Introduction
Settler colonialism is a type of colonialism, which aims to conquer and develop new territory by means of replacing the existing population with colonizers. This is an important issue for understanding the chain of situations that happened to Indigenous peoples in Canada. As a country, Canada was established through the colonization process. Indigenous Canadians, or Aboriginal Canadians, or First Peoples, were assimilated, abused, and subjected to genocide. This is evidenced by the interview of the Anishinabek (group of people related to the Indigenous) woman who calls herself Matilda Martin or Ogimaamaashiik. With the help of her recorded interview, it is possible to suggest that understanding Indigenous history in Canada starts with the notion of colonialism.
Indigenous People’s History
Ogimaamaashiik told about her educational experience; she attended a school located across the Ontario border. Her school’s policy was turned to the residential school, which meant that Indigenous pupils would be separated from their families. She claimed that settlers tried to “civilize” the Indigenous and to “wash out the ways of Indigenous life”. It was reported about “physical, emotional, and sexual violence that reinforced the broader violence of Indigenous disempowerment in Canada” by Hope MacLean, who conducted an aboriginal experiment in Methodist schools of Upper Canada.1
One of the most significant personas, a key figure in the fight for the independence of the Indigenous race, was Gabriel Dumont. The political freedom of Indigenous Metis people became a concern of Dumont, Metis chief who led the North-West Resistance in 1885. He was elected as “hunt chief of the Saskatchewan Metis” because he notified the population about declining buffalo herds in the country. When the number of migrants from Ontario increased rapidly, the Canadian government decided to build a railroad through Saskatchewan and to hand the nearby lands out to migrants and colonists. On March 24th, 1884, it was decided by the group of Metis to approach Louis Riel who was considered to be an adept “in dealing with Canada”. Finally, Riel and Dumont established a friendship based on a common aim – to protect the lands, rights, and freedoms of the Indigenous. Metis organized a self-made temporary government where Dumont was elected as a leader. His enemies had to admit his high-level leadership skills of Dumont. Finally, insurrectionists were defeated in the last fight, which occurred in Batoche in 1885. Gabriel Dumont left for the United States later.
It is also vital to take into consideration Treaty No. 6 which was signed in 1876 at Fort Pitt, Saskatchewan. The document promised to protect Indians’ self-government and to preserve their cultural, religious, agricultural, and social values. In addition, this treaty stated the necessity of a medicine chest in every house. However, the treaty was misunderstood by some percentage of the population due to oral differences and language barriers. Indigenous people thought that the treaty’s terms would be adopted because of changing conditions, but it did not happen.
Alanis Obomsawin, the Canadian filmmaker, appeals to key problems that Indian people have to face in modern Canada. The issues, which First Nations acquire nowadays, are uncovered in Trick or Treaty? For instance, the problem of inequality is raised as one of the crucial aspects, that indigenous people have to overcome. Through the interview within the film, it is seen that one Indigenous woman wants her rights and the rights of her people to be honored. The topic of people’s desire to be “Idle no more” is crossed with the misunderstanding of Treaty No. 9. As it was understood by people who signed it, this treaty would bring prosperity in both economic and personal spheres of life of the Indigenous. In fact, people signed the document, which stated their agreement to give all their possessions to the Canadian Crown and were tricked.
Conclusion
Answering the core question of the topic, it is possible to suggest that understanding Indigenous people’s history in Canada is impossible without a comprehension of settler colonialism. Despite the fact people withstood a long fight for freedom and independence, the oppression still echoes in some aspects of First Nations’ lives. The impacts of colonialists’ invasion, residential schools, and treaties, still continue to affect the Indigenous.
Bibliography
“Copy of Treaty No. 6 between Her Majesty the Queen and the Plain and Wood Cree Indians and Other Tribes of Indians at Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt and Battle River with Adhesions.” Opened for signature in 1876. Roger Duhame, F.R.S.C., Queen’s Printer and Controller of Stationery Ottawa, 1964.
Gaudry, Adam, “Gabriel Dumont”. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. 2008; Web.
Luby, B. and Labelle, K. (2015). “The New Generation”: Cooperative Education at the Day School on Dalles 38C Indian Reserve, 1890-1910. Ontario History, 107 (1), 88–110. Web.
Obomsawin, Alanis. Trick or Treaty? National Film Board of Canada, 2014.