If you have read my last blog, you will know that my class was doing a research project on Aboriginal people. My topic was kind of hard and was a lot of information to pull in. (check the website I posted last blog). But now I will share with you what I have learned. It's actually quite interesting so I suggest you read on...
I've always loved watching the movies and seeing the "Indians" dance around the fire, banging on drums, dancing, and laughing. Sadly this is not a reality. Firstly, they are not Indians. Indians live in India. But secondly, Aboriginal's have had a much tougher life than that. We came in and pushed them in to a little tiny space which they were not used to. Today, they are called reserves. Small communities of Aboriginals surviving in very poor living conditions. Their water is not always ok to drink, they have a lot of people living in their homes because they live together in big families, and they don't have many grocery stores so they can't go out and buy good food. Now does your life sound any better? You should stop complaining about how you have "no food" in your fridge. Sorry if I sound like your mom. Another unfair problem Aboriginals have is their budgets. The budget in reserves are quite insane. Click here to see what they are like because it is not right.
Another thing I learned about is residential schools. They were made and advertised to Aboriginal parents saying that they were a great school that will give their children an education. But they were much worse than advertised. For example,they couldn't leave the school to go home every night like you do. They were kept there all year and sometimes didn't even go home for the summer. You're probably thinking, "well that probably isn't too bad," but when they were there, it wasn't just a nice, cozy school like we have (even though they stayed there all year). It was terrible there. Why? There was so much abuse in the schools. They beat the children, they told them everything they didn't want to hear, and they separated they boys and the girls. If you had a brother or sister, you were not aloud to see them. You could only look at them from across the room when they had meals. There was also no health care. If you were sick, they'd beat even more until you got better. They were barely fed, if you threw up they'd make you eat it. And at night? The heating in their room didn't always work so they'd freeze in the night. The guys were forced to work in the fields but they never saw the food that they grew, it was not for them.
Residential schools no longer exist in Ontario. Other parts of Canada? I'm not quite sure. Are they still around in other parts of the world? That, my friend, is why we have the internet and history books.
But this is what Aboriginal people suffered through for many years, this, and much more. Too many Canadians do not know what has happened and what is happening. "People look at their tv and say 'oh my gosh that's horrible,' and they go on eating their dinners." (quote from 'Hotel Rwanda'). This applies to what I am trying to say today. Raise awareness and let people know. I want to forget what I've heard, but I need to share it. There you go.
I've always loved watching the movies and seeing the "Indians" dance around the fire, banging on drums, dancing, and laughing. Sadly this is not a reality. Firstly, they are not Indians. Indians live in India. But secondly, Aboriginal's have had a much tougher life than that. We came in and pushed them in to a little tiny space which they were not used to. Today, they are called reserves. Small communities of Aboriginals surviving in very poor living conditions. Their water is not always ok to drink, they have a lot of people living in their homes because they live together in big families, and they don't have many grocery stores so they can't go out and buy good food. Now does your life sound any better? You should stop complaining about how you have "no food" in your fridge. Sorry if I sound like your mom. Another unfair problem Aboriginals have is their budgets. The budget in reserves are quite insane. Click here to see what they are like because it is not right.
Another thing I learned about is residential schools. They were made and advertised to Aboriginal parents saying that they were a great school that will give their children an education. But they were much worse than advertised. For example,they couldn't leave the school to go home every night like you do. They were kept there all year and sometimes didn't even go home for the summer. You're probably thinking, "well that probably isn't too bad," but when they were there, it wasn't just a nice, cozy school like we have (even though they stayed there all year). It was terrible there. Why? There was so much abuse in the schools. They beat the children, they told them everything they didn't want to hear, and they separated they boys and the girls. If you had a brother or sister, you were not aloud to see them. You could only look at them from across the room when they had meals. There was also no health care. If you were sick, they'd beat even more until you got better. They were barely fed, if you threw up they'd make you eat it. And at night? The heating in their room didn't always work so they'd freeze in the night. The guys were forced to work in the fields but they never saw the food that they grew, it was not for them.
Residential schools no longer exist in Ontario. Other parts of Canada? I'm not quite sure. Are they still around in other parts of the world? That, my friend, is why we have the internet and history books.
But this is what Aboriginal people suffered through for many years, this, and much more. Too many Canadians do not know what has happened and what is happening. "People look at their tv and say 'oh my gosh that's horrible,' and they go on eating their dinners." (quote from 'Hotel Rwanda'). This applies to what I am trying to say today. Raise awareness and let people know. I want to forget what I've heard, but I need to share it. There you go.