Do Something

The past few months, the news has been fraught with heartbreaking stories as the bodies of Indigenous children are discovered across Canada. As the number of children found increases, I am learning that many people do not know the awful history between Settlers and Indigenous People in Canada. Many people do not know about the institutions put in place to conquer Indigenous people, such as residential schools.

I am working on becoming a better ally. I am not an expert in this by any means, but I am trying. I am learning and listening. This is embarrassing to admit, but I initially didn’t understand why it was my responsibility to educate myself on the history between Settlers and Indigenous people. I know now that the responsibility of teaching is incredibly exhausting for survivors. Imagine having to continually relive your trauma so that other people can learn without doing any work. Oof.

It's easy to watch, to hear, to scroll by and think "This is awful, horrendous, tragic." Doing something is harder. As I white person, I struggle with this. How do I help without making it harder? Without offending? Inevitably, I will say something within this post or blog that someone disagrees with. My intent is not to offend. But to learn and help others learn. If non-Indigenous people choose to stay silent, we are allowing the hurt and racism to continue. In the words of the incredible Gord Downie, Canadians need to "Do Something." This month I will be using my tiny platform to share information about Canada’s treatment of Indigenous people and ideas of how we can do better.

What happened?

Settlers sought to subjugate Indigenous people and gain control over the area that would become Canada. They did so in a myriad of horrible ways. Here is a very brief overview of a few of the most impactful.

The Indian Act:

Passed in 1876, The Indian Act authorized the Canadian federal government to regulate and administer in the affairs and day-to-day lives of registered Indians and reserve communities" (Hanson et al., 2020). The Act was intended to pressure Indigenous people into assimilation through the process of enfranchisement. Any Indigenous person that pursued education, left the reserve for a long period, or married a non-Indigenous man lost their status as an Indian. If an individual lost their status as an Indian, they were not allowed to return to reserve land. Remain with your family on a tiny piece of land that you will never be able to own or abandon your family, culture, and traditions and in order to access Western education and employment. Unsurprisingly, this made education and travel unappealing for Indigenous people.

Residential Schools:

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation reports that the first Canadian Residential School opened in Brantford, Ontario in 1831. "The [residential school] system forcibly separated children from their families for extended periods of time and forbade them to acknowledge their Indigenous heritage and culture or to speak their own languages. Children were severely punished if these, among other, strict rules were broken. Former students of residential schools have spoken of horrendous abuse at the hands of residential school staff: physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological." (Hanson et al., 2020). The last Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, was closed in 1996 (Wikipedia, 2021). I was seven years old when it closed. This was not a long time ago. It is not in the past.

Sixties Scoop:

"The “Sixties Scoop” was a large scale removal or "scooping" of Indigenous children from their families into the child welfare system without consent from their families (Hanson, 2009). "By the 1960s, after nearly a century living under devastating federal policies, such as the Indian Act and residential schools, many Indigenous communities — particularly those living on-reserve— were rampant with poverty, high death rates and socio-economic barriers" (Sinclair et al., 2020). Although this occurred 60 years ago, the effects are long lasting. Indigenous children became adults who lost their families and cultural identify. Many suffered from sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. Today, Indigenous children are still very much overrepresented in foster care. How do you learn to be a supportive and emotionally balanced parent when you were ripped from your own and abused?

This was a very simplified outline; the too long didn't read version of Canada's hurtful history. Now that you know, now what?

What you can do:

Learn about Canada's Indigenous-Settler history:

• I highly recommend the Indigenous Canada online course offered through the University of Alberta. It's free!

• CBC has a list 48 books by Indigenous writers to read to understand residential schools

• The Women of Color Remake Wellness website provides links for resources and information on residential schools, intergenerational trauma, and missing and murdered Indigenous people, etc.

Take Action:

• The On Canada Project website outlines actions Settlers can take to support

• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada outlines 94 calls to action. The CBC's Beyond 94 page outlines the progress made on each item.

• The RAVEN Trust website provides a list of Indigenous causes to support and donate to

• The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund lists reconciliACTIONS

• Support the Indian Residential School Survivors Society

• The Reconciliation Canada website lists ways to get involved

Amplify Indigenous Voices:

• @kendraessie

• @notoriouscree

• @shayla0h

• The Indigenous Foundation

• @indigenous_baddie

• @shinanova

• @indigenousmotherhood

• @osamuskwasis

Support Indigenous Businesses:

• @awasisboutique

• Cheekbone Beauty

• @eveandenoch

• I.A.M.Collective

• Indigenous Empowerment Collective

• Michif Cultural Connections

• The Grow Centre

• Câhcacêp Art Gallery and Tea House

• Royal Alberta Museum Gift Store

Note: This is just a very small subset of Indigenous Accounts and Businesses! I focused on accounts I follow or local businesses.

What about Canada Day?

Indigenous people have had a very different experience than many Canadians have. By celebrating Canada Day, you are celebrating the practices that led to our current state. Harmful, traumatizing practices.

This Canada Day, instead of wearing white and red, support Indigenous Canadians by wearing orange in honour of residential school students and survivors. Do something.

Best,

Laura

Resources:

• Hanson, E., Gamez, D., & Manuel, A. (2020, September). The Residential School System. Indigenous Foundations. https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/residential-school-system-2020/

• The Story of The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund - Reconciliation. The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. (2020, September 23). https://downiewenjack.ca/our-story/.

• Sinclair, Niigaanwewidam James and Sharon Dainard. "Sixties Scoop". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 13 November 2020, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sixties-scoop. Accessed 28 June 2021.

• Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, June 28). Canadian Indian residential school system. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Indian_residential_school_system.