All the way to Japan on board the President Wilson, Ching refused to let me sit on the the sun drenched deck without wearing at least three sweaters. When we finally arrived in Kobe, she clung to me whispering and hissing, ‘These are the Japanese devils who have driven our Chinese out of their homes.’” (Pg. 5)…
A similar vein of thought exists within the piece, “Proceedings of the Lake Mohonk Conference,” in which speakers push the idea that assimilationist narratives are generous toward indigenous people and helpful for society. Speakers deemed assimilation necessary, not only for the United States as a whole, but for the indigenous population as well, who were not regarded as full persons until they became “civilized” (“Proceedings of the Lake Mohonk Conference” 11). People with indigenous identities were not only treated poorly, but their identities were also mocked and considered unimportant and primitive, and one speaker within the conference claimed that giving up one’s indigenous culture may be necessary if it “will buy them life, manhood, civilization, and Christianity” (“Proceedings of the Lake Mohonk Conference” 11). The loss of one's culture in this context was seen as a slight, unfortunate price to pay for citizenship and civilization, and an assumption existed that indigenous people would want to give up their culture in exchange for a place in white…
In Kiss of The Fur Queen by Tomson Highway and Lightfinder by Aaron Paquette, storytelling by elders to a younger generation is shown to be a significant part of Indigenous culture and life. In both these novels storytelling portrays the lack of knowledge the younger generation have of their history, and how in some instances it can be an outcome of western influence. In Kiss of the Fur Queen, the Okimasis brothers Jeremiah and Gabriel are misinformed of the history of their village, and Aisling in Lightfinder has no knowledge of her family history. Jeremiah and Gabriel encounter Amanda’s grandmother Anne-Adele Ghostrider who informs them of the authentic story. Similarly, Aisling’s grandmother Kokum teaches her of the powers and history in…
When the early settlers of the Americas arrived on the East coast of what is now Canada, they discovered a people that was remarkably different from their own. First impressions would deem these people as “uncivilized” (source) “savages” (source) who lived “miserable lives” (source). However, as time went on the settlers began to realize just how deeply rooted this Aboriginal culture really was. The Mi’kmaq lived a simple nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle, able to recognize the stars and changing of the seasons leading them to a variety of different sources of food dependant on the season. Culturally they were a spiritual group, one that believed to live with the earth, not…
“Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard on a cold night, she can still survive.” – W. C. Fields quotes (American Comic and Actor, 1880-1946)…
The Aboriginals customs and life style were being broken down as the natural resources that the natives relied on were being diminished by the Europeans. Cutting down of trees, fishing holes being taken over and the hunt for Kangaroos for meat were all needed by the natives to survive. Without these resources the many Aboriginals took up Governor Phillips offer and moved into town with the whites, sleeping and eating in the settlers’ houses.(3)…
Night Flying Woman was such a great book. I felt as though the author, Ignatia Broker, really wanted all of her readers to know the ways of her people and how different they were from the American way of life. It is clear that the Ojibway way of life changed greatly after the Americans pushed them form their land. The Ojibway became modernized, or as I like to think, “English-ized”. The people of the Ojibway were always afraid that the younger generations would forget their ways, and as soon as the white people came in, that is what started to happen. The Ojibway were forced to go to school, read, write, and live the English way. Their culture was stripped from them by the American people.…
In lesson 6, the essay shows that the author is an Aboriginal person. First of all, the author speaks Cree at home and telephones his/her parents in Northern Ontario: “In this way I don’t lose my first language”, which shows that keeping his/her first language is a high value. Furthermore, the author hunts with their father for food, and understands the importance with killing for what is needed. Not to mention, the author says a prayer to the animals before and after killing them to show appreciation instead of of just buying food from the grocery store without thinking about the animals who have died. Equally important, the author takes the time to watch the same stars that once guided his/her ancestors as they moved with the seasons on…
Introduction: As most of us know, Native American’s have a rich history of struggle and also triumph. Many modern Native American traditions reflect the story and struggle Native American’s experienced. These stories are filled with tradition closely tied to Mother Nature. I’m sure many of you have seen Native American art and objects, such as teepees, totem poles, and moccasins. These are articles that tied together Native American life. I’m going to share with you the meaning behind these symbols and traditions, and how they affect modern…
First of all, a vegetable garden is an easy and effective way to provide a sense of pride and relaxation. I am fortunate to have a spacious backyard for the gardening. I have vegetables and crops such as peas, lettuce, greens, cabbages, root crops, squash, beans, corn, melons, cucumber, eggplant, pepper, and herbs in my garden in different seasons. Research shows that gardening promotes mental health by relieving stress and promoting a sense of accomplishment. Spending some time in the garden ease stress, keep you limber and improve your mood. Vegetable gardening is a wonderful pastime the whole family can enjoy. Allowing children to be involved in the gardening help them to develop an understanding of nature, sense of responsibility, and pride. Kids are more likely to taste vegetables they grow themselves. My five year old son is proud about our vegetable garden. He helps us with watering the plants, caring for the crop and harvesting the produce. He was extremely reluctant to eat fruits and vegetables buying from the market, but now he does not want to miss anything coming from our garden. When your daughter Sara was in my house, she enjoyed peeking under leaves in search of ripe fruits and vegetables. Hence, I am sure that she will be so happy to have her own garden. Growing your own food, build a sense of…
According to Malinowski, the practices by the Islanders empowered them to do what needed to be done in a situation where events were beyond their material control. Thus they maintained the psychological well being of tribal members and allowed members to better participate in the necessary social and economic function of the community (www.nndb.com).…
"Those who own small pieces of land or even a garden plot can start to learn how to plant vegetables for their own consumption," she said.…
“There is nothing better than enjoying the fruits of your labor.” seemed to be my grandmothers catchphrase. She would come home and spend her lunch breaks tending to a medium sized garden filled with ripe strawberries, carrots, corn, pumpkins, potatoes, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, muskmelon, and watermelon. I remember coming home from school to her first batch of beef stew with freshly mashed potatoes smothered in a brown gravy. She was right.…
For most people gardening is a remedy for diseases like cholesterol and diabetes. It creates a peaceful mind. In the early morning when you wake up you hear the birds chirping in your garden. You can see green in front of you. People who have eye problems are advised by the doctors to wake up early in the morning and see green plants. They will help to cure your eye problems. When you have a garden of flowers the fragrance that come from the flowers and the different beautiful colours are a real treat in the morning. Our life expectancy rate goes up if we are physically and mentally healthy, gardening helps in that case as…
Many people think of gardening as a chore. Others take up gardening as a hobby. Still there are others who could not even begin to give a proper definition of the term gardening. Anyway, do you love gardening? Actually, gardening offers many benefits to those who are willing to try gardening. The act of gardening goes back thousands of years. If gardens are beautiful to look at, imagine the pride and sense of accomplishment that the creator of such beauty can feel. Besides that, gardening is a great way to reduce stress, get a bit of exercise, be creative, and develop patience.…