Settler Colonialism and Canada’s Indigenous History Essay

Settler colonialism formed the basis of Canada’s existence as a republic. The Canadian government subjected indigenous populations to compulsory displacement, oppression, and acculturation through Settler Colonialism. Assimilation in Canada has a long history, dating back to the 1800s up to the 1990s.¹ Settler Colonialism was organized in that aboriginal communities were deliberately targeted to favor the immigrants who arrived in Canada.² The effects of imperialism in Canada are evident in its culture, history, leadership, and legislation. The previous colonies have developed into the Jurisdiction that currently exists. Settler occupation and indigenous rebellion are the basis of Canada’s indigenous history and cannot be separated from its study as they affect the past and present interaction between indigenous groups and the Canadian Council.

In a recent apology statement, Stephen Harper, the prime minister, apologized to Indian students on behalf of Canada’s government for the historical discrimination. It dates back to the enactment of the Indian Act in 1876 by the Canadian regime to approve the Indian Status Administration.³ The act bestowed power to the Canadian Council over cultural practices, indigenous identity, education, leadership, and radical activities. Harper emphasizes how the policy led to the separation of over 150,000 Indian aboriginal children from their families and friends.⁴ The statement identifies the government’s remorse for the rule’s consequences that had longstanding and damaging effects on the Aboriginal culture, language, and heritage. The report also affirms the restoration of the Indian Residential School system to reinstate the Aboriginal culture and beliefs.⁵ The apology addressed the previous regulation aimed at implementing cultural genocide and forced assimilation to block indigenous communities from practicing political, cultural, and religious beliefs.

The Indian Act propagated gender discrimination to extinguish indigenous communities. The policy excluded females from their rights and citizenship if they married non-Indian husbands. Such women lost treaty benefits, right to inheritance, and health benefits, among others. However, this rule did not apply to their male counterparts. Although the regulation has been amended several times since its enactment, women’s exclusion in Canada is still evident in modern society through women activist movements, whose origins date back to Saskatchewan.⁶ Historically, these movements denounce the sexist Indian Act that barred womenfolk from voting or holding political positions. Indigenous women fought the effects of colonization, racial bigotry, loss of land, and broken promises.

The Residential Schooling system was targeted at assimilating indigenous children into the Canadian culture. The values taught in these systems originated from colonial settlers. In a publication, Williams emphasizes how Indigenous students were forcefully evicted from local learning institutions in the Saskatchewan history.⁷ In these education centers, apprentices would not speak in their native languages or practice their cultures, and deviation from these laws caused severe punishment. These limitations led to generations of indigenous learners who had lost their cultures.

Settler Colonialism affected and continues to impact the current Canadian society. The establishment of the Indian Act bestowed power to the government to control and diminish the Aboriginal culture. The policy advocated for the mistreatment of women and the closure of the Residential Schooling systems. However, in a recent statement, the government apologizes for these inhuman acts, which have profoundly affected Canadian indigenous history. Thus, Settler Colonialism plays a significant role in Canada’s indigenous history and cannot be separated for its study.

Bibliography

Government of Canada. Treaty Texts: Treaty No. 6: 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. (Roger Duhame, F.R.S.C). Web.

Harper Stephen, 2008. Statement of Apology to Former Students of Indian Residential Schools.Government of Canada. Ottwa, Ontario. Web.

The Conversation, 2019. Hidden from History: Indigenous Women’s Activism in Saskatchewan. Web.

Myrna Williams. 2012.Saskatchewan History. Web.

Footnotes

1. Myrna Williams, Saskatchewan History, vol. 64, no. 2. 2012. Web.
2. Ibid.
3. Government of Canada, Treaty Texts: Treaty No. 6: 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. (Roger Duhame, F.R.S.C). Web.
4. Harper Stephen, Statement of Apology to Former Students of Indian Residential Schools, Government of Canada, Web.
5. Harper Stephen.
6. The Conversation, Hidden from History: Indigenous Women’s Activism in Saskatchewan, (2019). Web.
7. Myrna Williams, Saskatchewan History.