered great prejudice. The Vanishing Americans The Native Americans were the original settlers of the North American continent. They almost disappeared during rapid expansion of the USA. Most lived in extreme poverty and suffer discrimination. They were also losing their culture.
The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Residential Schools were completely wrong and that this has had a lasting and damaging impact on Aboriginal culture, heritage and language. While some former students have spoken positively about their experiences at residential schools, these stories are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of the emotional, physical, sexual abuse, neglect of helpless children, and their separation from their families and communities. Unfortunately, many former students had died before hearing the much needed apology that would hardly compensate for the childhood that they lost. The residential schools have left most Aboriginal people resenting our culture and government. For good reason, most former students are left trying to cope with their emotional scares.
Yet it would be wrong to dismiss most Canadians’ concerns on these grounds. Many Canadians, who have always been proud of Canada’s humanitarian and tolerant traditions, are also feeling uneasy….” (Employment and Immigration Canada,