Reading Response #1 Blog Post
- hamiltonjenna78
- Feb 5, 2020
- 2 min read
When we say “We are all treaty people” it simply means we have our own rights and responsibilities with treaties as Canadian citizens. A treaty is a formal written agreement and may be used for peace, trade, land. In short if you live on treaty land you are a treaty person whether you are new to the area or not. A treaty is a formal written agreement that covers the rights, responsibilities First Nations with the federal government. Treaties are building blocks in the creation of Canada. They were to last as long as the grass grows, sun shines and river flows meaning that they are forever.
It is important for everyone to learn and understand treaties because Canada would not exist without treaties and it’s apart of our collective identity. In the readings I learned that examination of race is not an easy topic for educators. Although talking about race can be uncomfortable, it is critical to recognize the emotions we feel and continue to have courageous conversations. Courageous conversations requires everyone to be honest with their thoughts, feelings and opinions. Talking about race will assist in educating us appropriately and assist in breaking the racial stereotypes.
As I recognize myself as a treaty person, I begin to take a look and my rights and responsibilities as a treaty person. Also, I acknowledge that I was not knowledgeable enough to understand that I have take my rights for granted. Seeing racism as a Canadian thing reveals that there are many things in our history that I was not aware of. Hidden Canadian racism is critical because society is unaware and doesn’t end up taking it seriously. As a country Canada strongly promotes multiculturalism but, my question is “If we cannot acknowledge that racism still exists then how can we move forword and promote multiculturalism”? In conclusion racism is systematic and together as a country i believe we need to educate and break down the racial streotypes that cause barriers, classifications and discrimination.
Although this is my first year living in Canada, I learned some stories about first nations and treaties when I was in high school in China. I understand the importance of the treaty in Canada and the meaning of its existence through your response. Although I don't know much about the treaty, but the one thing that I know is that the treaty is not just a unilateral constraint or limitation, it is for all of the Canadian citizens. That would be connected to the racism. In terms of not acknowledging the existence of racism, I think society wants to avoid the issue, but at the same time they wants to show its diversity to the world. I think society…
Hey Jenna,
I found myself strongly agreeing with what you have had to say, and feel that we have both been given a greater understanding of why we are treaty people through the teachings/readings of this course. There is much misunderstanding within the topic of what it means to be a treaty person, and still a lot of work to be done to create a clearer view of the importance in society's role within our treaties some day (hopefully soon!). Every person, whether born in Canada or identified as a Canadian citizen, has a role in our country's Indigenous identification. Your reasoning on the importance of knowing what treaties are during your second paragraph was said best in its straightforward…