The United Aboriginal Struggle
“Get over it!” A statement that has been repeated time and time again, with regards to Indigenous land. It’s a surprise that Aboriginals want their land back after centuries of not owning it. Is it not? Well, no, it is not. For centuries, the majority of the Indigenous population in Canada has been living in poverty, segregated from Canadian society, and have been given little compensation to show for it--a small payout here, some minor benefits there--yet the real issue, land, is never being addressed properly. Motorcycles and Sweetgrass, as well as 8th Fire thoroughly exhibit the various land-related conflicts that exist between Aboriginals and the rest of Canada, and the impact they are having on Indigenous …show more content…
Again, both mediums portray the same message--that the Canadian government is solely focused on making money, instead of reimbursing Aboriginal communities for their extensive loss. This situation is similar to that of a store that decides to change it’s return policy, the day after each purchase, for the mere purpose of making a profit. The only difference is, in this case, people’s entire lives are being affected. It is pure non-sense. In M & S, this is portrayed by Crystal Park’s extreme interest in preventing the loss of “taxable income on three-hundred acres,” so that the local municipality would vote for her in the subsequent federal election. Although Crystal wanted the same end goal as the local municipality, she wanted it for different reasons. In other words, Ms. Parks needed an approach for her next campaign, and she was willing to use the Indigenous population of Otter Lake as a pawn to do so. However, regardless of the government’s distasteful intentions, Maggie was able to purchase every last acre of said land. All things considered, it becomes a fact that Aboriginal chiefs have various unnecessary difficulties when making, even the simplest of, transactions, yet on occasion they are able to impose their sovereignty. On a similar note, in 1976, Manitoba Hydro started constructing a dam on Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation …show more content…
In other words, both mediums accurately depict the ongoing conflict between Aboriginals and other Canadian citizens; Aboriginals and the government; as well as the critical impact these conflicts are having on the Indigenous population of Canada. And, although there are various measures that can be taken in order to solve these land-related issues, the solution usually seems to be tied to the level of sovereignty that a given government has. If the chief of a First Nations reserve is notably sovereign, it will most-likely contribute to the prosperity of that given
“Get over it!” A statement that has been repeated time and time again, with regards to Indigenous land. It’s a surprise that Aboriginals want their land back after centuries of not owning it. Is it not? Well, no, it is not. For centuries, the majority of the Indigenous population in Canada has been living in poverty, segregated from Canadian society, and have been given little compensation to show for it--a small payout here, some minor benefits there--yet the real issue, land, is never being addressed properly. Motorcycles and Sweetgrass, as well as 8th Fire thoroughly exhibit the various land-related conflicts that exist between Aboriginals and the rest of Canada, and the impact they are having on Indigenous …show more content…
Again, both mediums portray the same message--that the Canadian government is solely focused on making money, instead of reimbursing Aboriginal communities for their extensive loss. This situation is similar to that of a store that decides to change it’s return policy, the day after each purchase, for the mere purpose of making a profit. The only difference is, in this case, people’s entire lives are being affected. It is pure non-sense. In M & S, this is portrayed by Crystal Park’s extreme interest in preventing the loss of “taxable income on three-hundred acres,” so that the local municipality would vote for her in the subsequent federal election. Although Crystal wanted the same end goal as the local municipality, she wanted it for different reasons. In other words, Ms. Parks needed an approach for her next campaign, and she was willing to use the Indigenous population of Otter Lake as a pawn to do so. However, regardless of the government’s distasteful intentions, Maggie was able to purchase every last acre of said land. All things considered, it becomes a fact that Aboriginal chiefs have various unnecessary difficulties when making, even the simplest of, transactions, yet on occasion they are able to impose their sovereignty. On a similar note, in 1976, Manitoba Hydro started constructing a dam on Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation …show more content…
In other words, both mediums accurately depict the ongoing conflict between Aboriginals and other Canadian citizens; Aboriginals and the government; as well as the critical impact these conflicts are having on the Indigenous population of Canada. And, although there are various measures that can be taken in order to solve these land-related issues, the solution usually seems to be tied to the level of sovereignty that a given government has. If the chief of a First Nations reserve is notably sovereign, it will most-likely contribute to the prosperity of that given