Assimilation, the Way of Surviving
"Cultural genocide is the attempted or outright erasure of a people's ways of life" (Lemkin 15). To assimilate First Nations people, European colonist imposed their traditions and customs upon them and exploited while devaluing their way of living (Jules and Kirkpatrick 58). The process forced First Nations people to lose their identity, culture, and language and led them deal with tremendous conflict. In his novels, Monkey Beach and Queen of the North, Eden Robinson criticizes the effect of colonization of First Nations people by European. The Hill family in the novels experienced tremendous conflict which was the result of the assimilation policy, the residential school, and the cultural genocide. Some of family members became destructive and violent due to oppression. The attempt to assimilate Aboriginal children into becoming race-less aboriginal children, into non-aboriginal homes had tremendous impact on the children themselves, their families and their communities as a whole. Families and communities lost important resources and cultural continuity. The colonization of First Nations people by western European caused long-term damage to indigenous people's spirituality, culture, and life through generations.
None of characters seemed to speak Haisla, but only Ma-ma-woo spoke Haisla. Having the feeling of segregation from the both cultures, they often got involved in drug abuse and alcoholism. She has a close relationship with Lisa and guides Lisa to keep up with her own culture and spirituality. First Natons women have power and rights, but they were forced to change to be submissive and to be dependent and lost their right (Haslip) Though Gladys was educated western way, she was not submissive and economically dependent on her husband as western women are submissive and dependent on their husband (Haslip). They are Christians and assimilated to a main stream of Canadian culture. Aunt Trudy verbally and physically abused her daughter, Tab (Monkey Beach 127-129). They did not have any resentment and anger for Europeans and their church. As a consequence of colonization policies, the harmony and well-being of the Hill Family as a symbolic figure of the First Nations people is weaken or destroyed. Their feelings of alienation frequently led to depression, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency and suicide. Ironically he quit his job because the company he worked for did not give him promotion four times (Monkey Beach 59). She knows the traditional way of preparing food. However it is pitiful for Ma-ma-woo that much of her own people's belief and spirituality did not pass on to next generations. They were sent to a residential school. Mick appeared to be peaceful when he was in nature.
Common topics in this essay:
Monkey Beach,
Gladys Lisa's,
Josh Trudy,
European Hill,
Ma-ma-woo Gladys,
Indian Act,
Crichlow Native,
Jules Kirkpatrick,
Cool-aid Jell-O,
Rejection Haisla,
monkey beach,
residential school,
nations people,
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residential schools,
western culture,
queen north,
nations women,
jules kirkpatrick 58,
families communities,
nature spirituality,
indian movement monkey,
american indian movement,
movement monkey beach,
culture residential school,
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Acceptance Essays
