Letters about wonder and learning

Canada is among those nations that is rich in its cultural and ethnic diversity. However,

indigenous and aboriginal issues can be at the forefront in any society that is not sufficiently

capable or successful in handling them. Indigenous people such as the aboriginal population in

Canada is among those groups that is keen on maintaining awareness about the history of their

people in the context of the Canadian territory. This is important not only for the aboriginals of

Canada, but for all other social groups throughout history and the world that have somehow

experienced past, recent, or ongoing large-scale injustices. For instance, we know that the United

States has has a rocky relationship with Native Americans ever since the arrival of the very first

settlers on the continent. The same is true for Canada to some extent, although there are certain

differences such as the scope and extent of violence and oppression that was exhibited at those

times.

The issue of the Aboriginal title is also an issue that has a direct impact on everyday

dealings in Canada. For instance, it impacts private property interests (Hanson 2009). Many land

decisions in Canada are made according to considerations towards past inhabitants of the region

that may have been aboriginal, as well as potential historical injustices that may have resulted in

unjust expulsion from lands.

Even though oppression of indigenous people or other minority groups is a thing of the

past in Canada, this does not negate the fact that there are still a lot of stereotypes and cliches

that have been left behind from earlier times. This stereotypes and cliches about certain people

need to be a topic of public discussion for the reason that they have a potentially negative effect

on the aboriginal people of Canada. There stereotypes can be harmful in the sense that they can
instill inaccurate and outright false assumptions and perception regarding people, which may be

completely unfounded and ignorant at the same tie.

I found the video by director Thomas King to be very interesting in the context of how

current aboriginal people are fitting into the modern Canadian landscape (King 2007). The video

is called Im not the Indian you had in mind, and it involved several people of aboriginal origin

reciting a poem. The purpose of the poem is to address the many stereotypes that aboriginals are

currently facing in society, as well as to draw attention to the fact that they are not grounded in

reality. Instead of the traditional attires and practices that might be imagined and associated

when the words indian or aboriginal are heard, the viewers are instead presented with people that

are dressed in the typical and everyday attire that we can see any other Canadian in the streets to

be dressed in. The video also makes use of a lot of stock footage, movies, and animations that

demonstrate how aboriginals have been perceived and treated in the media and in the public eye

in general.

There have been many commendable efforts by various individuals in promoting

awareness and knowledge about aboriginals, their history, their cultural practices, and their

current integration into todays modern society. One example of this is Michael Rileys

contribution to the topic in the form of an exhibition of photographs. Riley is renowned for the

powerful images that he has taken, which excellently capture the essence of Canadian aboriginal

cultures and practices, as well as their progress, achievements, and successes in all major fields

pertaining to society (Radford 2006).

There are also organizations that are dedicated solely to the recovery of lands that are

considered to rightfully and historically belong to indigenous people of Canada. One example is

the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, which describes itself as a national, community-based
organization focused on American Indian land recovery and management (About Us 2017).

Such organization represent an important contribution to the efforts to restore justice where it has

been taken away.

There are also many important contributions by individual artists, such as Oodgero

Noonuccal, a poet from North Stradbroke Island. She became famous in the 60s with her work

which mainly highlighted the political and social injustices that were perpetrated against

minority groups, particularly native populations (Oodgeroo Noonuccal 2017). In addition to

her creative work, she also engaged in a lot of activism with the goal of personally and directly

contributing to lasting just changes in society. Considering their current fame as well as the

current state of affairs, it is safe to say that Oodgeroo succeeded in doing so. Her efforts and

overall legacies have served as an inspiration for many subsequent generations that have also

been impacted or cared enough about aboriginal issues in order to get engaged into action for

lasting change.

What I have learned so far in the course of these classes is that many global indigenous

issues are more complex than they may seem at first hand. Very often the claims that are made

are in search of restoring past injustices, which continue to have a direct impact on their

descendants to this day. Global indigenous studies, and the surrounding ethical questions, are

issues that need to be explored broadly and deeply by everyone, because they make sense for any

society regardless of its history or location.

Works Cited

About Us. Indian Land Tenure, 2017, https://iltf.org/about-us/. 23 April 2017.

Hanson, Erin. Aboriginal Title. Indigeneous Foundation, 2009,
http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/aboriginal_title/. 23 April 2017.

King, Thomas. Im Not the Indian You Had in Mind. National Screen Institute, 2007,
http://www.nsi-canada.ca/2012/03/im-not-the-indian-you-had-in-mind/. Online Video. 23
April 2017.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Australian Poetry Library, 2017,

https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/noonuccal-oodgeroo. 23 April 2017.

Radford, Ron. Michael Riley. Sights Unseen, 2006, https://nga.gov.au/Exhibition/Riley/. 23

April 2017.