Why are terms such as Aboriginal peoples, American Indian, Indian, Indigenous Peoples, First Nations and Native American all used to describe the original inhabitants of North and South America? Why are some of these terms considered controversial? What terms to you feel are most appropriate, and why? The terms Aboriginal peoples, American Indian, Indian, Indigenous Peoples, First Nations and Native American are used to describe the original habitants in North America and South America. These people have a proud history and heritage and it seems that most of the professors, collegiate and scientists try their best to use terminology that best represents their heritage, “The National Aboriginal Health Organization Terminology Guidelines …show more content…
Terminology, particularly as it relates to Indigenous peoples, can be tricky to navigate. A term that might be acceptable to some might be offensive to others. Because of this, many people do not feel confident using certain terms when referring to Aboriginal peoples. Fear of using the "wrong" word should never stifle important dialogue and discussions that need to be had. By taking a moment to consider the history of certain terms, it is very possible to learn and be comfortable with which words to use in which contexts.” (2) There are terms that have been used throughout history that today would not be deemed acceptable in society and that is why there needs to be a standard set across the board so that no one race of people will feel like they are being reminded every day and being discriminated against by these derogatory …show more content…
The best analogy that can be used is that of the African American people and the struggles they faced but the Native American people have dealt with this since the first explorers landed in this country, being enslaved and killed if they did not adhere to the changes that these foreigners brought with them, then later when the United States was in its infancy the government pushed these noble people from their lands in the name of progress and through all of this they endured and continued to thrive in the face of all of these
Despite the decreasing inequalities between men and women in both private and public spheres, aboriginal women continue to be oppressed and discriminated against in both. Aboriginal people in Canada are the indigenous group of people that were residing in Canada prior to the European colonization. The term First Nations, Indian and indigenous are used interchangeably when referring to aboriginal people. Prior to the colonization, aboriginal communities used to be matrilineal and the power between men and women were equally balanced. When the European came in contact with the aboriginal, there came a shift in gender role and power control leading towards discrimination against the women. As a consequence of the colonization, the aboriginal women are a dominant group that are constantly subordinated and ignored by the government system of Canada. Thus today, aboriginal women experiences double jeopardy as they belong to more than one disadvantaged group i.e. being women and belonging to aboriginal group. In contemporary world, there are not much of a difference between Aboriginal people and the other minority groups as they face the similar challenges such as gender discrimination, victimization, and experiences injustice towards them. Although aboriginal people are not considered as visible minorities, this population continues to struggle for their existence like any other visible minorities group. Although both aboriginal men and women are being discriminated in our society, the women tends to experience more discrimination in public and private sphere and are constantly the targeted for violence, abuse and are victimized. In addition, many of the problems and violence faced by aborigin...
Saggers, S., & Walter, M. (2007). Poverty and social class. In Bailie, Carson, Chanhall + Dunbar Social determinants of indigenous health. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin.
The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done
Genocide, assimilation, and segregation-- these are all forms of cultural and ethnic cleansing that we as Canadians do not necessarily associate with what it means to be a Canadian, rather they are terms that we associate with occurrences in distant, dangerous and abysmal places (Fleras, 2012; p. 10). However, these terms are evidently applicable to the treatment of Aboriginals during the time of European colonization of Canada. Genocide is considered to “be the most serious of punishable crimes under international law…” (Fleras, 2010; p. 11); unfortunately, genocide has been inflicted upon Aboriginals in numerous forms as they suffered a loss of cultural identity through European-colonization. Assimilation has also affected Aboriginals as through the use of residential schools, Aboriginal children were taken from their families and forced to learn the dominant white way of life and abandon their culture (Fleras, 2010; p.13). Segregation of Aboriginals has also occurred, as reserves are restricted purely for individuals with Indian citizenship, hence keeping Aboriginals separate from the dominant culture (Fleras, 2010; p. 15). There is a lack of awareness on the horrendous and disgusting treatment of the original Canadian settlers, Aboriginals, which can be partially attributed to a narrative that has helped create the image of what it means to be a Canadian, a narrative that has provided the belief that white Europeans were the first to settle on Canadian land and has painted a picture of white settlers struggling to survive on their discovered Canadian land. This narrative has been termed the ‘frontier narrative’, and it truly has shaped Aboriginals lives in Canada. This paper will provide first and foremost a clear definition o...
Though referred to most commonly as the Blackfeet or Blackfoot, many refer to themselves as the Nitsitapiksi (Ni-tsi-ta-pi-ksi), the “Real People,” a term used by the Blackfoot to also refer to all First Peoples of the Americas (The Blackfoot Gallery Committee, 2013, 11). The term Niitsipoiyksi is used to refer to those who are “the speakers of the Real language,” that being Blackfoot, but it may also mean those who speak their Aboriginal language (The Blackfoot Gallery Committee, 2013, 11). The Blackfoot Peoples are made up of three distinct Nations the Kainai, the Piikuni and Siksika. Though this is how some Blackfoot literature refers to the Nations, it is still common to hear these Nations referred to as the Blood Nation for the Kainai, Peigan (Canada) or Blackfeet (United States) for the Piikuni, and Blackfoot or Northern Blackfoot for the Siksika (The Blackfoot Gallery C...
Three questions now burn in our heads; when, where, and why. Before Native Americans became slurs of a name for sport teams, such names were in use. According to Crowe, “the term ‘redskin’… first recorded in the late 17th century, referred not to the natural color of a tribe’s skin by their use of face and body paint. Later, the term distinguished between Indians of India from the Americas and grew into a label assigned...
Secondly, the customary health beliefs of the aboriginal populace are interrelated with numerous characteristics of their customs such as kinship obligations, land policies, and religion (Boulton-Lewis, Pillay, Wilss, & Lewis, 2002). The socio-medical structure of health beliefs, which the aboriginal people...
Nurses playing an important role in communication with the patient. ”communication is a life long learning process for nurse.’’(P & P). Nurses are working with patients and their families from their birth to death. It is mandatory to the nurse to maintain or create a therapeutic relationship, communication throughout their caring process. For effective communication the nurse should understand their cultural belief, and values, etc. One person’s personal beliefs, traditions and values can influence their recognition of their health and wellness. Based on that they will choose their medical care and treatment. (Nadline Caron). Aboriginal people are the original inhabitants of the Canadian land. Aboriginal peoples are living with their
Many people today know the story of the Indians that were native to this land, before “white men” came to live on this continent. Few people may know that white men pushed them to the west while many immigrants took over the east and moved westward. White men made “reservations” that were basically land that Indians were promised they could live on and run. What many Americans don’t know is what the Indians struggled though and continue to struggle through on the reservations.
People have been living in America for countless years, even before Europeans had discovered and populated it. These people, named Native Americans or American Indians, have a unique and singular culture and lifestyle unlike any other. Native Americans were divided into several groups or tribes. Each one tribe developed an own language, housing, clothing, and other cultural aspects. As we take a look into their society’s customs we can learn additional information about the lives of these indigenous people of the United States.
For many Native Americans, English has begun to take priority over their Native American languages, especially in Native youth. This has made the efforts to try to understand and study these languages extremely difficult. Yet, with the emergence of technology in the lasts century, the documentation of those Native American languages as well as research has become as easy as ever. Anthropologists have also been crucial to the collecting knowledge on Native American customs and culture and restoring their once forgotten meaning. For example, in the English language, many people would define “old woman” as a female who is elderly. However, because of its deep meanings, the Ojibwe language offers as sacred place for elder women, as someone who can reflect the culture, beliefs and values of that language. Due to the availability of documentation of Tribal languages, these languages are beginning to return to its normal meaning. Take for example, the decedents of the Native group, Dakota, after they settled in Canada, it has been a continuous effort by their descendants to try to restore and revitalize their language which has been an extremely important task for them. Language to Native Americans can be seen as the foundation of their identity. Just as any one person’s name to them in their first language is the sweetest thing that their ears may hear, the same is true for Native
The terms Aboriginal, American People, Indian, Indigenous Peoples, First Nations and Native Americans we originally used when the first settlers arrived to North and South America. The term American Indian was used to refer to native people of the Western Hemisphere and in the name Indian was used when Christopher Columbus thought he had reached the Indies when he was in search of South Asia. In 1507 a German cartographer named Martin Waldeemuller had named the Western Hemisphere as America around 1507. So, the name American Indian took affect to differentiate the people from South Asia. In the United States and Canada in the 1960s the name American Indian was under scrutiny because it was sometimes called racist and so the
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge and skills that an indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment. IK is unique to given cultures, localities and societies and is acquired through daily experience. It is embedded in community practices, institutions, relationships and rituals. Because IK is based on, and is deeply embedded in local experience and historic reality, it is therefore unique to that specific culture; it also plays an important role in defining the identity of the community. Similarly, since IK has developed over the centuries of experimentation on how to adapt to local conditions. That is Indigenous ways of knowing informs their ways of being. Accordingly IK is integrated and driven from multiple sources; traditional teachings, empirical observations and revelations handed down generations. Under IK, language, gestures and cultural codes are in harmony. Similarly, language, symbols and family structure are interrelated. For example, First Nation had a
Aboriginal Australians, also referred to as Aborigines, are people whose ancestors were indigenous to the Australian continent (the smallest continent in the world)—that is, to mainland Australia or to the island of Tasmania. British colonization of the continent began in 1788 when caption cook landed and claimed the land for Britain. Essentially from the first time that Europeans started settling in Australia they have ahead, mistreated, enslaved, and law and policies to limit the rights of aborigines with a goal of total extermination of the original peoples of Australia. The responsibility of the use of policies drove Britain’s imperial desires.
Aboriginal people arrived on Australian land more than 75 thousand years ago with this a genetic study has proven that Aboriginals have the oldest continuous culture on the planet (Australian Geographic, 2011). As soon as they arrived on Australian soil they quickly developed their own cultures and traditions, some in which we don’t see today but others we do. Without really recognizing, we are very much influenced by a majority of Aboriginal cultures such as religions, through foods, medicines, festivals and even some words we speak Which Aboriginal cultures do we still hear of today and which ones are still around, that’s a question that many do ask.