Australian Public Service

Drew Hayden Taylor’s Sir John A: Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion, tells the history of Canada’s Indigenous People. The play shows how Canadian Confederation created a lot of resentment and mistreatment for Indigenous people which is still felt today. The play is divided between two different eras; 19th century Canada with Sir John A MacDonald and present day where the characters debate MacDonald’s legacy and the impact of his policies. MacDonald’s character describes important historical…

Aboriginal Youth, the Criminal Justice System, and the Evolution into a Better Canada In a country where our education, laws, and overall societal structures are based on a colonial perspective, Harold Johnson offers an Aboriginal outlook on how First Nations people have lived and struggled under a colonialist Canada. In his book Two Families: Treaties and Government, Johnson examines several issues faced by Aboriginal people today and how a colonial system still contributes to the despair of…

Neal McLeod’s “Rethinking Treaty Six” focuses on the creation and results of Treaty Six while documents 2.3, 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7 in Keith Smith’s Strange Visitors focuses on Treaty 7; both accounts highlight how there are different views of the treaties impact depending on the document and party involved. Written accounts were from the British perspective who imposed regulations while oral accounts were from Indigenous people who had to endure dire conditions following the treaties. Smith’s primary…

Otomí masks have changed and developed over time. There are many cultural shifts that have occurred that altered the Otomí masking traditions. The masks that were once used for maintaining social order, connecting with the spirit world through magic, represented symbols, and told great myths, have become more theatrical and less ritualistic. Many Mexican indigenous groups no longer practice shamanistic rituals, but many contemporary uses of masks continue to incorporate shamanistic elements.…

that belonging is considered a fundamental aspect of being human, that belonging is an ambiguous concept which can offer individuals a sense of identity, security and partnership, and that these idea of belonging have played a significant role in Australian lives for years? From Polish migrants in the 1950s to aborigines over the last hundred years, millions of poets have chosen this concept as a foundation to their work. In fact, one of these poets is a very important aboriginal voice; Oodgeroo…

The given extract is a speech delivered by Stan Grant on Racism and Australian dream in 2016 at Ethics Centre, Sydney, Australia. He primarily targets the audience belonging to Australia. With the use sarcastic and confronting tone speaker expresses his disappointment and serve his purpose to inform the audience about the historical brutality suffered by the aborigines with the use rhetorical questions, anaphora, and juxtaposition. Stan Grant at the start of his speech uses rhetorical question…

In our society, Natives face systematic racism on a daily basis. From early on, they were confronted to discrimination. In the 19th century, the Canadian government completely ignored their needs and mistreated them. James Daschuk provides in his writing his thesis as to why tension rose between the two ethnic groups. His writings are quite complete and convincing, but yet lack coherence. Sidney Harring presents in his writing quite different aspects and many similarities regarding the reason…

Documenting Culture on the Map of Canada: Samuel Hearne’s Eurocentric Values Unknown territory left explorers eager to make it comprehensible, “I drew a Map…but left the interior parts blank, to be filled up.” (Brown and Bennett 28) One of these explorers was Samuel Hearne, a European explorer who arrived in Canada at the age of 21. In Hearne’s published exploration narrative, A Journey from Prince of Wales’s Fort in Hudson’s Bay to the Northern Ocean, he describes his encounters with the…

audiences by exposing the hidden fallacies embedded within historical past. Portrayed through personal and public agendas, the process of representation evokes awareness amongst readers by compelling them to revaluate their own perspectives in their political sphere. Inherent in Henry Reynold’s memoir, Why Weren’t We Told (1999) is a representation of society’s attitudes towards race relations in Australian history, reflecting flaws of the communal ‘white blindfold’ perception of Aboriginal…

This Struggle is Real: Grassy Narrows is a Legacy of Destruction, Not a Movie Introduction The story of the Grassy Narrows mercury contamination could have been taken directly from a Hollywood movie, but it is not a movie it is an enduring legacy. This tragedy has affected both young and old members of this First Nation community for many years. Grassy Narrows, Ontario, is located in the Kenora District on the English-Wabigoon river system, 89 kilometres northeast of Kenora (Bray,…