The importance of learning is to obtain new information about events not previously known to me. At the same time, studying helps me analyze them and understand their negative and positive aspects. As a consequence, because I have received and assimilated specific knowledge, I have the opportunity to apply it. In case the background information concerns negative phenomena, oppression, and discrimination, learning enables me to prevent past mistakes and develop a fair future.
It is essential to emphasize that knowledge and experiences are precious, especially if they relate to problems that have arisen with family members. Hence, the guest speaker formed his position because of his mother’s encounter with the discrimination of women. At the same time, the mother was trying to restore her lost rights and status in society at the highest and interstate level, which was not a common practice in that period. Although, in fact, there are several cases where women have appealed to the Supreme Court and the United Nations for assistance in obtaining rights that had not been legally restored (File, 2022). Thus, Bill C-31 resulted from such a struggle, and personally, for the speaker means an opportunity for further innovation and resolution of Indigenous rights. Therefore, understanding history and analyzing it motivates individuals to advocate for the reinstatement of their own rights and interests.
It is crucial to be aware of the historical record concerning illegal actions directed at indigenous populations. Although, according to the data provided by Columbus, before the invasion of the native population of Europeans, they had a facilitated system for rights and freedoms and were immune to widespread diseases (File, 2022). At the same time, after twenty-five years, most of the population had been exterminated and exposed to genocide.
In my opinion, even the documents issued by the Pope were aimed at harshly assimilating the indigenous people. Once again, even allowing children to be educated in boarding schools destroyed genetic memory and enforced new thoughts about culture and history. Significantly, the government also enacted the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857 and the Indian Act of 1876 (Hanson, 2022). While the first act assimilated the natives and forced them to abandon their roots, the second act effectively granted Canada the right to dispose of lands and resources belonging to the Indians.
It seems evident that the Europeans were thus imposing their power on the native population. The authority granted to the General Superintendent of Indian Affairs created extraordinary control of Indian status. The consequences of these laws were disobedience from the natives and a desire to regain acquired rights. Although, at first, Aboriginal authorities peacefully petitioned the Canadian government to repeal the discriminatory legislation (Hanson, 2022). I believe that the enactment, the bans on Indian self-identification, and the continuation of discrimination contributed to Aboriginal people’s growing sense of identity and willingness to assert their rights.
Moreover, considering that this act significantly reduced the number of individuals who had Indian status, they lost the right to remain on reservations. Therefore, I think that the change of the land, the renaming of communities, and the transformation of Indian names contributed to the fact that Aboriginal people wanted their land and were not ready to accept the domination of their territory by Europeans. The consequences of such government actions are still being felt today because the aboriginal people have passed on these stories to the next generation as a warning of danger. I should also mention the “Potlatch Law,” In 1884, the federal government banned this festival and other ceremonies (Hanson, 2022). The administration understood that these festivals were significant cultural and social ceremonies for the indigenous population.
As a consequence of assimilation, they wanted to remove this component and grant leniency to those who would surrender their potlatch items, such as valuable masks, costumes, and cauldrons. I think the government thus intended to eradicate any opportunity for Aboriginal identity and, in the long run, to eliminate the transmission of oral histories between generations and even parts of the tribe (Hanson, 2022). Although, I consider that such a design did not materialize because the indigenous population had a great desire to reinstate the rights violated and prevent such a situation in the future.
World War II’s effects contributed to the concept of human rights and citizens recognizing Native people as the most disadvantaged in the country. In my view, this change occurred because Aboriginal people also participated in the war, which demonstrated their unification as a nation, even though attempts to exterminate them lasted for several centuries. The consequence of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights led to revising the Indian Act in 1951 (Hanson, 2022). That is, indigenous people received the rights previously withdrawn from them, they were permitted to vote, hold rituals and festivals, and women were afforded non-discriminatory treatment. Accordingly, it marked the beginning of a massive struggle against discrimination against Aboriginal women in society; it contributes to the fact that in the democratic world, it is finally possible to abolish the Indian Act.