Weighing in on the big questions

Page 9

Can non-Aboriginal people define Aboriginal people? This was the topic of class the other day. It really got me thinking.

Now, I am far from being the voice that is the end all and be all of our people, and I can never say what is and what isn't, but this is what we discussed.

I saw all of it like this. It was broken down to an essentialist argument versus a constructionalist argument, basically meaning, is there a core person inside us all, or are we made up from our memories? I mean, if I were made from my memories and I were to live a totally different life, then I wouldn't be who I am today . . . or would I? If I took that same argument, I would argue that if I took my mind and placed it into another body, I would still be me.

It all goes back to Dante's theory that we think, therefore we are. No matter what, we are essentially pure thought,luminescent beings trapped in a mortal coil. If you took that same essence of me and placed it into another body, I would still be me. I may have different memories and may act different, but there is still a core of me that is me.

Another viewpoint I argued was that from a group collective. If you look back through history, there are a ton of examples of other races trying to define, harm and undermine each other. Once classic example of this is Hitler's Nazi regime and the Jews in the Second World War. The Nazis used hate propaganda to define the Jews as less than human. Hitler argued that the Jews were responsible for the death of Christ. The Nazis took away the Jews' rights, they abused their human rights, and tried their hardest to exterminate the Jewish people. No matter what, this didn't change the Jews view of themselves. It may have influenced their culture, but it in no way defined them as people. In the end, it added to their sense of identity and gave them something to be proud of -they had survived the holocaust and still retained their culture and pride. They knew who they were; they knew they weren't animals. Despite being rounded into concentration camps, they still practiced their religion and spoke their language. It brought them closer together as a people.

Another example is the case of Black slavery in the States. Despite being forced to work as slaves, their culture was still retained and they knew that one day, they would be free. They knew that, despite the hardships they faced then, and despite being treated as an 'inferior' race, they were people who deserved more, and they fought and won their right to equality.

Which brings us back to home, Canada, Aboriginal people, and residential schools. This was slightly different, in my opinion, because Aboriginal people's culture was being directly attacked. The government deliberately attempted cultural genocide. They wanted to educate the savages. The deputy minister of Indian Affairs back then was even quoted as saying that their policy was to drive out the Indian culture and language from our people so we could join mainstream society. Unlike other cultures in Canada who immigrated here, we were given no chance to retain our culture. The English, Dutch, French, Italians and, whoever, were all allowed to hold onto their previous culture, unlike Aboriginal people. It gives a whole new twist to Canada's pride about being so culturally tolerant. We weren't allowed to become Canadians. We were forced to feel ashamed of our past and culture in the schools. We were made Canadians.

Still, to look around today, after the grandfathers had fought so hard for the rights we have today, we can still proudly say that we are still Aboriginal people after all that. We still know who we are and where we come from. We still have our language and our customs. So, in the end, I believe that while a non-Aboriginal culture may have influenced us, they in no way defined us. If they hadn't come along, we still would have been aware of our culture. And, as we have proved, despite the attempted erasure of our ways, we stil know who we are.

I can in no way say that non-Aboriginal people can define Aboriginal people. It's something to remember the next time you read a poem, article, or document regarding Aboriginal people. Always to question. Always to reject conformity of society. Aho.