What has changed in terms of your perspective with First Nations people? What has led to this change?
When I first started the course, I thought that I had a good understanding of the impacts of colonialism on the Indigenous peoples. Having learned about residential School since I was in the primary grades, I had learned about most of the horrors that went on within the walls of a residential school. I learned about the children that never came home, the abuses that other children faced at the hands of priests and nuns, and complete and utter lack of control that families had in sending their children to residential school.
However, this course has taught me a more in depth understanding of the true impacts of colonialism on the Indigenous peoples of Canada and walked me though the slow poisoning of the Indigenous community throughout centuries of taking land and culture. The Indigenous peoples of this continent welcomed settlers with hospitality when they first arrived, and the settlers repaid this hospitality by abusing and capitalizing on First Nations land, making empty promises regarding reserve land and trying to control the actions of the First Nations people.
I learned about the Inter-generational impacts of the trauma suffered by Indigenous children at the hands of the government. For me, this was one of the most meaningful parts of the course that changed my perspective on the issues that Indigenous people face today. We discussed the domino effect of abuse, and how unresolved trauma from residential school led to alcoholism and addiction in First Nations communities, which was then passed down through generations as children who were raised at residential school became parents and were forced to watch the destructive cycle of residential school continue.
The reality of these abuses came to light when we attended a residential school survivor presentation. Sam, the survivor who shared his story with us, detailed the physical, sexual and emotional abuse that he suffered throughout his childhood at a residential school, and how it tore apart his family and distanced him from his siblings. He shared the impact of residential school on his adult life, and how his methods of coping with the pain that he endured ended up hurting him even more. Although difficult to hear and process due to the heavy nature of his stories, his talk was highly impactful. As much as we learn about subject matter in school, hearing from a first-person perspective was very valuable and meaningful.
Despite the darkness of the past, we have also been learning about the ways that the Indigenous community can heal in the future. I gained knowledge of the beauty and life of Indigenous storytelling, and the power and healing that Indigenous writers find in sharing their unique stories. I also learned about the ways that Indigenous communities are taking back power for themselves. To name a few, Some nations have started to become self-governing through tireless advocating and negotiations with the government, and Indigenous writers are going to First Nations-led publishing companies to have their stories valued and put out into the world. Learning about these methods of healing and moving forward has given me a new perspective on the potentially bright future that we can all work towards on the path to reconciliation.
Core Competency Reflection
Social Awareness and Responsibility has played a big role throughout this course. Learning about the past of the land that we live on, the present-day challenges that we as a country face, and the future that we as a community and a country will one day face in respect to reconciliation has been eye opening. Being aware of the history of Canada will help me to make informed, responsible decisions socially and within the community.