Cultural Barriers con't (week 2)

We all have our own culture, and we let it affect us in our everyday life, for instance in our work ethics, the way we act in society and how we interact with others. For Indigenous communities, their culture is their essence and the base to who they are. 

Their culture is associated with rituals, ceremonies and traditions and without it, their identity, health and well-being are flouted. 

However, if their culture is such at the base of their identity, how did it become a barrier and what made it change so dramatically?

Well, the answer mainly lies in the Indian Act of 1876. 

The Indian Act was implemented on the 12th of April 1876 and its goal was to exterminate the cultural, social, economic, and political distinctiveness of the Indigenous population by absorbing them into the Canadian life and values. This act aimed to eradicate First Nation’s culture to assimilate them into the Canadian society. It prohibited Indigenous cultural practices, restricted their movement meaning that they settled them, and enforced patriarchal rules that contradicted some traditional matrilineal systems. This control over Indigenous affairs deeply affected their way of life and culture. 

Furthermore, the Indian Act implemented, for over a century, the residential schools to strip the culture from the children as they separated them from their families and communities. The goal was to eradicate their native language, culture and identity. These schools were sites of abuse, neglect and trauma causing intergenerational trauma as well as the loss of their culture. This had a negative and profound impact on their cultural identity and their connectivity with their communities. The Indian Act disrupted Indigenous families and their structure leading to a cultural disconnection and affecting their sense of identity and belonging. 

As a result, not only are there cultural barriers between Indigenous communities and Canadian society, but also within Indigenous people who have lived a past that now separates them from their initial culture such as the children who were taken away from their home and culture. 

These centuries of post-colonial contact have irreversibly damaged and torned down the cultural traditions and practices of Indigenous populations (192). Only little regard for was taken in consideration to preserve their cultural identities and legacies. Colonialism has led to the alienation of Indigenous culture which created a gap inside our country and a misunderstanding of their culture and why some barriers inside our society are existing.

Cultural barriers are a result of many historical events and trauma that Indigenous people have went through. It is now our job and responsibility to understand where these barriers comes from, share the stories with our loved ones, and bring solutions to the tables. 

Spreading the word about where cultural barriers come from is a step extremely important in order to sensitize people and rally them on this cause.

Speak loudly and inform other people what you have learned to extend this campaign!

Consult our Instagram and blog for more information and test your knowledge with our quizzes!

Our Instagram: 4indigenous.health