Not in the News – Intergenerational Indigenous Trauma

We have always painted the picture of Canada in the brightest colours. We added stars and clear skies to show that we will always shine bright, that we are kind, thoughtful and apologetic. That is why everyday we “stand on guard for thee” isn’t it?  But a beautiful country like ours is not beautiful at all if we do not a look at our dark pasts; the pasts that we’ve heard others whisper about but turned a blind eye because it would mean that we would actually have to say sorry to something that matters, to people that matter. So for our 150th birthday, let us lay down truth; no matter what pathways led us to a developed nation like this, the real effect that we have had on our people of Indigenous decent is unforgiveable and will take so much to atone for the pain. 

Let us start by saying that maybe the Indigenous have been in the news. However, the small segments they receive before the media moves on to the latest celebrity or Donald Trump’s most recent plans that have gone awry, those segments are not enough. I say this because, where would we be without the Indigenous? The land that I am writing this on belongs to the Mississauga’s New Credit First Nation and the land that you’re reading this on most probably belongs to an Indigenous group that you do not know about because too many of us refuse to acknowledge that they called this land home first. They were only kind enough to let us build homes, raise families, and go to school here too. 

Generations ago, when colonization became the plague that spread quicker than any epidemic, the ones that were stripped away from their food, medicine and homes were the Native people. These issues, however did not resolve themselves because 5 generations later, the impacts are still evident. Suicide rates among Inuit are shockingly high at six to 11 times the Canadian average. Not only did Colonization hurt the sacred land of the Indigenous, it put an enormous strain on their mental health by assimilating them into a culture so different from their own and by attempting so rigorously to erase all memories of their beautiful languages and history. As early as the late 1800’s, the Canadian government began eradicating Aboriginal children from their homes and placing them in what were referred to as Industrial Schools, now known as Residential Schools. The purpose of these institutions was not to help the children learn about their identity, but to attempt to completely revoke them of it. The cycle of violence caused by residential schools not only alienated children from their communities, but also from their families. 

Some don’t know of the women and children still missing from attempting to escape this horror, of the disconnection between their families today because they were separated from one another for so long. Almost half (48.1%) of all children aged 14 and under in foster care were Aboriginal children. Nearly 4% of Aboriginal children were foster children compared to 0.3% of non-Aboriginal children. The cycle of violence caused by residential schools not only alienated children from their communities, but also from their families. 

150 years later, maybe it is time to learn, to make amends and then to educate others. After all, if we are known so widely for our constant apologies, let us paint another picture of Canada where the Indigenous have a place too.