Citing role in 'genocidal policies,' history professors reach out to First Nations
History professors at the University of New Brunswick are offering their research skills to Indigenous people looking for information about ancestors or seeking land claims, saying First Nations remain under threat from Canada's "imperialist and genocidal policies."
In a recent message on the history department's official Facebook page, faculty members at the university's Fredericton campus began by expressing their condolences to the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation in British Columbia, which recently discovered what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the former residential school site in Kamloops.
The professors say that grim event motivated them to reach out to the Indigenous community and offer free help with archival and genealogical research.
"We also have networks of other historians that we have access to," Prof. Angela Tozer, who specializes in modern Canadian history and settler colonialism, said in an interview Wednesday. "It's really about breaking down barriers so that individuals would feel comfortable with coming to us to ask for help."
She said some Indigenous people have already come forward to seek assistance. She declined to release details, citing privacy concerns.
The professors' statement goes on to address what they say is the role Canadian historians have played in "obscuring" the history of colonialism.
"Canadian history as a discipline often perpetuates nationalist ideologies that have made genocidal policies, such as the incarceration of Indigenous children in residential schools, possible through the creation of narratives that defend the righteousness of the Canadian settler state," the statement says.
"We call on every Canadian historian to understand how they have contributed to genocidal policies and to reject provincial curricula that deny and downplay the histories of settler colonialism and residential schools and day schools."
Tozer said the strong language reflects the fact that in the past 10 years or so, there has been a change in how historians approach their discipline.
"I can say with some confidence that historians across Canada would probably agree with the (Facebook) statement," she said.
Historians have come to appreciate that the relatively new field of settler colonial studies has brought into sharp focus how states such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia were shaped by policies that subjugated Indigenous people, the professor added.
"It's understanding that .... for Indigenous people, their lands, water and living spaces were appropriated from them by the state," Tozer said, adding that the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 also played a role in illustrating how the residential school system was devoted to "cultural genocide."
Erin Morton, a professor of visual culture with expertise in Canadian art and settler colonialism at the University of New Brunswick, said those who work in higher learning have a responsibility to ensure their discipline evolves.
"Speaking from my own position as a white settler scholar, I see myself as deeply complicit and deeply responsible for undoing some of that colonial harm," she said in an interview Wednesday.
Tozer said Canada's residential school system may be gone, but its policies linger for Indigenous children who remain overrepresented in the child welfare system.
The first government-funded, church-run residential schools opened in the 1870s, and the last one closed outside Regina in 1996.
In all, about 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children attended the schools. For those Indigenous families who resisted the system, children were forcibly taken away by the RCMP. The 130 schools became infamous as places where many students suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
They were also known for overcrowding, poor sanitation, unhealthy food and menial labour. Harsh punishment was meted out for those students who spoke their native language or took part in traditional rituals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.