> Original Sender: ah750@freenet.buffalo.edu (Paul Stewart)
> Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)
>
> I would be interested in any comment anyone would have on the
> subject of multiculturalism with respect to native peoples and the
> surrounding culture. I would be interested in any resources folks
> might identify...resources as in books, articles, or people, or
> groups. I am interested in multiculturalism, and muticulturalism and
> education. Particularly how this can be taught or shared in
> classroom settings.
>
> Thanks in advance.
I'm not quite sure what the situation is in the US, but in Canada Aboriginal
or Indigenous peoples refuse to be lumped in with "multicultural" or "ethnic"
groups. There are historical, social and legal reasons for this position.
Let me explain.
The original or First nations continue to retain the international legal
standings of sovereign nations - dependent and internal perhaps but still
sovereign. In Canada for the past 130 years or so, the policy of
assimilation has been aimed at removing "Indians" from its constitution and
thus denying this sovereign status. No sovereign status in the
constitution... no need to recognize legal arguments about territorial use
and ownership... no land claims... no treaties... no negotiations on
self-determination... no special or separate legal rights or privileges.
If this is accomplished, the government and society can then regard the
citizens of Indigenous nations as members of just another multicultural group
- with only those rights accorded to immigrant minority groups. In Canada,
the polite term would be "assimilation." In the US, there have been harsher
terms for similar policies like "termination." There are broad social and
legal implications that many Indigenous peoples consider nothing short of
cultural genocide. That's why First nations peoples in Canada tend to shy
away from being lumped in with multicultural groups, programs and policies
and demand to be treated separately. I'm sure similar feelings exist in the
US among American Indian nations with similar confusion about this
distinction expressed by the multicultural communities and society at large.
There is also a very different viewpoint of history, economic and social
development. Indians were not mere bit players in the formation of this
country or of the US - they were major contributors to the early development
of political and social thought in both countries. They were major military
powers to be reckoned with and they contributed greatly to the early survival
of both countries' economies. For instance, early Canada was built upon the
hard work of Indigenous peoples in both the fur trade and later the forest
industry. Their nations formed economic and military alliances and waged
wars for their own reasons and interests - they were not mere spear carriers
for the "European" or colonial forces.
Unfortunately, a lot of this history is overlooked or ignored in favour of
other - more popular versions and myths. For a taste, try Ronald Wright's
STOLEN CONTINENTS (Viking/Penguin Books) with an examination of five empires
from pre-Columbian to modern times (Aztec,Maya,Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois).