For Native Americans and First Nations members, being forgotten or disposed of in the name of progress is not unprecedented. A history of genocide, oppression, and homogenization by white people cannot be ignored when discussing the way these societies changed, nor can it be ignored when analyzing the way the aboriginal people of North America have been assessed within academic circles. Too often the basic knowledge established to build a foundation for continued learning is established by non-Native, typically white persons. These individuals create texts and terminology that Native Americans and First Nations people have not only criticized but outright denounced. The voices of these people, which should be those listened to the most, end
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Since colonization began in America, with it has come the direct oppression of Native Americans by their white western colonizers. Examples of this include mass genocide and rape, as well as numerous subsequent legal abuses designed to indoctrinate and suppress native identity, such as the creation of Native American residential schools and the outlawing of Native American spiritual practices in order to assist in Christian indoctrination (Lehavot 50). This Christianized schooling of Native youth has resulted in the dissolvement of much of the history involving those who identify outside of these traditional Western roles, many of which once held such individuals in high esteem and revered them in society (Cameron 124). Not only are these histories erased, but frequently they are replaced with experiences of sexual abuse in such schools. Native Americans report higher rates of abuse due to their minority status and devaluement by the legal system. Although the majority of pedophiles are heterosexual men, experiences of same-sex sexual abuse lead many of these youths to associate homosexuality with these experiences. This leads heightened levels prejudice and fear in Native American communities, which can go largely unchecked due to the homophobic and transphobic rhetoric preached during the Christianization of the now Elders. As Michelle Cameron, author of “Two-Spirited Aboriginal People: Continuing Cultural Appropriation By Non-Aboriginal Society,” puts it, “two-spirited Aboriginal people experience intersecting oppressions”, both as Aboriginal and queer individuals (Cameron
Since colonization began in America, with it has come the direct oppression of Native Americans by their white western colonizers. Examples of this include mass genocide and rape, as well as numerous subsequent legal abuses designed to indoctrinate and suppress native identity, such as the creation of Native American residential schools and the outlawing of Native American spiritual practices in order to assist in Christian indoctrination (Lehavot 50). This Christianized schooling of Native youth has resulted in the dissolvement of much of the history involving those who identify outside of these traditional Western roles, many of which once held such individuals in high esteem and revered them in society (Cameron 124). Not only are these histories erased, but frequently they are replaced with experiences of sexual abuse in such schools. Native Americans report higher rates of abuse due to their minority status and devaluement by the legal system. Although the majority of pedophiles are heterosexual men, experiences of same-sex sexual abuse lead many of these youths to associate homosexuality with these experiences. This leads heightened levels prejudice and fear in Native American communities, which can go largely unchecked due to the homophobic and transphobic rhetoric preached during the Christianization of the now Elders. As Michelle Cameron, author of “Two-Spirited Aboriginal People: Continuing Cultural Appropriation By Non-Aboriginal Society,” puts it, “two-spirited Aboriginal people experience intersecting oppressions”, both as Aboriginal and queer individuals (Cameron