In BC; Summer generally heralds the arrival of all things beautiful. The season lends more green to our forest and mountains, our streams flow with more gusto, sunshine deepens the colour of our lakes and this all contributes to this swell of joy and pride that we live on this land and its bounty of nature.
This year was different. There was a heaviness in the air and I am not talking about the wild fires or the heat waves we had to experience. It is the mystery and history of dark secrets within our promised land. The emerging evidence behind the tales being told for decades which is made the air thick. The discovery of the mass graves at the site of residential schools in Kamloops, BC and Cowess, Saskatchewan, Cranbrook and who know where else has forced us to see our very dear country in a new light. How do we celebrate our home and native (or adopted) land without acknowledging that the evidence is literally coming from the grave(s) that as a nation we haven’t been as sacrosanct as we may like to believe?
How do we instill pride in relatively newer immigrants and settlers of colour who have aspired for years to reach this land of opportunity without a deep reflection on opportunities denied to generations of indigenous people.
Immigrant populations can relate to issues of dominant ethno-centric practices as they come in clash with their own. But I don’t think there is recognition that as newer arrivals, we also benefit from some of the land policies of the original settlers whereas our indigenous populations continue to feel the negative harms.
Many of us come from unequal societies where inequities are accepted as an inevitable part of life and we take pride that Canada as a country represents much more equitable and egalitarian values.
Somewhere along the line, we pick up on the fact that Canada has not been perfect in its treatment of the indigenous people. But most of us don’t realize how dark and dirty this secret is. There are fledgling steps in introducing this very important piece of history in schools, universities and general immigrant settlement and language programs but there is very little analysis provided on how some of the historical injustices towards indigenous people impacts their present opportunity and plight.
As we are by and large ignorant, many of us have become passive spectators. We see indigenous issues as something not connected to our mainstream life. We watch news stories on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and their findings. We watch the stories of missing and murdered indigenous women. The over representation of the indigenous population in our criminal justice system and indigenous children in the child protection system. The stories of protests on energy projects without really finding meaningful understanding on some of the issues. We feel very removed from any responsibility and rely on others to make things right.
I think with each discovery of unmarked graves or mass graves there should be sharpened consciousness that each of us no matter when we came to Canada have to start with a duty to learn about our indegenous people so that they can start the journey to thrive in their own lands which we call home now.
