Why Say Settler Analysis

Much like many other minority groups, Indigenous people have been subjected to the harsh reality of being minorities for many decades. It is the common misrepresentations and stereotypes that indigenous people have faced throughout history and even to this day, that have led to the abuse, violence, racism and loss of land that these groups have been subjected to. But it is the misrepresentations surrounding Indigenous people, such as the idea that they are the “settlers”, that they have “encroached” upon our land, or that they are violent and un-welcoming, that have created the stereotypes portrayed by the mass media and certain historical events. What one must also remember is that these issues are not only a part of the past, but are still …show more content…
In the text “Why Say Settler?” it is argued that “Canada remains colonial by dishonouring treaties, systematically discriminating against Indigenous peoples, maintaining reserves as economically marginalized and politically disempowered, and not doing nearly enough to address the present-day effects of historical warfare, murder, and policies of assimilation”. To this day, the Natives are subjected to harsh stereotypes caused by historical events, as well as unfair representations created by the mass media. It is these representations as well as the dominant ideology of colonialism that have caused the many cases of police brutality, cases such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, racism and violence towards the Natives. One may even witness this violence in the film “Kanehsatake: 270 years of resistance”, where 75 Mohawk men and women were harmed during the Oka Crisis and one elderly man was unjustly killed. On August 28th 1990, there was an attack on Mohawk Convoy in Kanehsatake, where 500 people gathered together to throw rocks at the Mohawk vehicles, smashing windows and injuring the people inside, and …show more content…
Canada is supposed to be a country built on the idea of sovereignty, peacefulness and acceptance, but when it comes down to the way we as a country treat the First Nations Peoples, we are far from any of those things. The argument on how the Natives helped build Canada throughout history is also a large part of where the hatred and ignorance towards Indigenous Peoples come from. Some believe that the Natives were harsh and unwelcoming to the Europeans, while other believe they were nothing but kind and helpful. When looking at this issue through both the Conservative and Liberal views, there is a very large contrast. The Conservative view argues that we must “ignore the complexity of Indigenous politics, economics, international relationships, kinship and social structures, technologies and traditional knowledge, and oral and written histories and cultures”, whereas the Liberal and progressive approach to Indigenous rights and issues argues that “Indegenous peoples are held up as key contributors and are part of what makes Canada such a distinct, successful, and special