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【摘要】加拿大原住民指的是印第安人，因纽特人以及梅蒂斯人。早在欧洲殖民者侵入前就一直享受着自己的传统生活。殖民主义者不仅大量杀害原住民甚至把他们赶进所谓的“保留地”。原住民子女从小被强迫送进“寄宿学校”，藉以根除原住民民族文化同时以欧洲文化来加以同化。这一体制被实践证明是一种失败，在加拿大民族史上也是一种耻辱。此举并没有使原住民被欧洲文化所同化，反而使他们在身心等方面留下巨大的创伤。甚至到了今天，针对原住民尤其是原住民女性的暴力犯罪仍在继续着。原住民为了自己的土地和人权从来就没有停止过奋斗和抗争，虽然他们的奋争带来的成果很卑微，但是一个拥有更大的自治权的新原住民族一定会应运而生的。
【关键词】原住民;第一民族;梅蒂斯人;因纽特人;寄宿学校;自治
A Brief Introduction to the Aboriginal People in Canada, and Their Sufferings
Geng Wei
【Abstract】The aboriginal people in Canada refer to the Indians, Inuit, and Métis.They had enjoyed their traditions before the Europeans’ intrusion. The Europeans had killed and driven them into the “Reserve or Reservation” areas, and the Aboriginal children were forcefully taken to the “Indian Residential Schools” to receive European culture and thus their traditions could be eradicated by a concept of assimilation into a superior culture, which proved a total failure, wrong and even a shame in Canadian history. The wrong dongs did not make the aboriginal people convert their tradition into the Europeans, but brought them huge trauma in their heart and soul and even today the violence against the aboriginal people, esp. the aboriginal women continued. The aboriginal people never stopped struggling for their land and rights. Although the rights and their rights of voice were often marginal, they are fighting for themselves without stop, a new aboriginal nation with more rights and power under their self-government is sure to come into being.
【Key words】Aboriginal, First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Residential School, Self-government
【中图分类号】G321.5【文献标识码】A【文章编号】1001-4128(2011)02-0239-02
作者简介：耿伟，男，副教授。1991年毕业于内蒙古大学外语系英美语言文学专业。现工作于内蒙古科技大学外语学院，学院教授委员会委员。从事英语语言教学。2009-2010，赴加拿大渥太华的卡尔顿大学加拿大研究学院做访问学者。研究方向：加拿大原住民历史与文化。
Part I: Introduction
Today in Canada, about a million Canadians can claim somewhat native ancestry. With the development of the social economy, Native populations continue to increase; the term “native” or “aboriginal” does not indicate a common or shared culture, only descent from groups of people who entered North America from Asia long before the Europeans. Indeed, a great variety in ways of life, histories and languages has characterized the native peoples of Canada. Canada’s constitution specifies three categories of “aboriginal people”: Indians, Inuit and Métis.
The term “Indian” is, of course, a misnomer, being derived from Christopher Columbus’ mistaken belief that he had reached India, the eastern hemisphere. Today the term continues to cause confusion, yet the few awkward attempts to call them Red Indians, Amerindians, etc. are by no means satisfactory. This is the most heterogeneous of the three categories, with a wide range of languages and cultures across Canada. Modern legal distinctions further divide this group, between those who are recognized as “Indian” by the federal government, a status enjoyed by over 400,000 Canadians, and those who are denied this recognition, the so-called “non-status Indians”.
The Inuit have a separate origin, being relatively late arrivals from Asia. Along with their relatives in Alaska and Greenland, they are most closely related to other Arctic Mongoloids, such as the Chukchi of Siberia, and the Mongolians in Mongolia and China. Since the 1970s, the term “Inuit” has almost totally replaced the earlier use of “Eskimo” (generally believed to mean “eaters of raw flesh” in Algonquian). The term “Inuit” is preferred by the natives of arctic Canada as it is how they refer to themselves in their own language. Their culture is a relatively homogeneous ethnic category, with a common origin and a single language across the entire Canadian Arctic.
Unlike the Indians and Inuit, who existed long before European arrival, the Métis emerged during the historic fur trade. They are a product of the unions between male fur traders, most commonly of French-Canadian origin, and native women, particularly Cree. The resultant population of mixed ancestry forged a common identity on the Canadian Plains during the 19th century. This shared identity and lifestyle led to aspirations for the creation of a “Métis Nation” in the Canadian west. Such aspirations were crushed when Métis provisional governments under the leadership of Louis Riel were suppressed by military forces, first in Manitoba in 1870, and then, decisively, in Saskatchewan in 1885.
These three groups can be collectively referred to as “natives”, “native people” or “aboriginal people”. Another term favored by many native Canadians is “First Nations”, with its implication of many separate, formerly sovereign entities. The recent change in name of the national organization representing status Indians in Canada from “the National Indian Brotherhood” to “the Assembly of First Nations” reflects this new preferred terminology.
Part II. The Sufferings or Traumatic Experiences of the Aboriginal People in Canada
(1)The Residential Schools and the Trauma Left by Them:Founded in the 19th century, the Canadian Indian Residential School system was intended to force the assimilation of Canadian Aboriginal and First Nations people into European-Canadian society. The purpose of the schools, which separated children from their families, has been described by many commentators as “killing the Indian in the child.”
Funded under the Indian Act by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, a branch of the federal government, the schools were run by churches of various denominations-Roman Catholics, the Anglican Church of Canada，the United Church of Canada, and Presbyterian. The federal government provided facilities and maintenance and the churches provided teachers and education.
The attempt to force assimilation involved punishing children for speaking their own languages or practicing their own faiths, leading to allegations in the 20th century of cultural genocide and ethnocide. There was widespread physical and sexual abuse. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and a lack of medical care led to high rates of tuberculosis, and death rates of up to 69 percent. Details of the mistreatment of students had been published numerous times throughout the 20th century, but following the closure of the schools in the 1960s, the work of indigenous activists and historians led to a change in the public perception of the residential school system, as well as official government apologies, and a (controversial) legal settlement.
The after-effects could be possibly as follows:
addictions
abuse among victims and their families, self-abuse and violence
suicide
crime
poor parenting skills
poverty
trauma
difficulty forming healthy relationships
Based on a report by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) in 1996, the federal government responded to RCAP in 1998 by issuing a Statement of Reconciliation and a strategy to begin the process of reconciliation by setting up the Aboriginal-run, not-for-profit Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), the AHF has done a great job in the process of reconciliation but it should take a long history to reach its expectant effects.
(2)Crimes against the Aboriginal Women in Canada at Modern Days
As of March 31, 2009, there are 520 known cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women and girls entered into the National Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) database. NWAC believes there are many more cases that have not yet been documented, especially for earlier decades.
Of the known cases that have been documented:
24% are cases of missing women and girls.
67% are cases of murder (defined as homicide or negligence causing death).
The majority of cases occurred in the western provinces of Canada.
26% of the incidents occurred in British Columbia, 17% occurred in Alberta, 14% in Manitoba, and 12% in Saskatchewan.
52% of the cases involve women and girls under the age of 30 years.
43% of the cases of missing women and girls have occurred during or since 2000.
55% of the cases of murder and 43% of disappearances occurred during or since 2000.
The 500 known cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada make up less than 2% of the Canadian population. If compared to the rest of the population their death and disappearance rate would be equivalent to over 18,000 Canadian women and girls missing or murdered in the past thirty years.
The life circumstances and individual needs of young Aboriginal women and girls must be taken into account when designing measures to increase their safety. This includes measures that take regional differences into account such as family law provisions, the availability of supports such as legal aid, the provision of victim services and whether police services are provided by national or regional forces.
In addition to this, there needs to be greater responsibility of governments to provide adequately-funded and culturally appropriate supports for Aboriginal women and girls through improved access to safe, affordable and appropriate housing; programs to support greater economic security including activities focused on education, employment and economic development; improved access of Aboriginal women, girls and their families to justice systems and processes; and, an action plan to reduce the impact of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system.
Part III. Conclusion
The Aboriginal people have lived on the lands of the North America long before the European colonists’ intrusion. The European invaders and colonizers not only took the land from the aboriginal people, but invaded into their soul as well. The harmonies between the aboriginal people and the nature had been smashed. They had been killed and driven into the “Reserve or Reservation” areas, their children were forcefully taken to the “Indian Residential Schools” which proved a total failure, wrong and even a shame in Canadian history. The wrong dongs did not make the aboriginal people convert their tradition into the Europeans, but brought them huge trauma in their heart and soul and even today the violence against the aboriginal people, esp. the aboriginal women continued. Although 2008 Prime Minister Steven Harper’s Apology represented the attitudes of the government that the aboriginal residential schools and the trauma brought by them were recognized as a nightmare, and the succeeding healing and reconciliation work is on the way. The aboriginal people never stopped struggling for their land and rights. I believe a new aboriginal nation with more rights and power under their self-government is sure to come into being.
References
[1] Alan D. Native Peoples and Cultures of Canada [M]. 1988
[2] First Nations, the Inuit, and the Métis Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ［Ｊ／ＯＬ］http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations.
[3] The Inuit Culture Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ［Ｊ／ＯＬ］http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_culture.
[4] Métis People (Canada) Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ［Ｊ／ＯＬ］http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_people_(Canada)
【关键词】原住民;第一民族;梅蒂斯人;因纽特人;寄宿学校;自治
A Brief Introduction to the Aboriginal People in Canada, and Their Sufferings
Geng Wei
【Abstract】The aboriginal people in Canada refer to the Indians, Inuit, and Métis.They had enjoyed their traditions before the Europeans’ intrusion. The Europeans had killed and driven them into the “Reserve or Reservation” areas, and the Aboriginal children were forcefully taken to the “Indian Residential Schools” to receive European culture and thus their traditions could be eradicated by a concept of assimilation into a superior culture, which proved a total failure, wrong and even a shame in Canadian history. The wrong dongs did not make the aboriginal people convert their tradition into the Europeans, but brought them huge trauma in their heart and soul and even today the violence against the aboriginal people, esp. the aboriginal women continued. The aboriginal people never stopped struggling for their land and rights. Although the rights and their rights of voice were often marginal, they are fighting for themselves without stop, a new aboriginal nation with more rights and power under their self-government is sure to come into being.
【Key words】Aboriginal, First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Residential School, Self-government
【中图分类号】G321.5【文献标识码】A【文章编号】1001-4128(2011)02-0239-02
作者简介：耿伟，男，副教授。1991年毕业于内蒙古大学外语系英美语言文学专业。现工作于内蒙古科技大学外语学院，学院教授委员会委员。从事英语语言教学。2009-2010，赴加拿大渥太华的卡尔顿大学加拿大研究学院做访问学者。研究方向：加拿大原住民历史与文化。
Part I: Introduction
Today in Canada, about a million Canadians can claim somewhat native ancestry. With the development of the social economy, Native populations continue to increase; the term “native” or “aboriginal” does not indicate a common or shared culture, only descent from groups of people who entered North America from Asia long before the Europeans. Indeed, a great variety in ways of life, histories and languages has characterized the native peoples of Canada. Canada’s constitution specifies three categories of “aboriginal people”: Indians, Inuit and Métis.
The term “Indian” is, of course, a misnomer, being derived from Christopher Columbus’ mistaken belief that he had reached India, the eastern hemisphere. Today the term continues to cause confusion, yet the few awkward attempts to call them Red Indians, Amerindians, etc. are by no means satisfactory. This is the most heterogeneous of the three categories, with a wide range of languages and cultures across Canada. Modern legal distinctions further divide this group, between those who are recognized as “Indian” by the federal government, a status enjoyed by over 400,000 Canadians, and those who are denied this recognition, the so-called “non-status Indians”.
The Inuit have a separate origin, being relatively late arrivals from Asia. Along with their relatives in Alaska and Greenland, they are most closely related to other Arctic Mongoloids, such as the Chukchi of Siberia, and the Mongolians in Mongolia and China. Since the 1970s, the term “Inuit” has almost totally replaced the earlier use of “Eskimo” (generally believed to mean “eaters of raw flesh” in Algonquian). The term “Inuit” is preferred by the natives of arctic Canada as it is how they refer to themselves in their own language. Their culture is a relatively homogeneous ethnic category, with a common origin and a single language across the entire Canadian Arctic.
Unlike the Indians and Inuit, who existed long before European arrival, the Métis emerged during the historic fur trade. They are a product of the unions between male fur traders, most commonly of French-Canadian origin, and native women, particularly Cree. The resultant population of mixed ancestry forged a common identity on the Canadian Plains during the 19th century. This shared identity and lifestyle led to aspirations for the creation of a “Métis Nation” in the Canadian west. Such aspirations were crushed when Métis provisional governments under the leadership of Louis Riel were suppressed by military forces, first in Manitoba in 1870, and then, decisively, in Saskatchewan in 1885.
These three groups can be collectively referred to as “natives”, “native people” or “aboriginal people”. Another term favored by many native Canadians is “First Nations”, with its implication of many separate, formerly sovereign entities. The recent change in name of the national organization representing status Indians in Canada from “the National Indian Brotherhood” to “the Assembly of First Nations” reflects this new preferred terminology.
Part II. The Sufferings or Traumatic Experiences of the Aboriginal People in Canada
(1)The Residential Schools and the Trauma Left by Them:Founded in the 19th century, the Canadian Indian Residential School system was intended to force the assimilation of Canadian Aboriginal and First Nations people into European-Canadian society. The purpose of the schools, which separated children from their families, has been described by many commentators as “killing the Indian in the child.”
Funded under the Indian Act by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, a branch of the federal government, the schools were run by churches of various denominations-Roman Catholics, the Anglican Church of Canada，the United Church of Canada, and Presbyterian. The federal government provided facilities and maintenance and the churches provided teachers and education.
The attempt to force assimilation involved punishing children for speaking their own languages or practicing their own faiths, leading to allegations in the 20th century of cultural genocide and ethnocide. There was widespread physical and sexual abuse. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and a lack of medical care led to high rates of tuberculosis, and death rates of up to 69 percent. Details of the mistreatment of students had been published numerous times throughout the 20th century, but following the closure of the schools in the 1960s, the work of indigenous activists and historians led to a change in the public perception of the residential school system, as well as official government apologies, and a (controversial) legal settlement.
The after-effects could be possibly as follows:
addictions
abuse among victims and their families, self-abuse and violence
suicide
crime
poor parenting skills
poverty
trauma
difficulty forming healthy relationships
Based on a report by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) in 1996, the federal government responded to RCAP in 1998 by issuing a Statement of Reconciliation and a strategy to begin the process of reconciliation by setting up the Aboriginal-run, not-for-profit Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), the AHF has done a great job in the process of reconciliation but it should take a long history to reach its expectant effects.
(2)Crimes against the Aboriginal Women in Canada at Modern Days
As of March 31, 2009, there are 520 known cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women and girls entered into the National Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) database. NWAC believes there are many more cases that have not yet been documented, especially for earlier decades.
Of the known cases that have been documented:
24% are cases of missing women and girls.
67% are cases of murder (defined as homicide or negligence causing death).
The majority of cases occurred in the western provinces of Canada.
26% of the incidents occurred in British Columbia, 17% occurred in Alberta, 14% in Manitoba, and 12% in Saskatchewan.
52% of the cases involve women and girls under the age of 30 years.
43% of the cases of missing women and girls have occurred during or since 2000.
55% of the cases of murder and 43% of disappearances occurred during or since 2000.
The 500 known cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada make up less than 2% of the Canadian population. If compared to the rest of the population their death and disappearance rate would be equivalent to over 18,000 Canadian women and girls missing or murdered in the past thirty years.
The life circumstances and individual needs of young Aboriginal women and girls must be taken into account when designing measures to increase their safety. This includes measures that take regional differences into account such as family law provisions, the availability of supports such as legal aid, the provision of victim services and whether police services are provided by national or regional forces.
In addition to this, there needs to be greater responsibility of governments to provide adequately-funded and culturally appropriate supports for Aboriginal women and girls through improved access to safe, affordable and appropriate housing; programs to support greater economic security including activities focused on education, employment and economic development; improved access of Aboriginal women, girls and their families to justice systems and processes; and, an action plan to reduce the impact of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system.
Part III. Conclusion
The Aboriginal people have lived on the lands of the North America long before the European colonists’ intrusion. The European invaders and colonizers not only took the land from the aboriginal people, but invaded into their soul as well. The harmonies between the aboriginal people and the nature had been smashed. They had been killed and driven into the “Reserve or Reservation” areas, their children were forcefully taken to the “Indian Residential Schools” which proved a total failure, wrong and even a shame in Canadian history. The wrong dongs did not make the aboriginal people convert their tradition into the Europeans, but brought them huge trauma in their heart and soul and even today the violence against the aboriginal people, esp. the aboriginal women continued. Although 2008 Prime Minister Steven Harper’s Apology represented the attitudes of the government that the aboriginal residential schools and the trauma brought by them were recognized as a nightmare, and the succeeding healing and reconciliation work is on the way. The aboriginal people never stopped struggling for their land and rights. I believe a new aboriginal nation with more rights and power under their self-government is sure to come into being.
References
[1] Alan D. Native Peoples and Cultures of Canada [M]. 1988
[2] First Nations, the Inuit, and the Métis Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ［Ｊ／ＯＬ］http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations.
[3] The Inuit Culture Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ［Ｊ／ＯＬ］http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_culture.
[4] Métis People (Canada) Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ［Ｊ／ＯＬ］http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_people_(Canada)