Stories of Learning: Indigenization
For my aesthetic representation I chose to make a sketch of what I learned about the Aboriginal people in general, and about how education was used as a tool to destroy their means of existence and identity in Canada. Since we are all treaty people that live in Treaty 4 land, we should gain understanding and empathy to those that still feel the intergenerational effects of mass forced conversions, assimilations, and residential schools created by Christian missionaries from Europe who were tasked to destroy all of the core values that the Aboriginal people have/had (Identity). One of the infamous saying was to “Kill the Indian inside of the child” (course notes week 7) in order to completely turn the children into one of their own; however it did not work but instead, it completely disrupted and damaged the way of life that the Aboriginal people had before colonization. Treaties were created from 1701-1923 throughout Canada as a sign of peace, but it is important to know that promises should not just come from a signed paper, instead it should come from the people themselves by recognizing the truth and to find a way to build up relationships that could help us all move forward together in the future. The treaties are meant to last “as long as the sun shines, the grass grows & the water flows” (course notes week 5).
My sketch symbolizes growth and development broken down into three levels which are (1) the roots, (2) trunk, (3) branches, and leaves. Each level is critical to an individual’s development since it impacts their whole being. The 1st level which are the roots represents the core values of an individual and these are culture, traditions, language, beliefs, way of life, and identity. The 2nd level symbolizes one’s upbringing, education, influencers, growth, development (mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually), past experiences, and lastly support system which is our family and friends. The last part of the 2nd level “support system” is also the main bridge between the roots and the main trunk, since family and friends heavily impact the outcome of both core values and foundational structure of an individual. The 3rd level which is the branches and leaves; signifies the direct results of the 2nd level which are knowledge, milestones, failures, talents, views, reflection of some if not all of the core values, and many more. The most important part of this last level is education, since knowledge is key in understanding the truth which would then be essential for reconciliation and healing.
Today we can still see the mark that colonialism had left in our schools, standards of living, order, and law within the country. The Canada today that we have is Eurocentric, since it dominated during the colonial period; which resulted in the great loss of the Aboriginal peoples’ independence and self-governing skills that was essential in their old way of life. An example of an excellent poem I found called “I lost my talk” (Rita Joe) clearly shows influence and power that the Europeans had over the Aboriginal people. This poem talks about how the author herself lost her language and her cultural identity from the dominant Europeans, and how she wanted to learn it back so that she could also share about it. This would then hopefully help the relationship between the colonizers and the indigenous people resulting in harmony and justice, paving way for reconciliation.
Racism still continues to happen in our world today, because it had been carried through generations of ignorance from individuals that refuse to learn the truth and understand the importance of reconciliation. As future educators we are responsible for ensuring that knowledge, diversity, acceptance, truthfulness, and kindness are promoted, so that we never repeat the history itself again. The future lies on the hands of educators since they are essential in the growth and development of the youth which would then be responsible for our tomorrow.