Transcript Aboriginal Peoples in Victorian Canada

ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN
VICTORIAN CANADA
Queen Victoria
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1837-1901
Attitude and behavior
set the standard in
British Empire.
Advancements in
technology and
medicine  not all
benefited
Victorian Times: How did people
view Indians?
Positive
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Warrior
Noble
Strong
Smart
Negative
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Savage
Animal
Uncivilized
Land Issues
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Forced onto Reserves as European
Immigration and settlement occurred
1857 Gradual Civilization Act
Assimilation was the goal:
 by making Aboriginals citizens
Full citizenship is called enfranchisement
 If they became citizens, they would lose
their rights they’d already attained (treaty
rights, protected status)
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Indian Act 1876
Defined “who was an Indian”
 What rights they had in Canada
 Made Aboriginal Peoples the
“responsibility” or “wards” of the
government
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1885 Ceremonies banned
Ceremonies and rituals such as
the Potlatch and Sundance are
made illegal
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Residential Schools
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http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/society/ed
ucation/a-lost-heritage-canadas-residentialschools/a-new-future-for-children-at-james-bayresidential-school.html
Residential Schooling
Common Rules
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For failing a test - no food for a day
For disobedience, and rude or disorderly conduct - no
food or water for a day, a beating (with a stick on the
back), extra garden work
For speaking first language - (first offence) no supper (second offence) no supper and beating
* For going off by yourself (without another student
present) - several hours of kneeling alone on a rock floor
where all can see.
Residential Schooling
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Children were taken away to schools run
by various churches and funded by the
government
First Nations languages were prohibited;
along with traditional religious practices
were forbidden
Dr. Duncan Campbell Scott - 1920
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I want to get rid of the Indian problem. Our
objective is to continue until there is not a
single Indian in Canada that has not been
absorbed into the body politic and there is no
Indian question, and no Indian
Department...”
St Paul’s IRS (North Vancouver)
Residential Schooling
Sexual and physical abuse common
 Last school did not close until 1990s
 When they got out, many did not find
acceptance in cities and felt
unconnected to their own communities
 Legacy of abuse remained
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60’s scoop  children still taken away from their
homes as parents were seen as unfit
What responsibility does the
current Canadian government
have to address this injustice of the
past?
 What should/could be done?
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http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire//2011/11/in
digenious-in-the-city.html