Instructions (read carefully)

This is a course about aboriginal health and healing in Canada
First, we had to do an initial response to the questions of module (Module 1 lectures) that I have already posted
Then we must respond to 2 of the students’ postings (this is what you need to do)
Below you will find 11 of the students’ postings (you may choose any 2) and respond to them
I will attach the module lectures if you need them
And you can also look at my initial posting below to get an idea about my point of view on the matter.
Each respond should be approximately 250-300 words
If using outside sources, please use peer reviewed credible sources
Be careful with the citation as this paper will undergo a safe assign where it will be checked for plagiarism. Thank you!

 

The question (already answered it, you should only do the 2 responses)

Reflect on your own experiences and knowledge about Indigenous peoples history in Canada. Where did you learn most of what you know? Was it in school or somewhere else? Were you familiar with some of the things discussed in the two RCAP chapters (e.g., residential schools, forced relocations, government spending)? Why do you think it is important to learn about Indigenous peoples’ history? How will it help you to understand Indigenous peoples’ health issues?

 

My initial posting/ Answer:

As an international student from Kuwait, I have limited interactions and experiences with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. My four-year stay in Canada has not availed adequate opportunities for me to proactively study Aboriginal history and its relevant issues in the country. In this regard, most of what I know about their history emanates from my classroom studies. Apparently, my interest in studying health has now exposed me to some of the Aboriginal health disparities and other social inequalities that they continue to suffer in the modern context.

I did not know about the pertinent issues contained in the two RCAP chapters, such as forced relocations, residential schools and government funding before reviewing them in class. For this reason, I was bewildered by the weight of historical injustices that continue to plague the quest for socioeconomic, cultural, and political equality in Canada. I have learned that indigenous peoples are minorities who have endured significant historical injustices that currently lower their health and well-being in the society.

Learning about indigenous peoples’ history is critical. Firstly, it could allow Canadians to avoid an imminent cultural genocide. Historically, Canada engaged in cultural genocide by establishing residential schools that stripped Native Indians of their cultural and religious dignity (Lecture 3). Secondly, it could improve the quest for reconciliation by promoting mutual cultural respect between Aboriginals and other Canadians. Canada’s TRC aims at creating awareness regarding historical injustices inflicted by residential schools to promote reconciliation and healing (Lecture 3).

Interestingly, a profound understanding of their history could allow people to understand their health issues, such as polluted water, ill health, lack of decent housing, ill health, and other socioeconomic problems affecting them (Lecture 2). It could allow people to design relevant interventions that could improve their standards of living and reconcile them with the mainstream Canadian society.

 

 

 

 

 

Students posting (pick any two to respond to)

Posting 1: Georgia Campbell

– Prior to attending Dalhousie, my knowledge and experiences with Aboriginal peoples and their history was very limited. I would say that even in my third year of study, I have only had a few encounters and discussions about Aboriginal history and current health and societal issues facing this population today. The little knowledge I do have about the Aboriginal peoples of Canada came from my mandatory grade 10 history class. All though my introduction to this topic are was brief, I learned enough to realize that Canada, who had been portraying itself as an advocate for diversity and accepting of all people, was actually founded on a cultural genocide. Since attending University I have been exposed to more conversations surrounding the continued mistreatment of Aboriginals in Canada and have developed a better understanding of how past mistreatment continues to negatively impact the quality of life and living conditions of Aboriginal peoples.

 

After reading sections from the RCAP I was able to better understand the unjust treatment of Aboriginal peoples. The result of government efforts of displacement, suppression of self-governance, forced assimilation of culture, and removal of Aboriginal identity has led to a population struggling to develop and maintain any sort of quality of life. Lower life expectancy, more incidence of violence, more cases of alcohol abuse and fewer high school graduates compared to non-Aboriginal people are only some of the consequences associated with the decade long mistreatment of Aboriginal peoples (Government of Canada, 1996). It is important to understand the history of mistreatment that has led to these social issues. As health care providers, how can we expect to make a positive change within this population if we don’t fully understand the root cause of these issues? I think that for once, we need to stop trying to distill our values and cultural/societal norms into the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and instead ask these individuals to guide us and educate us in how they want to be helped.

 

Posting 2: Michelle Reddy

My earliest memories of learning about the Indigenous peoples of Canada come from my third grade Social Studies class that focused on the history of Indigenous Canadians. From a young age I learned about Indigenous peoples being the native people of what is now considered Canada. I learned the basic aspects of their culture such as customs and traditions and can remember taking a field trip to visit a historic longhouse. While this course was informative at the time, third grade education did not cover the important depth or details of the history of Indigenous Canadians; especially the negative aspects.

 

I became more familiar with the history of maltreatment of Indigenous Canadians through learning of the Indian Act in high school history. This began to open my eyes to the many injustices Indigenous peoples have endured and continue to face. Being raised in Sarnia, Ontario, I often heard details regarding the Ipperwash Provincial Park crisis of 1995. For those who are unfamiliar with this incident, Dudley George was an Objobwa native protesting the theft of sacred burial lands by the Canadian government. During a confrontation, George (who was unarmed) was shot and killed by an Ontario Provincial Police officer (CBC News, 2007). It was only in 2009 that justice was brought to this case through the return of the land and a 95 million dollar settlement (Marshall, 2016).

 

I think that it is important to learn about the history of Canada’s Indigenous peoples’ so that both the positive and negative events can be understood. Understanding the past injustices faced by Indigenous Canadians will help to create change in the future and prevent such maltreatment from occurring again. Relating to health issues, I think that better understanding of Indigenous history will allow healthcare providers to better understand the background of health issues. Greater knowledge of the social determinants of health will hopefully allow care providers to deliver more holistic and effective care (Government of Canada, 2016).

 

 

Posting 3: Liam Mulcahy

I was born and raised in Canada; more specifically in Nova Scotia. For most of my life, I’ve learned little bits here and there about Indigenous peoples and the injustices of their history. However, I would say where I learned the most about them was high school. In grade 10, I took a class called Mi’kmaq Studies. The Mi`kmaq are an aboriginal group Native to Atlantic Canada. In this class, I learned things like the fact that Europeans used to call Aboriginal people Indians because when the Europeans were trying to get to India, they actually went to South America and thought they had made it to their destination. On top of this, I learned about all of the things discussed in the two RCAP chapters. The residential schools were awful places for aboriginal children to grow up. They were taken from their families, raised with a completely different culture, made to follow the rules of the church, and even look people in the eyes when being spoken to, because that is polite in European culture, but it was the opposite in Aboriginal culture.

I think learning about Indigenous peoples’ history is important because it can make us realize the mistakes that were made in almost completely stamping out entire cultures and prevent us from doing the same thing in the future.

In terms of learning about health issues, there needs to be a clear understanding of a background to how those health issues may have come to be. The more detailed the background is that we learn, the more capable we are of understanding the health issues of the indigenous peoples.

 

Post 4: Rory Begin

In school, I learned about indigenous people mostly through social studies curriculum in elementary school and junior high. This material centered on a European viewpoint, and painted a positive picture of co-operation between indigenous people and European settlers. We learned about Mi’kmaq people exclusively, and in the past tense, talking about how they “lived”. When the curriculum moved on to more recent history, discussion of indigenous people ceased. We did not explore the fact that indigenous people still exist, nor did we talk about our role as a nation in enacting cultural genocide.

 

I knew some things about residential schools, forced relocation and other forms of forced assimilation from my university education and reading on my own. It was new to me that government and churches arranged marriages between residential school students (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015).

 

I think it is important to learn about indigenous history for many reasons. As both the RCAP and TRC documents state, it is important for indigenous people to have access to their own history and culture (Government of Canada, 1996; Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015). For settler people, it is important for us to recognize this is not just indigenous people’s history, it is ours too. As the TRC states (2015), we are all treaty people, and reconciliation first requires that the truth of our collective history be known. From this standpoint, it is unacceptable that in school we learned such a distorted and incomplete history of indigenous-European relations. I entered school before the last residential school in Canada had closed, and before the RCAP document was published. I am curious to know if school curricula have changed yet. At the post secondary level, it is exciting to me that a course such as this one exists, and simultaneously disheartening that it is not yet standard in the curricula of health professions.

 

Indigenous health issues are the result of current and historical structural problems and need to be solved with this in mind (Government of Canada, 1996). From this standpoint, learning about the history of indigenous/settler relations and indigenous peoples themselves is a necessity. Since self-determination is a necessity for health (Government of Canada, 1996), our efforts as healthcare providers must be focused on public policy as well as individual care. I think understanding how different indigenous cultures understand health is also vital to providing care, because it can help us understand how our patients conceptualize their own health. In my opinion, the Canadian healthcare system has a long way to go in becoming a system for health and not just illness management. A respectful relationship involves knowledge sharing (Government of Canada, 1996) and I think that learning about more holistic concepts of health from indigenous cultures is likely to help our healthcare system become more effective, for indigenous patients and settlers alike.

 

Posting 5: Ainsleigh Jackson

When I was young, I did not know I was Metis. Due to their treatment and abuse in school, my grandparents were embarrassed of their heritage and did not discuss it with us. For this reason, I know little about my own culture and heritage, and cannot speak our traditional Mechif/French language. It wasn’t until I was old enough to understand and look into genealogy that I knew we were Metis. Luckily, in school I was given a pretty comprehensive understanding of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. We learned a lot about national and local history of Indigenous people.
I did find it interesting that I never knew the differences between the terms First Nations, Aboriginal, and Indigenous. I also think that a major gap in the available education, and maybe a continuing misconceptions, was that conflict between the government and Indigenous peoples is a current matter that still requires a great deal of attention. I found the readings on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples very interesting. It does not take long in downtown Winnipeg to recognize the number of suffering and under-supported Indigenous people. All of the things that are mentioned in the highlights are real and a current issue, that needs to be dealt with.
Throughout university, I have learned about the unethical treatment and nutrition experiments in residential schools, as well as grown in an understanding of the conflicts between the government and Indigenous peoples. I find it a bit frustrating that most of what is discussed in schools and universities is negative. Although these things deserve to be in education and need to be taught to the people of Canada, I think a lot of the beauty and positivity of the culture is being ignored and left out. As was kind of alluded to in the lecture, people often shy away from talking about this topic, because its a lot to unpack socially and ethically. I think it is just as important for people to know things like Indigenous stories of creation and spirituality, because this might give a better window for connection, specially between Indigenous people and health professionals.

Source:
Government of Canada. (1996). People to People, Nation to Nation: Highlights from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Available at: https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100014597/1100100014637#chp5

 

Posting 6: Rahaf Hussain

Before I come to Canada my knowledge about Indigenous people was very limited. I only knew that Indigenous people have suffered from the newcomers but I did not know to what extent or that inequality still exist nowadays. When I started to course at Dalhousie I started to know more information about Indigenous people’s history in Canada. However, I did not know the details and how much they suffered before this course. I was not aware to what extent did inequality affected their lives in many different aspects whether it was educational, social or health wise for many generations. I was surprised to know that children were segregated from their families in an early age and were taught to reject their culture and heritage and were ashamed because of their origins (Government of Canada, 2010). Based on the World Health Organization, the health of human being is not only restricted to the physical condition only but it also includes the social and mental life of the person (WHO). Indigenous people have suffered a lot even in the psychological level as some people have stated that they feel incapable of showing their love to others (Government of Canada, 2010).

 

Moreover, there are many factors that determine health such as education, employment, social and physical environments and health services (Public health of Canada, 2013). Therefore, it is vital to have a good understanding of Indigenous people’s history to detect the root of the problems that are experienced and to solve these problems to improve the health conditions of Indigenous people and achieve equality. Studying history gives a clear picture what Indigenous people went through and how did it influence their lives for generations.

 

Posting 7: Lu Xie

Before this course, I had some understanding of indigenous people because I chose the course of MGMT 2805 intro to indigenous governance in which the history of indigenous people was briefly reviewed. I know that the relationship between indigenous groups and the Federal Government changed gradually from cooperation to disrespect, to assimilation, and then to respect. This change is at the expense of many indigenous people. These days, the rights of indigenous people have been paid more attention by Canadian society in order to improve their quality of life in an all-round way. In spite of all these efforts, living standards of indigenous people are still below non-aboriginal counterparts. This is reflected in many aspects, such as shorter life expectancy, lower literacy rate, lower average income, etc.

I feel that learning about the history of indigenous people enables people to figure out fundamental reasons for today’s various problems and when people can realize the reasons, they can then find out solutions to solve problems.

My previous study focused more on the achievement of self-government. That is to say, the issue of indigenous groups is discussed more from a political aspects, although we inevitably involved some cultural and educational aspects. To me, this can help me to understand health issues from other perspectives because many reasons may lead to the dilemma of indigenous people today.

PS: In my previous study, my professor gave the following link which provides an outline of the changing relationship between indigenous groups and non-indigenous groups. I think it may be helpful to you.

https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1307460755710/1307460872523

 

Posting 8: Lacey Lozier

Reflect on your own experiences and knowledge about Indigenous peoples history in Canada. Where did you learn most of what you know?

Most of my learnings about Indigenous populations have come directly from my home, as I am an Inuit descendant.  I was born and raised in Labrador where there is a dense Inuit and Innu (First Nations) population.  I can’t explain that I ‘learned’ about my culture, but it was more of living a certain lifestyle. My grandmother attended a day school in St. Anthony, NL, and when my mom and uncle were older, my nanny moved around Labrador to avoid having her children being apprehended and sent away to Residential schools. My nanny as a result lost her language, and we do not speak Inuktitut. Growing up, it was easily identified that we were non-white, and people faced different treatments as such. I also have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Inuit youth when I was younger after moving back from Halifax to Labrador again.  This was an eye opening experience as you were able to see many issues within child welfare systems, criminal justice systems, employment, substance use etc that often plague Indigenous communities as they are scarce with resources. I have also worked with INAC (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) and worked with FN (First Nations) populations where I gathered so much new knowledge.  I also currently work with CSC (Correctional Service Canada) and have worked mostly with Indigenous incarcerated men, as I facilitate correctional programs to men before I transitioned to the community setting. These men have taught me so much about First Nations culture.  I think it is so important to recognize that Indigenous populations have a lot of diversity within the umbrella term Indigenous.  When I taught my program in the institution, I learned about their culture and they learned about mine. I learned some culture in school, but most of it highlighted negativity and often in my opinion the accounts of history were not true.

Was it in school or somewhere else? Were you familiar with some of the things discussed in the two RCAP chapters (e.g., residential schools, forced relocations, government spending)? Why do you think it is important to learn about Indigenous peoples’ history? How will it help you to understand Indigenous peoples’ health issues?

I received most of my teachings at home, other families and in my work environments, and also from the clients that I work with.  I am very well rehearsed with events that were discussed from the RCAP. My family has personally experiences Residential schools, and relocation.  Nunatsiavut Government became s self governing body on December 1st 2005 :).  It is extremely important to learn about Indigenous issues as there are so many complex problems that have resulted and impacted by colonialism. It’s also important to gain an understanding of alternate truths and understand that once upon a time, many of the treatment that Indigenous Peoples have endured was LEGAL, and policies and procedures were a part of the process.  It is also important to understand that when working with Indigenous clients that they may have little trust as a result of compounding issues that they as individuals, families, communities have faced at the discrepancy of the Federal Government.  It will take time to understand things from a different worldview. Gaining an understanding of their perspectives helps facilitate the change process by allowing voices to be heard as they often know what is best for themselves and their communities. Often times, resources and infrastructure is limited. Understanding health issues helps us figure out where we as social workers need to be advocating and pushing for policy initiatives or developing sound plans of cares for individuals and families.

 

Posting 9: Cynthia MacNeil-Burke

My own personal experiences and knowledge about Indigenous peoples and their history in Canada is significant. Luckily, throughout my degree, I have had the opportunity to take part in various classes, panels and lectures. There is absolutely room for growth and development in this area. Most recently, I have taken a course regarding Indigenous Governance. This course dove deeply into the history and governance of Aboriginal peoples and their communities.

Prior to this course, most of my knowledge came from my schooling background. I had the ability to learn an extensive amount about the history, culture and customs of Aboriginal peoples. The area in which a grew up had a large Indigenous population. This led to exposure of many elements of their culture. During this time, I had the opportunity to learn extensively about residential schools, government spending and forced relocations. I even had the ability to discuss residential schools with an elder in the community.

I personally think it is important to learn about Indigenous peoples’ history because it allows for a better understanding of the significance of the culture and values these communities have. We need the ensure their norms and customs are not overtaken by Canadian customs. It is also important to be reminded of the history to ensure Indigenous people are not subjected to such racism, prejudice and forced conditions.

Understanding Indigenous people and their backgrounds will allow for a better understanding of health issues because of the different norms. Not all health issues are solved with doctors or medicine, some instances can be solved with medicines or cultural practices as the Aboriginal communities show us. This understanding would allow us to look at health through a different perspective.

 

Posting 10: Sierra Israel

Hi everyone,

Here are my thoughts on this weeks module:

My comprehensive knowledge of  Indigenous peoples history in Canada is strong. However, after much reflection I have come to the realization that there is always room for improvement and growth. I have taken some courses specific to First Nations peoples and I have a passion for the decolonization of Social Work practice. I have learned the most of what I know through university courses-I was not taught about the histories of Indigenous people in Canada in high school and its was really eye opening that a large part of Canadian was not taught in my secondary school. However, my partner has shared with me (a history teacher) they have been making real strides to incorporate historical data and information around colonization, treaties and even the 60s scoop. I am familiar with the issues in the RCAP chapters and it is disheartening to read and learn about the many injustices Indigenous people have experienced. I believe that it is incredibly important to learn about Indigenous peoples and their land as it is a part of our Canadian historical narrative. Also, for many of us who are choosing “helping professions” we need to be cultural competent in our practice. Also, by learning about traditional healing and knowledge this will provide us with the tools to be better practitioners.

Historically, Indigenous folks have been subjected to the worst kind of racism, exploitation and inequality. That is why I feel strongly about the decolonization of practice. According to he text Decolonizing Social Work by Mel Gray, Et al.  “decolonizing social work entails many dimensions, which includes identifying destructive beliefs and practices, reclaiming Indigenous beliefs and practices, and learning from successful decolonization to improve social work practice with Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations” (Gray, Coates, Yellow Bird, & Hetherington, 2013). Although, we have made strides to rebuild these relationships, there is still a lot of work to be done. I look forward to learning and critically reflecting on how I can be an ally in a world where there is an obvious imbalance. Moreover, incorporating Indigenous historical knowledge is a practice that I support and will continue to study as I move through my social work journey.

I think that is it for me, thanks folks and happy Sunday to you all!

 

Posting 11: Nikki Shahin-Azar

Prior to taking this Aboriginal Health and Healing course, I had heard and read stories about the unfair treatments towards Indigenous peoples but I had no idea how dire the situation was until now. It’s interesting that we spent all three years of high school history classes repeatedly talking about WWI, WWII and Canada’s contribution, yet we were never taught about the history of Canada regarding Indigenous peoples and their struggle to make a stand for themselves over the last 500 years (Government of Canada, 1996). Growing up in a country like Iran, I have seen what unfair treatment and discrimination is and feels like towards not only myself but the entire population as a whole. I think that every country, no matter how highly ranked they are in terms of living conditions – such as the UN’s declaration that Canada is the best place in the world to live – has its problems in the treatment of its peoples (Government of Canada, 1996).

Issues such as the removal of Aboriginal children from their homes and relocation to residential schools is a matter that should never be forgotten and that’s why it’s important to continue educating ourselves about Indigenous peoples’ history. I was shocked to find out that these residential schools exposed Aboriginal children to abuse and neglect, that staff members laid hands on the children and did not care much about the actual education that they received (SOURCE). The government even declared a child-welfare policy named the Sixties Scoop where they took Aboriginal children from their homes and placed them with Non-aboriginal families (TRC, 2015). I was strikingly reminded of Nazi Germany as I read more about the forced attempt to make these Aboriginal children to learn how to be the “Ideal Canadian”.

I think that learning more about Indigenous peoples’ history will help us understand their health issues more. A lot of these health issues were brought upon Indigenous peoples because of the unjust treatment that they received from the Canadian government. Canada has taken steps in attempts to reconcile these issues and though the road is long, it will be effective if it is kept on track. One of the examples of a step towards reconciliation is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) who have acknowledged the residential school experiences, impacts, and consequences (TRC, 2015). This is one of the very small steps towards providing the kind of healing that indigenous peoples need to move forward and regain their physical and mental happiness again. It’s quite easy to point fingers and blame others for the situation at hand. What’s difficult is taking action, speaking up and allowing your concerns to be addressed in a proper manner.

 

 

 

 

 

The post Writing from scratch appeared first on Custom Writing Service.