Transcript Imposition of Liberalism - Kierstead's St. Andrew's Web Page

Specific Outcome 2.11 – Students will
examine perspectives on the imposition of
liberalism (Aboriginal experiences,
contemporary events)
First Nations, Inuit and Métis people?
• NA First Nations
• Live in peace and harmony
for survival
• Co-operation brings group
strength
• Traditional territories used to
benefit the collective
• Share land and resources to
provide necessities of life
• Individuals are given the
choice to learn to live in
respectful relationships
• Each person is sacred and
complete
• European liberal
worldview
• Keep the peace
• Gain allies to use
strategically
• Acquire land and
resources/private property
• Capitalism/competition
• Change = progress
• Self-Interest
• Differing aspects of worldview that have influenced the
relationships between Europeans and First Nations in Canada
from the mid-1600’s to the present.
• The imposition of liberal understandings of treaties by the
government of Canada was compounded by some government
leaders who did not honour treaties. The believed that their
European liberal ideology was superior to that of the First
Nations and did not consider First Nations people to be
‘sovereign’.
First Nations
Government of Canada
• Treaties are agreements
• Treaties are agreements
made between sovereign
made by interested
nations, upheld by oral
parties, upheld by written
tradition
documents
• Relationship with the land is of
• Land is a resource that
a collective and spiritual
can be owned by
nature; land is provided by
the creator, and people are
individuals for their
to exist in harmony with the
exclusive use
land
• Treaties were established
• Treaties were established to
to “clear the way” for
share the land with the
European settlement
newcomers
• The Royal proclamation of 1763 determined that First Nations
had the right to govern themselves and negotiate with the crown
as sovereign nations, The government could not just take land
without negotiating and purchasing the land or reaching an
agreement through a treaty.
• HOWEVER, after the introduction of the Indian Act of 1876
governments could ignore First Nations political institutions and
other forms of government.
• The Indian Act of 1876 was used to control the behavior of First
Nations People and remove cultural traditions and customs. It
actively eroded First Nations peoples’ collective rights through
its policies of assimilating FN people into the more
individualistic liberal society.
• The Indian Act of 1876 has been amended many times, but
never abolished.
• While it was intended as an instrument of assimilation, the
Indian Act also provides certain perspectives for First Nations.
These conflicting goals, along with multiple perspectives of
Aboriginal self government, make changing the Indian Act
complicated.
• First nations leaders have resisted the application of all aspects
of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to First Nations. The
Charter imposes Western Liberal Values, some f which, conflict
with their own and restrict their ability to be self-governing.
1. Choose 3 sources to compare and contrast each view of the
potlatch using this chart:
Source For/Against
Reasoning Aspects of Worldview that are reflected
2. How could the banning of the potlatch by the government be
seen as an imposition of liberal worldview and values of
individualism?
3. Which source and POV most strongly aligns with your own?
• Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan page 235
• Source Analysis of cartoons on page 235
• Page 236-237
• Hand out and article review