Doctrine of Discovery

The Doctrine of Discovery was introduced in the 15th century. The Doctrine promotes the view that European settlers are superior to Indigenous people. Settlers can occupy indigenous people’s land. Land was considered terra nullius (vacant land) if it had not yet been occupied by Christians. Such vacant lands could be defined as “discovered.

“It’s one of the biggest frauds that ever was perpetrated on people,” says retired Anishinaabe judge Harry LaForme. “And it’s not just in Canada or the United States. It’s all over the world. The Doctrine of Discovery was evil from the beginning, and its still evil today. That’s taken the soul out of indigenous people when you take their land.”

In 2022, Pope Francis visited Canada, and Indigenous people raised their voice to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery during that time. In 2023, the Vatican officially ended the Doctrine of Discovery.

Colliding Worldviews

Through "The Danger of a Single Story," Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie conveys a message that every situation or person embodies multiple perspectives and warns against relying on a single narrative. She encourages looking at different perspectives and diverse experiences. When we limit our understanding to only one viewpoint of any culture, place or person, we miss out on other qualities they have. She means that having a single narrative can turn into a stereotype. It seems like we only know one thing about a person or place, and we associate them with only that; we are unable to look beyond it. A single narrative can be one’s worldview.

The video "8th Fire: Wab Kinew - 500 Years in 2 Minutes" (2:03) by Mark Bauer is very thoughtful. It presents that Indigenous people were open to establishing good relationships with settlers based on mutual understanding. But the reality turned out to be different. Settlers eliminated Indigenous voices and contributions from the history.

Royal Proclamation

Honoring Historic Treaties in Canada:

The ancestors of Indigenous people created the Treaties. Treaties are passed down through oral transmission, by telling stories by elders and other community members from generation to generation. Another way of making Treaties is by weaving a Wampum Belt as a visual record of an agreement. It provides the basic framework for the principles of all the agreements or treaties with other nations. For First Nation people, Treaties are spiritual and sacred. Treaties suggest a path for living together with respect and sharing the land that Indigenous people have held traditionally.

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 defines the First Nation people’s fundamental rights to their lands, resources, and their sovereignty.

Its two important aspects are:

The land west of the established colonies is defined as "Indian Territories." Settlers cannot remove or disturb the First Nation people. The Indian Department would serve as the primary communicator between the Crown and First Nations people and prevent other colonial governors from making any grants or taking actions to buy and use their land.

Reflection:

Module 3 reflects a lot of learning. Before studying this, I had not heard about the Doctrine of Discovery. It was shocking to know how the European settlers promoted the view that they were superior to Indigenous people. Rescinding the Doctrine can be taken as a new start in the Canadian reconciliation journey. It will foster a strong relationship between indigenous people and the government. The Module also sheds light on the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which defines the First Nation people’s fundamental rights to their lands, resources, and their sovereignty.

One important message I learned from "The Danger of a Single Story," by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is that every situation or person embodies multiple perspectives and warns against relying on a single narrative. Misrepresentation of a culture or relying on stereotypes can do more harm to students. To understand the complete situation or information, we need to access multiple authentic sources. To teach Canadian History, it is crucial to use authentic resources that tell us about the indigenous voices rather than narratives of European settlers. Students can foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous history and culture by adopting an open-minded approach to receiving information, evaluating, and making decisions. It is important to create a safe and respectful environment and to decolonize the classroom.

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