Indigenous peoples have had a long history of fighting for their rights. They do so, just like any human being would do when it comes to their beliefs. For a significant amount of time, Indigenous people have been represented by unprofessional stereotypes. I learned that discriminating against any race was wrong from a quite early age. I mainly learned the extent of what the Indigenous peoples went through in my early high school years, such as, residential schools, the 60’s scoop, the Oka Crisis and more. It is important to instill in children from an early age that it is important to treat all individuals with the same kindness and respect you would want in return. It is important never to forget the obstacles that each individual has to go through to get where they are today. Every single individual is working to get by or to better themselves in life. Everyone fights their own battle, either by themselves or with a group. The Indigenous peoples fought together as one to earn the equity and equality rights they everyone deserves presently.
My journey towards reconciliation starts with being appreciative of the lands that human beings and animals occupy. When it comes to Mother Earth, I always feel more calm when the smell of fresh flowers, fresh grass and the wind is blowing calmly. It makes me appreciate that humans are fortunate enough to have the beautiful scenery that may be hard to find in some cases. We live on the land, work the land and treat it with respect. In return, it will provide for us. I feel that when it comes to appreciating the land, it resounds with being able to enjoy all of the beautiful nature that surrounds us. Taking somewhat recent walks are important when it comes to appreciating the land. Treaty 4 (Duhame, R., 1966), is the land that I, myself live on. I have found that all living things are blessed to have a stable living space that also offers many a sense of calmness. Personally, I love exploring nature. It has so much to see and give. It is very easy to sit down and relax in a soothing, outdoors spot, to clear your mind and just ‘be.’
When it comes to how I decided to represent Journey to Reconciliation, I decided to represent the amount of honour, truth, courage, resilience, spirituality, Mother Earth, strength, patience and most importantly heart. All of these words represent the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. According to the AFN website, “Indigenous women and girls are five times more likely to experience violence than any other population in Canada; this violence tends to result in more serious harm.” (Turner, A., 2021). I feel that all these words tie into what a person, who is affected by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, is forced to inherit. The red hand print on the face of the mannequin represents what each and every supporter does to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It represents and advocates for the need of putting an end to stolen sisters. It also represents that each and every one of those individuals were worthy of being a person, living on this earth. They should never be forgotten. The mannequin represents the strength of an affected Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls individual. It represents the amount of courage, strength and patience each victim has to face.
The Indigenous peoples land, resources and more were taken away from them. This resulted in a loss of their culture, which led them to being stripped of their culture, their spirituality and most importantly, their identity and who they are as people. This led to the long line of intergenerational trauma. What the Indigenous peoples had to endure was well past my capability to comprehend. I simply can not imagine being called a number, instead of my name, as it was in Residential Schools. The Indigenous People were assimilated into the white way of culture. Their clothes were ripped from their bodies and they were made to wear uniforms. Their long, sacred hair was cut or shaved, taking away their spirituality and individuality. Many of the children were sexually assaulted. They were not able to speak in their own language. If they did, they were abused, tortured or killed. It was an unimaginable, unjust and unfair life that many of them have had to live. The unmarked graves, which I represent in my visual representation are a sickening thing to truly believe and process due to the amount of lives that were lost too soon. It is a reasonable job to respect the struggle these deceased individuals had to face.
The reason I decided to represent Indigenous women when it came to the Journey to Reconciliation is due to the visible target they are when it comes to someone being murdered. From the words of Indigenous leaders and authors, white people and others often see Indigenous women have the stigma of ‘being easy’ or not worthy. If an Indigenous woman went missing, it was not seen as a big of a deal. Sadly and unjustly, many of the murders and disappearances of Indigenous women were overlooked. It was time and continues to be time for all to throw away that stigma. Investigations need to continue, to help find closure for their family and friends, who live in angst and sorrow, from losing their loved ones.
There has been a long-lasting line of Indigenous peoples having troubles with alcohol; although, many races face the effect of alcoholism. There is a stigma of Indigenous people having a prolonged stereotype of being alcoholics, over the span of many years. Why do many people sadly view Indigenous peoples this way when many other races face these problems too? Why is it that not many of us are looked down upon when it comes to that? The stereotypes that circulate around the world are a toxic way of thinking and lead to unpleasant actions and views.
In order to develop a successful, healthy and a sustainable relationship with one another in Canada, it is crucial to uphold a foundation of mutual respect and support for coexistence (Government of Canada., 2021). The steps towards reconciliation (Blackboard learn., 2023) is progressing slowly but there is still a significant amount of actions that need to be taken to reach the full potential of reconciliation.
