Indigenous Studies Reflection

Reflecting back on September I was apprehensive and uncertain about this class for a few reasons. I had always viewed history from an ethnocentric European perspective as was exposed to myself in school and at home. In high school, Native Studies was optional and I choose to take Canadian Studies instead. In elementary school, most of my teachers either skipped these units entirely or just briefly skimmed over what was required without going into any depth. I had never learned about Original Peoples from this perspective. Prior to this class I struggled to make meaningful connections to my own life with respect to my understanding of Original Peoples. I was stuck in a position where I did not see the value of taking this class in relation to my personal life.
At the beginning I struggled to see why Indigenous Studies is my history. Part of this I believe stems from my high school years. Now …show more content…
I still do not and will not ever understand how this happened and after hundreds of years still stands in court. The Doctrine of Discovery has really shook my relationship with the Church which has already been on rocky grounds since my high school graduation last year. This doctrine was the tipping point in my recent appreciation that being a follower of Jesus does not need to coincide with following the Church. Jesus was a middle-eastern Jewish radical that spent His time with the outcasts of society. He was love and I am not convinced anymore that the Roman Catholic Church embodies this love. The colonization was not done in Jesus’ name as it was for the sole benefit of the Church gaining power. Which is why I am a big believer in Jesus but not in religion anymore. It is infuriating to have allowed myself to build up such a large portion of my values, and world view that have shaped who I am without ever being told about the wrong doings the Church and so called “Christians” are accountable