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Being First Nations, I am very conflicted in how to participate in the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday—a year long celebration that is costing Canadians over half a billion dollars. On one side, I am a proud Canadian, eager to participate in the celebration of our great nation; a nation that was founded on forward principles to become a premier participant on the world stage. On the other side, there’s the dark history of suffering that First Nations Peoples have and continue to endure under the good intentions of that very same nation. It seems to me that this celebration wants to focus on everything good about Canada and sweep the bad under the rug for a year in order to showcase to the world how great of a nation we truly are.
It seems that Canada missed the mark on this campaign to educate Canadians on issues that First Nations Peoples have faced in the years leading up to and after Confederation. Canadians from coast to coast have been sharing their thoughts and pride in our country on social media by using the hashtag #Canada150. When I shared some historic quotes from Sir John A. Macdonald on the formation of the Residential School system using the same tag, it wasn’t surprising that it was met with hostility and ignorance. The quotes were unfavourable in nature, highlighting plans on how to effectively eradicate traditional ways of life that First Nations Peoples lived at that time.
As Canadians, we take great pride in our national identity. We are a multicultural, equality driven nation that is known for our politeness and our humanity. We take pride in knowing who we are and where we come from. Our history is what drives us and defines us. So when one of our beloved “Fathers Of Confederation” comes under fire for their integrity, people feel the need to defend that integrity and lash out at the accuser. It showcases the underlying disdain that the average Canadian still has for First Nations Peoples. That racism is still an integral part of our society.
Racism is a very uncomfortable topic to discuss, because we believe that our society is better than that. So if we don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist. But it does, and education needs to play a huge part in combatting it. It seems that Canadian history glosses over our dark past, leading us to believe that all our issues were solved and we live now in harmony. Conflicts still happen between natives and non-natives—Oka, Burnt Church, Elsipogtog and Muskrat Falls are some of them. Injustices still go on in First Nations communities, such as the housing crisis in Attawapiskat, unsafe drinking water that exists on two-thirds of all Reservations, or the over 500 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW) revealed through inquires. Or that over 6.000 children perished in the Residential schools, with the last school closing in 1996.
Being a second generation survivor of the Residential school system, there is nothing more important to me than education. Canadians need to be educated about the atrocities of our past, so that history will never be repeated. Racism is something that is taught, and through education it can be unlearned, and through education, we have knowledge. Our history isn’t as simple as it seems. It’s not one sided either, but multifaceted. Our history is complex and interwoven, with many stories from many different cultures.
Show your pride in our country by using #Canada150, but remember that our history did not start 150 years ago, nor does it start 450 years ago. Canadian history started when First Nations Peoples came to this land over 10,000 years ago, giving rise to a saga we all can be proud to be part of. #Canada10000.
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This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2017.
Well said article and we need to educate more and more so that we are informed before using false information that spark more arguments that wouldn’t occur if “all sides” good and bad of our history were taught to the generations to come…
Well, Canada as we know it began 150 years ago. We will celebrate that and that’s okay. We will not be shamed by the actions of our forefathers. We will not attempt to change or erase history. We will stand proud to be Canadians as you stand proud to be a First Nations person. You are welcome to stand with us. We welcome the opportunity to stand with you.
“The history of this country is complex and interwoven from many countries.”
No shit, Sherlock.
“Canadian history started when First Nations Peoples came to this land over 10,000 years ago” no no it didn’t. That’s when the history of whatever it was called when they came here at the time. The history of canada the full fledged country of canada started 150 years ago. Just like anything that happened in newfoundland before march 31 1949 was not canadian history
Ugh, this fucking guy again? Is this the “open letter to the queen” guy?
Why do I get the feeling that with phrases like “second generation, residential school survivor” being tossed out there, that some of this conversation we’re supposed to revisit every time “Canada” is mentioned, stems from a learned racism as well. You seem to truly believe that racism is a one way street, it is not. Society is not what it used to be, and people that are not directly responsible for the suffering of our (your, but I prefer our) First Nation’s People, have apologized, apparently to no avail, because that is fucking impossible to do. Seriously? Just what exactly do you expect us to do about it decades after the fact? I’m not trying to be a dick, or somehow trivialize the very real suffering those people went through and have to live with, but how do you make that right? Are we supposed to hide in shame at every milestone our country achieves?
Also, you are living a priveleged life that this country has provided for you, just as much as you have provided for it. Your life seems pretty good to me, you’re educated, talented, artistic and are now immersing yourself in your native culture and have a platform to express yourself and have your voice heard. Things could be much worse, and were for many First Nation’s People, so maybe you should look at your life of opportunity as progress.
Canada (Kanata). Iroquoian for village.
So were all Village People. Black cops and cowboys, leathers and feathers…dancing to disco.
Its your party (too), but you can cry if you want to.
Stop playing the victim Siliboy. Thats really the solution.
C’mon…you’ll feel better…
@furious poprah well, not having entire native communities living in complete squalor without drinking water or even water fit to wash themselves in might be a great start for the government.
That might be a great start “decades after the fact.”
This shit is still happening. The government is spending all of this money on a celebration while first nations children live in extreme and horrible poverty. They may not be in residential schools anymore but they are still living in conditions far more degraded than other Canadian children.
Teela: The government has been spending 10 billion a year, and will be increasing this another half billion or so. If I thought another 10 billion would solve the problems, i’d say go for it. But it is quite obvious that throwing money at it is not the solution.
So, tell us then: how many billion it will take?
Teela, the government is not responsible to the mismanagement of reserves. Some have taken the bull by the horns and are quit successful while others do nothing but complain.
It makes me sick to read some of these reactions to Bryson Syliboys insightful article. The treatment of Indigenous people by Europeans – from the moment we set foot on this continent to the present – has been filled with arrogance, violence and domination. Europeans took over the entire country, stealing land from the people who lived here, outlawing cultural practices, forcing people onto reserves and into residential schools and converting everyone, on pain of death, to Christianity. John A Macdonald was one of many esteemed leaders who have directed this national grand theft over the last 500 years. I agree with Bryson Syliboy that the 150 year anniversary of confederation is a perfect opportunity for leaders in Kanata to speak the truth about colonialism and what they plan to do about it.
Lisa, I believe Kanata is a suburb of Ottawa and their “leaders” would have nothing to add to the debate.
I’m sorry to hear you feel ill as a result of some of the comments here; but as you grow up, you’ll learn not everyone has the same beliefs.
To sit on your high horse and dare “educate” his detractors is odd to me as you – a white person – you are as complicit in the alleged “…national grand theft over the last 500 years” as the rest of us who live here.
Kanata may well be the name of a suburb in Ottawa but it is also the origin of the name “Canada”. It is a Huron-Iroquoian word meaning “village” that Jacques Cartier heard in 1535. He wrote it as “Canada” and applied it to the entire area north of the St. Lawrence. Yes, I do think that responsibility for the grand theft rests with the Europeans and their descendants in this country who continue to benefit from it, myself included.