Yesterday was Thanksgiving and a wintery one at that, with snow and frost and both are still here. But, our celebration at the Cook family was all the more a good get together. The ‘pirate gifting game’ for me resulted in a gift card for ‘Village Ice-cream’ and a tick-tack-toe game. Not bad considering some of my past pirated treasures!
Not bad considering some of my past pirated treasures!
I gave John a little present with a card as encouragement considering his career challenge this particular year. It was a can of ‘Steam Whistle’ beer to drink with a wooden steam train whistle to blow. He and I are investigating a way to get his mother an internet connection, so she can watch movies.
This past week was different from the usual as I mention in its only entry of the 3rd this instance. At Alexandra I wrote a bit of a provocative piece about the colonisation of the ‘Americas’ by the Europeans and the subsequent settlers. After I had finished reading it, not a word broke the silence. When I pointed this out at the close, several people said that this happens more often. This was a different silence, one of disapproval, but I can only name it as such now and did not say that at the time!
The issue of the ‘Native Indigenous’ populations weighs heavily on the conscious of Canadians, but is not allowed much acknowledgement. I came across a similar attitude at SAIT where I worked for many years and tried to face colleagues with this issue. They would not talk to me if I continued to broach this subject, I was told.
You wonder to what degree actual reconciliation will occur, if people find it that difficult to face these issues.
You wonder to what degree actual reconciliation will occur, if people find it that difficult to face these issues. They are the displacement of the indigenous people, depriving them of their land, livelihood, culture and now disallowing any acknowledgement of that process. There must be strong feelings of guilt hidden behind that silence and also a denial of the value of those original cultures.
Canadian are not alone in this as this attitude can be found in all the former colonising powers, as well as in other cultures, where ‘aboriginals’ live in the cellars and dungeons of the ruling society. We care more about the ‘humane’ treatment of animals, than about the way indigenous people are treated no matter where they live.
That makes for a provocating inconsistency in the behaviour of ‘civilised’ people across our world today. What is at play here in our common human nature? A question that will have to be answered in our diverse and crowded world society. The empty lands are sold out and we are face to face.