Indigenous Peoples Research Paper

The group projects were a real eye opener for myself. Although, I previously understood that colonization has had devastating consequences on Original Peoples in North America I did not make the connections on a global scale. Now it is easy to see the common paths of destruction colonization uses to divide the human family. When greed and a thirst for power become the backbone of a community morals get put aside in a desperate quest for wealth. This creates a class struggle that places all of the power in the hands of those with money. The race to wealth robbed Original Peoples around the world of their ancestral lands and ways of life which were replaced by the dominant culture of the Europeans. The colonized become the colonizers. My research into the Maori of New Zealand in collaboration with the findings of my peers’ paint a similar picture of colonization’s consequences with respect to what happened on Turtle Island. One of the common themes that I gathered from this project is how devastating the loss of ancestral land is to Indigenous Peoples worldwide. With the loss of land came severe consequences to Indigenous ways of life that flourished on an …show more content…
I disagree. Prior to contact Indigenous Peoples had technology to survive and thrive in their own unique ways of life. Stone tools, using ocean swells as guides, natural medications, and governance structures in place allowed the people to live sustainable and full lives. Contact has largely not benefited Indigenous Peoples. Although, the mistakes of the past cannot be undone future genocides can be prevented by allowing uncontacted groups around the world to remain that way and to protect their ecosystems. Regardless, I have a hard time labelling a society that would trample over a homeless person outside during winter at Cornwall to save $5 on a shirt on Black Friday as