Although this post does not directly pertain to the short indie-film The Lesser Blessed, I would, however, like to make note of something that I feel needs to be addressed about Aboriginal people. A large part of what we hear and watch all surround the negative aspects of Indigenous culture. Are the aboriginal people really considered inferior or as per the title of the film, The Lesser Blessed. As maintained in an interview by Carol Bedrosian conducted in early 2001, “Make no mistake: living in community for native people is neither glamorous nor inherently spiritual and oftentimes just as thick with political turmoil and materialistic greed as in any non-native community.” (Bedrosian, 2001, n.p) But, does this mean we should concentrate a large portion of our lessons on the more negative aspects of a culture? I would argue that it is time that we shed some light on the positive aspect of Indigenous culture, and focus on aboriginal accomplishments and the resilience of our people. As I mentioned in my last post, aboriginal people are not ashamed of their past, but proud of their accomplishments and continuously strive for the success of their youth. While these films, documentaries, and texts do provide a glimpse into an important past that often fails to be discussed, it also opens the door for people to feel sorry for our people. Yes, as a person you can be empathetic with the situations that many aboriginal people were forcibly put into, but feeling sorry for our people is not what we are looking for. Instead of focusing our attention on the more difficult aspects of aboriginal culture, we can focus on self-sustaining communities such as the Cree from James Bay, political leaders trying to make a difference and improve our daily lives, and even discuss powwows, a traditional gathering. I’m sharing this perspective not out of hate or discontent with the current state of affairs, because I truly am grateful that teachers and professors are finally acknowledging Indigenous culture but, after watching We Were Children, and reading The Absolute True Diary of Part Time Indian, and finally watching The Lesser Blessed, I began to feel sad for myself and my people. I’m proud of my Indigenous heritage, and I acknowledge the struggles faced by my people, but we are also progressive, and our successes should also be noted and celebrated.
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As far back as the arrival of Jacques Cartier in New France, the goal of the Canadian Government has always been to assimilate Aboriginal people into dominant Canadian society whether French or English. From the 19th to the 20th century, thousands of aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their homes, and separated from their families in an attempt to integrate the children into the Canadian nation. The aboriginal culture was considered inferior, and “killing the Indian in the child” was the only perceived measure that would assure the superiority of the French and English ways. In 2008, after decades of abuse whether physical, emotional or sexual at the hands of church officials, then Prime Minister Harper presented an apology, on behalf of all Canadian in the Chamber of Common in Ottawa. The apology was met with mixed reviews by the aboriginal people, some claimed that it lack sincerity and others claimed that it did not speak about the real issues. It was also, however, met with silence, as claimed by Knockwood.
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January 2016
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