“As long as the sun shines, the grass flows and the rivers flow” (jamessmithcreenation, n.d.). With over two hundred thousand members living in Canada, the Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations in Canada and in North America. The James Smith Cree Nation is a diversion of the Cree Nation; a Cree First Nation band government. An agreement between band governments of First Nations at Fort Carlton over owned territory; current provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta (Postl et al. 2010). At the time of the treaty, the population of the James Smith Cree Nation was at about 134 members and had grown to a population of roughly 3,400 members with an estimated 1,900 members on the reserve (jamessmithcreenation, n.d.). The James Smith Cree
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The use of several stereotypes is how they often exemplify their culture whether it is the wise elder, the drunk or the loyal side kick. Aboriginals are also deemed as primitive, violent and devious, or passive and submissive which becoming the main characteristics in several movies, television shows and comic books. The lack of historical information that are in such movies and television shows goes to show that they are not taken seriously and that their options on the matter do not even trouble the public. For over a hundred years, Westerns and documentaries have shaped the public’s perception of Native people. The wise elder (Little Big Man); the drunk (Tom Sawyer); the Indian princess (Pocahontas); the loyal sidekick (Tonto)—these images have become engrained in the consciousness of every North American (mediasmarts, n.d.). The mere fact that these stereotypes are the today’s norms and how we truly view aboriginal goes to show the impact it has on them as they are not given an opportunity to speak for themselves. Trying to improve the portrayals of aboriginal people in the 1980s and 1990s, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) with their platform introduced television dramas Spirit Bay, The Beachcombers, North of 60 and The Rez using Native actors to portray their own people, living real lives and earning believable livelihoods in identifiable parts of the country. Overcoming such stereotypes was an uphill battle one in which the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) made more promising. This battle of getting rid of the stereotypes concerning the First Nations was also made known by former Prime Minster of Canada Stephen Harper as he publicly apologized for the way they have been treated over the
The use of several stereotypes is how they often exemplify their culture whether it is the wise elder, the drunk or the loyal side kick. Aboriginals are also deemed as primitive, violent and devious, or passive and submissive which becoming the main characteristics in several movies, television shows and comic books. The lack of historical information that are in such movies and television shows goes to show that they are not taken seriously and that their options on the matter do not even trouble the public. For over a hundred years, Westerns and documentaries have shaped the public’s perception of Native people. The wise elder (Little Big Man); the drunk (Tom Sawyer); the Indian princess (Pocahontas); the loyal sidekick (Tonto)—these images have become engrained in the consciousness of every North American (mediasmarts, n.d.). The mere fact that these stereotypes are the today’s norms and how we truly view aboriginal goes to show the impact it has on them as they are not given an opportunity to speak for themselves. Trying to improve the portrayals of aboriginal people in the 1980s and 1990s, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) with their platform introduced television dramas Spirit Bay, The Beachcombers, North of 60 and The Rez using Native actors to portray their own people, living real lives and earning believable livelihoods in identifiable parts of the country. Overcoming such stereotypes was an uphill battle one in which the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) made more promising. This battle of getting rid of the stereotypes concerning the First Nations was also made known by former Prime Minster of Canada Stephen Harper as he publicly apologized for the way they have been treated over the