Indigenous Studies

what is a worldview?

* set of beliefs and values that are upheld and honoured by a number of people
* how people interact with the world around them

what do people with a traditional worldview believe?

* Man is above nature
* Important of family and community
* Religion is the basis of their lives
* Believe that God is separate from earth

what do people with a modern worldview believe?

* Achieve freedom from oppressive
* Self-made individuals
* Believe only in Science and not nature
* May reject higher power

what do people with a integrative worldview believe?

* Bringing in many different perspectives
* Self-reflection
* Greater good and global awareness
* Connection with nature

what do people with a post-modern worldview believe?

* Many perspectives
* Freeing oppressed people
* rise of the social movements
* celebrate diversity, creativity, and beliefs in the context
* Valuing moral, emotional and artistic knowledge

what are some differences between an Indigenous and Western worldview?

* Indigenous is connected to nature and believes that nature is key to survival and started our world
* Western worldview believes nature is to be used for personal gain
* A higher power started and created the world
* Indigenous believe in community and sharing resources
* Western worldview is everyone for themselves
* Indigenous believe in spirituality and animals are spiritual
* Western worldview: there is a God and animals are for pets, food, entertainment
* Indigenous believe food, plants, holistic medicine
* Western worldview: science and drugs as medicine

intended consequences of colonization

* assimilated Indigenous people into white society
* loss of Indigenous language
* Indigenous spiritual beliefs were minimized and replaced by Christian Western beliefs
* loss of Indigenous culture

unintended effects of colonization

* created intergenerational trauma
* introducing disease to Indigenous communities
* changing the communities
* land and environmental changes
* income disparities between Indigenous and white people

what happened to Canadian Indigenous children in the 1960s?

the sixties scoop

* took Indigenous children and put them in foster families
* social workers thought Indigenous parents were not good and placed children with white families
* children experienced abuse in the families
* government could take any children without permission from their parents

what happened to Australian Aboriginal children in the 1950s?

* children were forcibly removed from their homes and put into residential schools
* mixed Indigenous children as they were “more likely to assimilte”
* breed out Indigenous people

what type of education did children receive in Canadian and Australian boarding schools

* boys - labour work
* creating a hard-working labour force
* christian-based education
* girls - domestic education
* sewing, cooking, cleaning, housechores
* christian education

where do you get your worldview from?

* Usually get worldview from parents and surroundings
* can change when you get older as you experience more things
* people around them can influence worldview

long term health implications of Australian residential schools

* malnourishment can lead to less or stunted growth
* avoidance of foods due to their childhood
* trauma from the schools and the abuse
* health outcomes are worse
* imprisonment rate is higher
* alcoholism, drug abuse

when did Canada apologize and what happened?

* Apologized on Jun 11, 2008
* Sept 30 national truth and reconciliation day
* prime minister before refused to apologize
* lawsuits filed, compensation given

when did Australia apologize and what happened?

1. Feb 13, 2008
2. national sorry day May 26
3. previous prime minister refused to apologize and passed a “regretful” statement

how did governments ensure children went to these schools?

* keep tabs on any children registered with a birth certificate
* blank looks 😶
* forcibly remove the children
* tell the public it was for their own good so they may thrive in society
* making it a mandatory thing for all Indigenous children
* keeping white people on reserves to survey and report to welfare offices to remove children

what did the canadian gov want to do with residential schools?

* kill the indian in the child
* prepare them for success in a white society

what did the australian gov want to do with residential schools?

* breed the indigenous out of society
* create servants and people to do labour
* assimilate them into white society

When did the last Canadian residential school close?

* 1996
* Gordon Residential School

When did the last Australian residential school close?

* mid 1980s
* started closing them down during the 1970s

Who can tell Indigenous stories

* Elders
* people who hear it and are given permission

what is the purpose of indigenous stories?

* to teach lessons
* pass down information, traditions
* creation stories
* teach about culture
* learning how to be a decent human unlike some people
* learning character traits

what are metaphors used for in stories?

* deeper meaning
* context-specific
* rejecting colonialism
* teaching values and culture of people
* understanding cultural differences

What should you do while listening to indigenous stories

* listen
* think about the meanings and why you are hearing it
* look at context
* ask for permission to share stories and discuss the stories with the teller

do indigenous stories change?

* yes they do
* oral tradition
* everyone retells it a bit differently
* core meaning is the same but some of the words, characters may be different

what do the stories tell people about?

* culture
* beliefs
* spiritual beliefs

What is the show, First Contact, about?

* debunking the myths about Indigenous people
* showing white people what it means to be Indigenous, indigenous culture, struggles