(Jun 11, 2022 01:04 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: Saw an ad on telly proclaiming June as National Indigenous History month in Canada. Piqued my interest because I never knew the native people in NA to write anything down. I expected perhaps some handed down local lore re a long and interesting past. Instead as a look at this homepage it appears to have more to do with a history of dealing with white people. Just find it strange, surely there’s more to aboriginal history than that. What’s the intent here?
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1466...4874922512
For the First Nations and the Inuit, there are at least references deeper in the
indigenous history link. The past of the interracial métis can't go farther back than European contact, anyway (which would lightly include moi if that term was applicable in America).
Since Canadian population groups of Black, Asian, and ME descent are likewise historically handicapped as far as this continent goes, perhaps the multicultural establishment wants to avoid heavily highlighting upfront how "privileged" indigenous peoples are in that respect. The left may depend on grievances and systemic oppression theories as its lifeblood (arguably going back before Marx), but it has to handle sensitivities carefully when the potential interplay is between non-white groups themselves (and in the days of classic leftism, the dialogue amongst fellow anti-capitalists).
Excerpt from the First Nations section:
First Nations culture is rooted in storytelling. Since time immemorial, we have passed on knowledge from generation to generation through our Oral Traditions to teach our beliefs, history, values, practices, customs, rituals, relationships, and ways of life. Our culture and the teachings of our ancestors are preserved and carried on through the words of Elders, leaders, community members and young ones. These teachings form an integral part of our identity as nations, communities, clans, families and individuals.
Welcome to the stories of our people, beautifully showcased in this incredible Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. We are honoured to gift you with a remarkable and breathtaking array of our experiences and worldviews... https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.c...t-nations/
And the Inuit section:
When we speak about the origins and history of our culture, we do so from a perspective that is different from that often used by non-Inuit who have studied our past. For example, in our culture we do not divide the past from the present, so we do not like to use terms such as “prehistory.” Our history is simply our history, and our oral histories stretch back to time immemorial. We feel that the time has come for us, as Inuit, to take more control over determining what is important and how it should be interpreted. To be of value, our history must be used to instruct our young and to inform all of us about who we are as Inuit in today’s world. We do not want our history to confine us to the past.
Our past is preserved and explained through the telling of stories and the passing of information from one generation to the next through what is called the Oral Tradition. Inuit recognize the importance of maintaining the Oral Tradition as a part of our culture and way of learning. At the same time, we realize that there are other ways to understand the past through activities such as archeology and the study of historical documents. Both ways of knowing must now be used by Inuit, and it is our Elders and our schools that will provide the necessary tools. https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.c...-nunangat/
Jun 11, 2022 01:04 PM
(This post was last modified: Jun 11, 2022 01:07 PM by Zinjanthropos.)
