First Nations People Analysis

An Analysis of the Portrayal of First Nations People in Canada
(Question 4) In many Canadian schools, students are taught about this mysterious culture where people who have been living in Canada for over many years have a different way of living from the rest of us. This is what many students tend to believe after taking a history class in school. However, Dion Fletcher argues that this dehumanizes the First Nations people since they are being reduced to people who simply where clothing made of fur. I will begin by analyzing how schools are teaching students to view the First Nations people as having exotic traditions without actually teaching them of the years of oppression they have suffered. I will then discuss the importance of teaching …show more content…
It is important for students to be aware and to discuss complex issues such as the trauma of residential schools. By creating “established borders” (Dion Fletcher, p. 343), we tend to box their culture into materialistic aspects like wearing a headdress. There are certain parts of the culture that non-First Nations people will pick and choose but this is not appropriate. A culture shouldn’t be focused on solely for its materialistic components. There are implications that come with wearing a headdress. Teachers need to go beyond the materialistic aspects of the First Nations people and focus on current issues that are disregarded. Distancing ourselves from the history can also impact First Nations people themselves. Dion Fletcher mentions that as a child, she was told to “forget being Indian and simply act white” (p. 345). Many First Nations children go through an identity confusion by not being taught about their culture. Although they may recognize that they are different from someone from another background, they either have trouble identifying themselves as a part of a particular culture or they may have negative perceptions with the First Nation culture after being taught that wild Indians are dangerous. Yet, their own family members would be First Nations. We should be critical of the current curriculum but teachers have …show more content…
Although they are taught in several outlooks such as anti-racist, multiculturalist and also a cultural emancipatory approach, students are still not taught about the effects of colonization. Themes such as oppression, power and superiority should be addressed and for this, teachers need to talk about the relationship between First Nations People and non-First Nations people. To address this situation, teachers should first discuss the impact of colonialism. They should also focus on using the perspective of the First Nations people. Students are being taught about First Nations culture through the Eurocentric curriculum even though it was the European colonists that initiated the conflict. Thus, students should be taught about the First Nations people by First Nations people themselves. There are many articles, movies and so forth produced by First Nations people. By introducing works by them, it will allow students to see First Nations people as beings like themselves rather than the Romantic Mythical Being. In conclusion, it is important for teachers to go beyond seeing the First Nations people as fabled beings and should instead focus on teaching their students to be aware of complex issues surrounding the First Nations community, and to discuss recent affairs rather than simply focus on specific aspects