Indigenous Representation in Media and Mind

The media seems to report less on Indigenous issues, which makes them sound less important. What can our collective knowledge do?

BY: PAYAL DASS

Photo courtesy of CP24

On May 27, 2021, the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. This information had been confirmed by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, adding that these missing children are most likely undocumented deaths. The biggest disappointment is that no one has taken responsibility for the innocent, young lives lost.

As of June 12, 2021, news of locating 104 “potential graves” on the grounds of the former Brandon Residential School in Manitoba emerged. Two confirmed cemeteries have been found: one at the Turtle Crossing campground, one at the Brandon research centre, and one cemetery is suspected of being located on the grounds of Brandon Residential School. This totals to the potential of 104 victims, and those who have been found are trying to be identified with the help of researchers from Simon Fraser University and the University of Windsor.

It’s unfortunate that we only seem to remember the struggles Indigenous peoples have been enduring when large-scale, tragic events come to light to serve as reminders. It makes me upset that as a collective society we often forget about the cultural genocide our beloved country is built on, and how we overlook the struggles Indigenous peoples are still facing. What strikes me even more is just how little is known about what actually took place in residential schools across the country. We tend to believe that residential schools are a thing of the past since the last one closed its doors in 1996, but the discrimination endured by Indigenous communities today includes constant neglect from the government, being continuously silenced from raising their voices in passive-aggressive ways, and the lack of access to clean drinking water in their communities.

My mother, who has been a Canadian citizen for the past 30 years, has always heard the term “residential school,” but until recently, she had no idea what it meant, or that it happened right where she calls home. 

Previously, whenever she saw news headings concerning Indigenous issues, she used to say things like, “it always seems like Native communities are complaining. What for? They don’t pay taxes, they have their own land... Seems like a good life to me.”

After learning about all the things Indigenous communities in Canada have been through, I assure you she no longer feels this way. 

Seeing her change her opinion after learning more about Canadian history made me think that when someone has no prior knowledge about such events, the news might unconsciously make it seem like the oppressed are just needy. 

How can the media influence the way people perceive these issues? Let’s unpack. 

Photo courtesy of CBC News

By looking at the headline of this article by CBC News alone, I started to realize that the government was not the first party to acknowledge this ongoing nightmare being written in Canada’s history books for the future. Many articles based on Indigenous issues are often written and shared by the Indigenous community speaking out against governmental and institutional abuses to their heritage, way-of-life, and land rights. So many times they have been promised positive change in the past, and not necessarily by the government but by private actors too. For historical tragedies (such as the 215 children who were recently found) to be acknowledged by citizens and the government, it took re-victimization from the Indigenous communities. They had to address the discovery of all the missing children, as they were the only ones looking out for them. 

CBC stated that the “Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc said it hired a specialist in ground-penetrating radar to carry out the work, and that its Language and Culture Department oversaw the project to ensure it was done in a culturally appropriate and respectful way. The release did not specify the company or individual involved, or how the work was completed.” 

Knowing that the oppressed communities are working hard to find justice for innocent children, instead of the ones that have caused so much pain and suffering, demonstrates how much neglect Indigenous communities actually face. However, the fact that it is always the Indigenous communities relaying such information to the public through media, almost makes it seem like it should not be trusted as it is not being confirmed by government officials.

“Remains of 215 children found buried at former B.C. residential school, First Nation says.” For some, this may implicitly indicate that this information should be taken with a grain of salt. It may lead to questions like “Why hasn’t this discovery been confirmed by the government?” 

Those with previous education on residential schools, however, know that the government often distances itself from the topic of residential schools as it is undoubtedly, one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history.

Photo courtesy of Global News

“Traditional government of Six Nations calls for moratorium on development of Haldimand Tract.”

For those who have no idea about the history for which the Six Nations is fighting for, this may be irrelevant news for them to indulge in—influencing the way they think about Indigenous communities and their seemingly never-ending demands.

For those who have education on the history of the events surrounding the Haldimand Tract, they may be proud of Six Nations for their assertive stance on this topic, as they state, “they cannot proceed [with] digging on our lands anymore without the consent of our people.”

The Haldimand Tract, also known as Six Nations, is the largest First Nations reserve in the country. This was settled by The Haldimand Treaty of 1784 after the Revolutionary War and meant to serve as compensation for their alliance with the British forces during the American Revolution. As of today, the reserve covers about 46,000 acres near Brantford, Ontario. However, this is only 5 percent of the original 950,000 acres granted to Six Nations in the 1784 Treaty.

Photo courtesy of Alternatives Journal

If having previous knowledge about Indigenous history influences the way we interpret these news headlines, maybe the best way to move forward and prevent false representations emerging into mainstream beliefs is by taking the initiative to educate ourselves on important historical issues. More specifically, to prevent the emergence of the notion that Indigenous communities are demanding, we must know why they are making these demands in the first place.

The month of June, along with being Pride Month, is also National Indigenous History Month in which all Canadians both celebrate and appreciate the history, culture, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people. This gives us the perfect reason to begin learning about such events through the work of members of the Indigenous communities.

Photo courtesy of CBC Media Centre

The first recommendation is a CBC Podcast titled Missing and Murdered, hosted by a Cree investigative journalist named Connie Walker. This podcast follows different stories each season, one about the strange disappearance of Cleo and the other about the murder of Alberta Williams. As Walker investigates these unfortunate events, there are societal factors that become obstacles in the investigations, which reflect actual investigations in such cases.

Photo courtesy of Canada’s History and @michael_tdsb via Twitter

The second outlet of information I think will be valuable to all Canadian citizens is this book titled “21 Things You May Not Know About The Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality” by Bob Joseph. Joseph is a member of the Gwawa'enuk Nation and is a hereditary chief of the Gayaxala clan who thoroughly examines the demands of the Indian Act. His book was the tenth best-selling Canadian book in 2019 and the sixth best-selling in 2020.

By educating ourselves about the past, we can understand why events are taking place in the present. Why is it that Indigenous people are always standing against the pipeline? Why is it that they are demanding change in the way they receive freshwater? Why is it that there is so much dispute about the disproportionate criminalization of Indigenous peoples in Canada?

Perhaps the answers are right at our fingertips, but when the news presents headlines, like “First Nations says” or “Six Nations call for,” we may forget to think about why they have to take a strong stand against authority every once in a while. Keeping ourselves educated will prevent us from forming a similar impression to my mother’s of Indigenous populations being needy, hard-headed, and ungrateful (I want to clarify that she no longer thinks this way, knows she was wrong, and is educating herself about the land she is living on).

The articles I have mentioned have done a good job at sticking to the facts that they were given, and there is relatively no bias throughout the article. I used them to show that by reading the headlines only, like most of us arguably do, one can be easily misled by the perceived tone of a few words if one does not have prior knowledge.

If you would like to learn more about the residential school system in Canada, I suggest you check out The Canadian Encyclopedia for a brief introduction on the topic, or an article about residential schools and white-washed history by a fellow author of The Underground, Malika Daya.

To progress as a society and move closer to reconciliation, being grateful on the land we live, learn, and grow on is of great importance. That being said, I want to end this article with the Land Acknowledgement of the University of Toronto (although this act is too small to make actual change), in which I am grateful to be learning on this land.

“I (we) wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.”