First Nations or Aboriginal Cultural Sensitivity

Aboriginal people have a long and proud history that includes rich cultural and spiritual traditions. Many of these traditions, however, were altered or even taken away upon the arrival of European settlers. The forced introduction of European culture and values to Aboriginal societies, the dispossession of Aboriginal lands, and the imposition of alien modes of governance began a cycle of social, physical and spiritual destruction that has affected generations of people. Some effects include poverty, poor health, violence and substance abuse. Underlying these problems is a loss of identity and a learned helplessness from having their values oppressed and their rights ignored. But hope is emerging as Aboriginal people work to improve their lives and re-discover their tradition customs, language and values. Similarly, non-Aboriginal Canadians are becoming more aware of the injustices that have and are occurring to Aboriginal peoples as well as the richness of Aboriginal cultures. Non-Aboriginal people can further support the healing process by continuing to learn about the experience of Aboriginal people in order to promote mutual understanding and respect. When individuals from differing cultural backgrounds interact, there is often miscommunication, misunderstanding, and frustration. These obstacles can be overcome by making all parties more culturally sensitive. It is important for people to recognize how cultural backgrounds affect individual perceptions and actions; and how cultural awareness can improve the relationship between people from differing cultural backgrounds. Darlene Ritchie is a First Nations member and former Director of Operations for At^lohsa Native Family Healing Services in London Ontario. In this video, Darlene presents a very brief historical perspective of Aboriginal Canadians in order to provide the viewer with an understanding of some of the physical, social and emotional concerns being experienced by native people in Canada today. As a social worker, Darlene speaks first hand regarding the circumstances related to child welfare, family violence and trauma associated with the residential school experience. The video provides information that can help distress and crisis call responders increase their sensitivity to the needs of callers who are of Native heritage. Questions for Further Consideration: 1. Aboriginal groups are working with members of their own communities in order to increase awareness of violence against women. What is being done to help in this area? An Aboriginal prevention and education initiative has been developed to raise awareness about the signs of woman abuse within Native communities, so that people who are close to an at-risk woman or an abusive man can provide support. It educates on the warnings signs of violence and how to create a safety plan with women. They focus on ending isolation for Aboriginal women who are experiencing abuse and emphasize the empowering of Aboriginal men to take responsibility for their actions and to make change. The program centres around the following key messages: As caretakers of the earth we have a responsibility to take care of each other’s spirit, 'Taking care of each other’s spirit' suggests that all community members have a crucial role to play in preventing woman abuse, Engaging abusive men in a traditional approach is critical to ending woman abuse, Abusive behaviour won’t go away on its own, Communities have the assets, strengths and natural leaders to greatly impact change, growth and healing in their own communities, and Any individual can use their influence on others to start positive change. 2. There is a high incidence of violence against native women both inside the reserve and in urban settings. What are the signs of someone who may be at high risk for abuse? The danger of violence or abuse towards a woman may be greater if: She is a victim of Residential School abuses or other historical trauma and has not received help, She fears for her life and for her children’s safety or she cannot see her risk, She is in a custody battle, or has children from a previous relationship, She is involved in another relationship, She has unexplained injuries, She has no access to a phone, She faces other obstacles (e.g. she does not speak English, lives in a remote area), and She has no friends or family. 3. What is the explanation for the increased incidence of abuse among aboriginal women in Canada? How is it related to the residential school experience? The victimization of Aboriginal women accelerated with the introduction after Confederation of residential schools for Aboriginal children. Children were removed from their families and homes at a young age, some to return eight to 10 years later, some never to return. The ability to speak Aboriginal languages and the motivation to do so were severely undermined. Aboriginal students were taught to devalue everything Aboriginal and value anything Euro-Canadian. Many Aboriginal grandparents and parents today are products of the residential school system. The development of parenting skills, normally a significant aspect of their training as children within Aboriginal families, was denied to them by the fact that they were removed from their families and communities, and by the lack of attention paid to the issue by residential schools. Parenting skills neither were observed nor taught in those institutions. Aboriginal children traditionally learned their parenting skills from their parents through example and daily direction. That learning process was denied to several generations of Aboriginal parents. In addition to the physical and sexual abuse that Canadians are now hearing took place in residential schools, emotional abuse was the most prevalent and the most severe. Not only did residential schools not support the development of traditional parental roles among the children, but they taught the children that they were "pagan"—an inferior state of being—and should never use their language or honour their religious beliefs. These messages were imparted to Aboriginal children in a sometimes brutal manner. The residential school experience not only meant children were removed from their families, but they also prevented any closeness, even contact, from occurring between siblings and relatives at the same school. The damage done by residential schools is evident today as Aboriginal people, long deprived of parenting skills, struggle with family responsibilities and attempt to recapture cultural practices and beliefs so long denied. Grand Chief Dave Courchene Sr. put the experience succinctly: ‘Residential schools taught self-hate. That is child abuse . . . Too many of our people got the message and passed it on.’ It is their younger generations that now appear before the court.’ We believe the breakdown of Aboriginal cultural values and the abuse suffered by Aboriginal children in the schools contributed to family breakdown. This began a cycle of abuse in Aboriginal communities, with women and children being the primary victims.’ Reference: ABORIGINAL WOMEN Glossary: Aboriginal peoples: Aboriginal peoples of Canada are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, Section 35 (2) as including the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. First Nations people: The First Nations people are the various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognized First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and BritishColumbia. Indigenous people: are those groups especially protected in international or national legislation as having a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory and their cultural or historical distinctiveness from other populations. The legislation is based on the conclusion that certain indigenous people are vulnerable to exploitation, marginalization and oppression by nation states formed from colonizing populations or by politically dominant, different ethnic groups. A defining characteristic for an indigenous group is that it has preserved traditional ways of living, such as present or historical reliance upon subsistence-based production (based on pastoral, horticultural and/or hunting and gathering techniques), and a predominantly non-urbanized society. Not all indigenous groups share these characteristics. Zhaawanong Shelter for Abused Women and Children: Zhaawanong means "South" in the Ojibwe language. This direction means warmth, change, nurturance and renewal - qualities promoted in the shelter which is located in London. Operating since June, 1992, the shelter offers a 24 hour emergency shelter for First Nation women and their children who are at high risk of further abuse in the family home. They provide: safety, protection and shelter, (up to 42 days), in a supportive healing environment; intervention and holistic crisis counselling (group or individual), for women and their children; traditional healing circles for women and children; an understanding of the cycle of violence; promotion of health and wellness and prevention of family violence; emergency transportation; and referral and advocacy, while they are in transition. Culture: Culture is the learned, shared, and transmitted values, beliefs, norms, and lifeways of a particular group that guide the group’s thinking, decisions, and actions in patterned ways.