Preview

Why Is Attawapiskat Treated Unfairly Today

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1140 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is Attawapiskat Treated Unfairly Today
Attawapiskat and fort Chipewyan

Native Americans have been in Canada for an estimated 50 000 years. They were a simple people who traded and hunted and lived in Canada in harmony with the land. Then Europeans came and decided that their ways of life were wrong, barbaric and had to be changed. Europeans did this by extermination, acculturation and assimilation. The government of Canada likes to believe and tell people that this is all part of a darker past and that unequal treatment of the native people no longer exists today, but this is not true. There are examples of native people and communities being treated unfairly today. In this essay I will use the example of Attawapiskat, a Cree community in northern Ontario. I will give three reasons for my claim that the community in Attawapiskat is being treated unfairly by the government and then after each reason I will briefly compare that reason to “The Tipping Point” documentary we watched in class. The Attawapiskat is being treated unfairly because of inadequate housing, lack of government funding and
…show more content…
Rates of overcrowding are six times greater on reserves than off, with many cases, three generations of families living under one roof. A federal assessment found housing on reserves deteriorates much faster than off reserves. This is largely a result of overcrowding but also because of poor construction and housing designs that often do not account for the environmental realities on reserves. Proper housing needs to be built to reduce amounts of psychosocial stress. Worrying about providing adequate shelter for yourself and your family would be accompanied by large amounts of stress. High levels of stress can put individuals at an increased risk of heart disease, chronic fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, depression, sleep problems, eating disorders, colds, flu`s, migraines and many more health

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Honore de Balzac, a French novelist, once said, “Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into a fact”. Tomson Highway’s story “Hearts and Flowers” relates the despairing experiences of an eight-year-old Cree boy whose personal achievement at a small-town music festival takes place on the same day that Parliament provides the franchise to Native people. To begin, the white people were ignorant towards the Native people. Secondly, the white people treated the Native people with a lack of respect. Finally, Native people are revoked from their right to vote as well as being thought of as non-human.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Attawaspiskat Cree and Ojibwa are a first nations group living in parts of Canada, mainly northern Ontario. The main languages spoken by these first nation groups are Mushkegowuk Cree and Ojibway. I will compare and contrast the experience of the Attawapiskat Cree to Ojibwa in relation to the Canadian Government. This will include analyzing the treaties introduced by the government towards the Cree and the Ojibwa: in particular, treaty 9 will be discussed. In addition, to these treaties the government has divided the first nation community into two different groups: status-Indians and non-status Indians. Within these two groups further division has been accomplished by the allocation of lands know as reserves to status-Indians and independent ownership for non-status Indians. This allocation of lands in reserves for status-Indians and independent ownership for non-status Indian is based on the policies developed through dependent and independent tenure. The laws permitting only status-Indians to live in reserves have fragmented the community and changes in culture and traditions have been rapid since the arrival of the government.…

    • 1782 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The report outlines the extensive issues that existed prior to the modern land claim negotiations processes, and some of the more recent efforts that the federal government has made in order to regain the trust of Aboriginal communities. This report is authorized by the Canadian government, who holds a wealth of specific details regarding land claim negotiations. In this respect, this source is about as reliable as it gets. The report fully outlines the specific and comprehensive land claim negotiations processes. This source will be instrumental to my understanding of the dialogue that occurs between the government and Aboriginal groups in land claim negotiations. As well, when working on my policy paper, I can refer to some of the legal literature referenced in this report, such as for example, The Indian Act. This can help me to obtain a firm grasp on the ways in which First Nations people have been marginalized in the past, and possible ways that the government can achieve reconciliation with…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sacred Road: A Case Study

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages

    If the Government were to promote and fund volunteers to live on and work with the Native American communities, the change would be phenomenal. In the case of Sacred Road, this organization has been operating for several years nonstop helping to create a social connection with the natives. From my experience with Sacred Road, I have witnessed the effort this organization has put forth to help the natives. Some of the notable projects that Sacred Road has been undergoing is housing. Often As mentioned previously, the reservation living conditions are dismal. During my time in the summer of 2012, my brother-in-law worked in home of a single pregnant mother of three. Besides the normal signs of disrepair such as peeling paint, leaky roof, and refuse, this home featured two bathrooms with nonfunctioning toilets.…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    To contrast the major arguments of The Land of Open Graves and Mohawk Interruptus, is to contrast the different experiences of two major marginalized groups within the wealthy and powerful nations of Canada and the United States. These two ethnographies highlight the discrepancy between the views of marginalization and the actual methods deployed to marginalize; however, what De León and Simpson hope to bring to attention are the forms with which each respective group resists said marginalization. Here is where the commonality is found between the two authors’ main arguments. Audra Simpson on one hand writes the entirety of Mohawk Interruptus as an ethnography of refusal. By doing so, she highlights the will of the Mohawk to resist encroachments…

    • 1536 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ever since it was passed in 1876, the Indian Act has stirred negative feedback. It is a paternalistic and intrusive piece of legislature that essentially controls the political and day-to-day lives of the First Nations people. It is an Aboriginal versus white struggle that has lasted for more than a century. But now this is not entirely true. The indigenous communities of Canada have internalized the contents of the Indian Act and made it Aboriginal versus Aboriginal. This essay will attempt to explain why this reversal has happened and what it has done to the indigenous identity.…

    • 915 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The aboriginal population are one of the most violently oppressed groups in Canada’s History. Some say to advance as a society and reach an equal ground we have to move on looking to a bright future, but some would say to move on we need to address the issues caused by the past that still shadow aboriginal communities today. I firmly believe that to solve the problem, we must fully realise it. I am inclined to believe that this is the land God gave to Cain. “ - Jacques Cartier. This quote from famed Canadian explorer Jacques Cartier explains his thoughts on the land found by him and his crew. It started in 1534, Jacques Cartier a french explorer took one small step for man and pushed the Canadian indigenous 50 steps back. Exploring the St. Lawrence river, Cartier set base. One year later he would find what is now Montreal, welcomed with open arms by the Iroquois people who were already settled there. Cartier and his men would soon continue to search north America for gold and diamonds. Cartier set a standard for Canadian exploration and would be followed by many others. History paints Cartier as a hero, despite the accounts of murder, rape and other crimes committed by him and his crew members. Looking back to the quote, an underlying entitlement based on faith and status must be acknowledged in able to see why the problems are still…

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    the last of the mohicans

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The first nation’s society is different than the European society in more ways than one. Many first nations live in cities, go to work and school, yet their traditional values are still very strong and important. One of their first most…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inuit in the north, specifically in Nunavut, have an agreement with the government that they receive special benefits to help with day-to-day problems because of what happened to their people in the past. It is common knowledge that when explorers and traders first went to the north, they mistreated the aboriginals up there. They introduce alcohol and tobacco, they forced them to become sedentary by killing off their sled dogs and setting up trading booths for fur trades and such, and they quickly made them become “Europeanized”. This is not a proud part of Canadian history, and there have been measures taken to try and make up for the wrongs that were done. One of these measures is preferential hiring for Inuit. Although preferential hiring may seem like a fair arrangement given all that has happened, it is incredibly unjust and creates unnecessary problems.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Oka Crisis

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Prior to the Oka Crisis, land disputes between Natives and other citizens of the country had been widely ignored by the government. Since the Oka Crisis was so large scale it attracted a lot of attention. The Natives could not be marginalized by the government because of the Canada wide reaction drawn by the shocking events. This meant that the Mohawk nation was given a full and most importantly fair trail, over the land dispute. The reaction to the proposal was extreme, but is an almost inevitable outcome after hundreds of years of inequality. The Canadian government was forced to listen to the Natives side, which improved relations because it is one of the first times that there was equal treatment of FNMI and whites. Though the crisis brought about an equal treatment, it is important to acknowledge that there is still much room for improvement between relations, treatment and reconciliation given. The Oka Crisis was necessary for FNMI rights to be recognized, and for the improvement and development of their government…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When exploring both the historical oppression of Native Americans and the race’s current challenges, historians can recognize how Indians are living with the remnants of their past. The United States growth as a nation was at the expense of Native Americans, who suffered through genocide, dislocation, and violence from the white man. The historical trauma Native Americans endured has a cumulative emotional and psychological toll, which the ethnicity experiences today. For many tribes, their history is an obstacle for prospective changes and advancement. In the future, to assist Indians in surmounting the trials and tribulations they face, American citizens must spread awareness of the challenges of life on an Indian reservation and aide the group. The United States must finally disregard the stereotypical image of Indians and instead allow Native Americans to win the battle to maintain their cultural identity and traditions. With determination and resilience, in the future, Native Americans can break through the historical barriers of oppression and enjoy financial, familial, and cultural…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Calgary Flooding Essay

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination3.” Therefore, we should all be getting equal help from the government. This was not the case however, for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. Approximately 300 First Nation residents had taken refuge at the Morley High School and were awaiting the government’s help. The people in Morley say that they were disappointed with the government’s lack of communication in regards to the flood, but are exceedingly grateful for the sympathy of strangers who have donated money, food, and living essentials to the families in need4. Everybody, First Nation or not, deserves the equal amount of assistance and benefits and the government should not be favoring anyone.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The lack of access to clean water in First Nations communities is nothing less of a human rights violation and a warning sign of the lack of environmental justice. Evidently, environmental racism found in the marginalized communities is a due to continuous lack of action from the government, at both the provincial and federal level. This type of negligence and ignorance towards indigenous people causes health impacts as well as loss of culture amongst the community. To sum up, the lack of water rights for British Columbia’s First Nations communities elevates not only human rights issue but more importantly issue that has consequences towards culture and…

    • 1183 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For decades in Canada, officially beginning in 1892, children were taken away from their families and put into schools that would change and take away their views and beliefs, initial knowledge, image, and identity. In the earlier stages, these schools were referred to as Industrial Schools for Indians. Today, we call them Residential Schools with Aboriginal survivors who are able to tell their stories. Aboriginal people suffered while there schools were running. This essay will compare the knowledge in a recent article to primary sources that were written while Industrial Schools were in action. The actions of assimilating Aboriginal people through a strict form of education caused a negative butterfly effect upon the public and Aboriginal population. This act was run by the Canadian government and churches as an act of assimilation through education. The school system performed strict forms of discipline towards the Aboriginal children to civilize them to live through the dominant culture. The method of assimilation was unsuccessful, Aboriginal people…

    • 1546 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Aboriginal Women in Canada

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Barker, J. (2008). Gender, Sovereignty, Rights: Native Women 's Activism against Social Inequality and Violence in Canada. American Quarterly, 60(2), 8. Retrieved fro m http://search.Proquest.com.Ez proxy.library.yorku.ca/docview/61688929?Acc ountid=15182.…

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays