Colonialism In Canada's First Nations

Economic imperialism is a central part of the ongoing contemporary colonization of indigenous peoples in Canada. Since the colonial era marked the beginning of imperialism in North America, an intricate web of power and domination have formed leaving Indigenous communities in the grip of its economic philosophy. This has led to the ongoing contribution to the disposition of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Economic imperialism can be defined as the need for countries to expand their territories in order to collect resources from their colonies. This illustrates the inherent unsustainability of colonial settler society. In this essay I will look at how the impacts of economic imperialism has had an effect on the development of the indigenous

Since the colonization of Canada First Nations people have been discriminated against and assimilated into the new culture of Canada through policies created by the government. Policies created had the intentions of improving the Aboriginal people’s standard of living and increasing their opportunities. Mainly in the past hundred years in Canadian Society, policies and government implemented actions such as; Residential schools, the Indian Act, and reserve systems have resulted in extinguishing native culture, teachings, and pride. Policies towards the treatment of Aboriginal Canadians has decreased their opportunities and standard of living because of policies specified previously (Residential schools, the Indian Act, and reservation systems).

In this research paper, I will be explaining how western colonialism and racism destroyed the reputation of aboriginal peoples in Canada. The reason why I chose this topic because it shows the strong relationship to anthropology and after taking aboriginal studies 30, it also shows that I have a clear understanding about the history of aboriginal peoples in Canada, the struggles they have been through over the past decade and the challenges they still face today in modern day society. I’ll be addressing these issues in a couple of paragraphs on the discrimination and the inequalities of these “minorities” and how they had to assimilate into European culture, leaving their way of life behind them.

Europeans despised against first nations culture and did not believe in it. British settlers would do anything to eliminate first nations in Canadian society hence the deliberate genocide of first nations. At one point european settlers believed first nations did not have culture or religious practices. Europeans wanted new france to be only populated with christians, because european settlers did not want first nations a part of their society, British settlers were

Many Aboriginal people have lost all they had and have been disadvantaged because of the Indian Act and the theories of

Over the past decades, Aboriginal people (the original people or indigenous occupants of a particular country), have been oppressed by the Canadian society and continue to live under racism resulting in gender/ class oppression. The history of Colonialism, and Capitalism has played a significant role in the construction and impact of how Aborignal people are treated and viewed presently in the Canadian society. The struggles, injustices, prejudice, and discrimination that have plagued Aboriginal peoples for more than three centuries are still grim realities today. The failures of Canada's racist policies toward Aboriginal peoples are reflected in the high levels of unemployment and poor education.

As stated in an article by the UN addressing health implications for indigenous people it is stated that: “Indigenous peoples’ lack of access to health services for indigenous peoples is a widespread problem in America for many reasons, which include geographical barriers, discrimination, stigma, lack of social and cultural adaptation to indigenous health needs, and a lack of integration of traditional medicine” (2014). Indigenous Peoples’ have many barriers they must overcome first before being able to access the health care amenities, even then they are not guaranteed to have access to these services. Where are we look on the other side of the spectrum which includes Non-Indigenous Peoples’ access to health care is done in a very different way. “Across the country, diabetes is having a devastating impact on Indigenous communities with rates of diabetes three times higher among Indigenous people than among non-Indigenous people”(Aspin, Clive; Brown, Ngiare, Jersey, Tanisha, Yen, Lauran, ).Leeder, Stephen 2). Non-Indigenous Peoples’ have notably better health than Indigenous Peoples’. As stated above the rates for health implications are much higher for the Indigenous peoples’ than it is for the Non-Indigenous peoples. This shows that there must be a gap between how the health services treat Indigenous

Introduction In Canada, political and social forces have shaped the social determinants of health. Factors such as education, income, race, and gender are affected by the legal structure of Canada. Within the determinant of genders, several inequalities have arisen due to the government failing to provide equal support, therefore, the gap between male and females are further segregating society. According to Stats Canada, recent annual data showed that a woman working full time earned 74 cents for every dollar that a working man made.

The relationship between the Indigenous people of North America and the monarchies of Western Europe began over three centuries ago after it was realized there was more than fish and fur to be had across the Atlantic Ocean. Indigenous nations inhabited every corner of what is now Canada when France and Britain began to colonize the North East of the continent. Between these European states and many Indigenous nations there was trade, wars fought, treaties written, all of the standard practices of Nation to Nation relationships. Eventually with the defeat of the French imperial power, Britain effectively expanded their empire to include most of North America. The acquirement of those French claimed territories lead to the infamous Royal Proclamation of 1763. From here the relationship between the British Crown and the Aboriginal nations changed monumentally. Today the British Crown has been replaced by the Canadian Crown in Canada, a legally separate entity, as mentioned by Nathan Tidridge (2016) in “The Crown and Indigenous Peoples” (p.1). The relationship between First Nations and Settlers has gone from being between; “Nations and Tribes” (Royal Proclamation of 1763) and the Empire of Britain, to Institutions of the Federal Government (Indian/Indigenous and Northern affairs) and the many First Nations and Inuit Bands of Canada. However; the Proclamation has continued to stand and influence policy and decision making by colonial powers in regard to Aboriginal people in

The impact of colonization on First Nations peoples in Canada is unsurpassable, regarding every aspect of Aboriginal life and well-being. Throughout Canadian history, the government has been aiming to assimilate and annihilate Aboriginal people by way of racist policies, ethnocentric institutions, discriminatory laws and destructive capitalist behaviours. Because of this, Aboriginal people have suffered many losses, both physically and culturally. One of the main perpetrators of enacting this loss is the education system. The education system in Canada has and continues to threaten the relationship First Nations peoples have with the land. The connection First Nations peoples have with the land is crucial to their cultures, traditions, ceremonies and beliefs. Colonization and colonialism jeopardize this relationship and that is what this essay will address.

As Keri Russell once said, “Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever”. For the early First Nations living in North America, this quote can truly hold meaning. When the first Europeans arrived in New France, the First Nations made a life-changing choice to establish connections with these Europeans. Little did they know, this connection would affect their lives in such a drastic way… For the First Nations, early European contact lead to negative consequences including cultural losses, dependency on the fur trade, and diseases.

The colonization of Canada has left a legacy in many ways, but more specifically it left a negative impact on our Aboriginal peoples. The treatment of First Nations is still a controversial topic that is stemmed from the stigma against Aboriginals that Europeans had set due to their Eurocentric ideologies. Their belief of superiority amongst other cultures had led the Europeans to be ruthless dictators that exploited the land and the people for their own economic growth. Long before the Europeans arrived First Nations were active traders, and had well established trading patterns and alliances throughout North America. Though when European settlers came, the balance that the Aboriginals had with each other and the land was thrown off, which caused conflict between the once peaceful bands. Due to their advancement in technologies they abused their power and pushed First Nations into unproductive land, tarnishing their relationship with the land and its resources. This was the beginning of the assimilation techniques that the Europeans used against the First Nations in order to “civilize” them and integrate them into a “ white cultural”. The numbered treaties was a form of assimilation for the Europeans, as they misled the First Nations into believing that they are negotiating with them, often promising annual payments and other benefits such as, farm animals and tools. When in reality the government was trying to push the First Nations off land that once had a spiritual

Through the transfer of disease, oppression, and urbanization, colonization has had a massive effect on the health of both colonists and indigenous peoples. Through a colonial perspective, health is defined as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing” and a “dynamic condition resulting from a body’s constant adjustment and adaption in response to stresses and changes in the environment for maintaining an inner equilibrium called homeostasis” (World Health Organization). The concept of global health is born from the relationship between health and colonization, or the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. Colonialism has had

SES is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation (Krysinska, 2003). Many studies suggest that First Nations peoples who suffer from low SES and its correlates, will suffer disproportionately higher from nearly all diseases and have higher rates of mortality than their non-First Nations counterparts (Krysinska, 2003). The gap in health inequalities and social determinants of First Nations health often times leaves the community unable to cope or thrive in country without the support or comfort from acknowledging or valuing Indigenous cultural and spiritual

One of the ways of getting rid of First Nation’s problems to their knowledge was to massacre all the buffalo bisons, because they were a great source of food to Aboriginals. The word that comes to mind is ecocide where humans were in charge and responsible of eliminating millions of buffalo's that led to their extinction for some time. Bison hunting led to mass starvation for Aboriginals. Without the Bisons that held a spiritual value and component, the ceremonies lost their strength. Children were taken away from their parents and were put in residential school where children had to grow up with Christian values and European standards in order to become civilized. Even though Aboriginals could adapt to any situation, the government did not