What have I learned in Grade 11 English

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Intergenerational trauma plays a big part in these ongoing problems. The colonization of the 1960s Scoop and residential schools disrupted Indigenous people's ways of life. (See the 60's Scoop branch for more details.) This contributes to higher rates of substance abuse, mental health issues, and domestic violence towards Indigenous women, thus continuing the cycle of violence.

The Indian act is one of the leading causes for intergenerational trauma. It is the the start of the domino effect, leading to residential schools, and overall cultural generational destruction.

Residential schools are the overbearing cause of intergenerational trauma. Residential schools weren't a school for education; they were a school for horror, assimilation, and breaking apart Indigenous people and communities. It left an overwhelming footprint of abuse for every child who attended. This footprint didn't disappear, it continues to be imprinted into Indigenous society. Indigenous children today struggle with their cultural identity, due to the deconstruction of Indigenous people in these residential schools. Many feel lost, with no beacon of guidance, they continue in the cycle of abuse because they struggle to find what steps to take to be successful and lead a good life.

This alarming statistic originates from the tragic history of Indigenous residential schools. The forced assimilation of Indigenous culture resulted in the separation of families, with young children being sent to these schools. Surrounded by inadequate role models, these children grew up without proper guidance, struggling to care for their own children in turn. This cycle has continued across generations, leaving Indigenous communities without the necessary skills to properly care for their children, leading many to end up in the foster care system.

What have I learned in Grade 11 English

Social struggles

Foster care

9,440 status First Nations children under 15 were in foster care in 2021, according to Statistics Canada. Although they made up just 3.5 percent of the under-15 population overall, more over one in three foster children were First Nations people.

Stereotypes

Text to world: Indigenous stereotypes: Lazy, stealing taxpayers money, angry, stuck in the past, and victims. Many western Canadians share these wrongful beliefs-- without knowing the authentic truth of Indigenous stories.

Text to text: Through shows like First Contact, it deconstructs these said stereotypes by sharing an authentic experience on why they may been see this way. I can recall during one specific scene, it explained how Indigenous communities are struggling to accept health, as to healthcare facilities-- they are just another patient. However, this doesn't disregard that Indigenous communities want help, but after generations of abuse, it is hard to unlearn unhealthy coping mechanisms and reach out. Additionally, this show highlighted how Indigenous people are not stealing tax dollars, they owe money from the treaty when colonizers came to Canada. They formed an agreement that Indigenous would get 50% of Canada's resources, which has not be reconciled. Canada is in debt to Indigenous people.

Missing and murdered Indigenous women

In our class, we thoroughly discussed the topic of MMIW in Canada. We were taught the tragic, untold stories of many missing women and girls. The reason behind the violence is a deeply rooted problem caused by many different factors. The main problem is due to sexist stereotypes, which influence the perpetrator to believe that they can get away with the harmful acts that they commit. The sexism they face is due to the fact that women are looked at as "weak" and "unable to stand up for themselves," making them an easy target, despite these stereotypes being true.

Text to world: Sexism is not just limited to Indigenous communities, it is seen all around the world, in every country. A current example of this is unfortunately shown in modern America. On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court abandoned its duty to protect fundamental rights and overturned Roe v. Wade, stating that abortion is not a federal constitutional right. From that point on, 13 states in America have banned abortion. This heartbreaking news banishes women from the right to decide if they want a child or not. It disregards many factors, such as forced pregnancies from sexual assault, accidental pregnancies, and other reasons not to want a child. This law was reversed due to religious reasons and personal opinions, however, it should only be up to the individual themselves to decide. This relates to Indigenous women as women are not seen to the same importance as men. In both circumstances, women are stripped of their own rights, and don't have a say in what they want done to their bodies.

Political struggles

60's scoop

The belief that Indigenous parents were unfit for raising children was prevalent in society during the 1960's. This brought upon the 60's scoop, which was "scooping" children from their home, and implement them in white middle class homes. This was because many Euro-Candians believed that foster care will "help" Indigenous children to have a "better western life." Which was absolutely not the case, as it was a racist and discriminatory act against Indigenous people. It forbid Indigenous individuals to be in touch with their culture, and did not allow FNMI people to express their heritage.

Indian act & Indian status

The Indian Act is a working government file that controls who is assigned Indian status, FNMI governments, and reserve land ownership. It describes what the government is responsible for First Nations peoples as well as individuals who have Indian status. In 1876, the act was first introduced to the general public. It aimed to assimilate First Nations cultural beliefs and integrate them into western society.

Residential schools

Throughout this course, we have deeply explored this topic. Canada's residential school system, which operated from 1883 to 1996, was a result of the country's colonial history of discrimination of Indigenous people. Between 1883 and 1996, around 150,000 Indigenous children were taken away from their families and transferred to government-funded, church-run schools. The goal was to assimilate them into Canadian society and "kill the Indian in the child." The schools were dirty and the children were subjected to neglect, physical, and sexual abuse. Thousands died, and many never returned to their families.

Text to text: In the book Indian Horse, the main character Saul Indian Horse gets forcefully placed in St. Jeromes Indian Residential school. In St. Germs, Saul quickly learned that the school was not place for education, rather for assimilation. He was taught to not speak his own language, and express any type of belief for his own cultural roots. He had to hide his identity, and had no freedom to express himself and show emotions-- or he would be punished.

Text to world: A similar story of residential schools is shown with the Holocaust. Both of these tragic events are due to the fact that a group did not agree with their cultural ways and wanted to get rid of them and/or assimilate them into their society. They displaced Indigenous or Jewish communities from their homes and made them work for free labour. Similarly, both minorities were extremely mistreated in the facilities they occupied; these groups were viewed as Jews or "Indians" rather than actual people.

Intergenerational trauma

Positive Indigenous experiences

Cultural ceremonies

Powwows

Powwows are a highly important cultural and social gathering for Indigenous people. Through the act of the powwow, many FNMI individuals express their heritage through dance. It is a joyful celebration of music and culture, bringing Indigenous communities together. During powwows, many Indigenous folk will be seen playing a cultural drum alongside dancers wearing ethnic attire and performing cultural dances.

Text to self: My Bat Mitzvah. As a person of Jewish heritage, at the age of 12, I had a bat mitzvah. A bat mitzvah is a cultural celebration of transitioning from a young girl to a woman. This event is spent with a large gathering of people and involves performing cultural dances such as the hora. This leads to a connection between both celebrations by performing ethnic dances as a way to express heritage.

Economic struggles

These economic disparities began from historical roots in colonization, particularly when Europeans stripped Indigenous people from their old rich trade and commerce. The implementation of the Indian Act of 1876 denied Indigenous Peoples access to land, including the ability to sell their agricultural products and run businesses, thus robbing them of economic opportunities. The effects of the act are severe, depriving Indigenous businesses of opportunities that are available to companies in western Canada. This is shown by the inability to have access to equity and a barrier blocking Indigenous sale from western business networks.

Water crisis

The water crisis is an ongoing issue prominent in Indigenous communities. Many Indigenous communities do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. Most FNMI reserves in Canada have one of the three types of water advisories as follows: do not use, do not consume, and boil water. The reason for the water advisories is brought about by the government's lack of financial support. In addition to finanical issues, a lack of source water safeguards and government support for private water and wastewater systems contributes to the crisis on reserves. Water should be a fundamental right for all, and it is very heartbreaking that many Indigenous reserves do not have clean water.