1876 changed my life
1876: introduction of the Indian Act. Forced settlement, enfranchisement, and residential schools have left a legacy that affects Indigenous people to this day. Being stripped of culture, knowledge, traditions, and language has forced systematic assimilation and oppression onto all Indigenous peoples and their descendants.
The effects of colonialism through intergenerational and historical trauma have adversely impacted my life. I am ready to talk about the hurt I have experienced.
The objects hanging from the mobiles are referred to as ‘lungs’. They are one type of paraphernalia used to smoke marijuana.
They are only used for a short time and then discarded. Like other trash strewn about the streets, these ‘lungs’ are a common site, akin to chip bags and bar wrappers. Children are exposed to these objects from an early age, and I feel it represents a loss of innocence.
Hanging from glow-in-the-dark rosary beads, I am incriminating the church and organized religion in the process. When the lights go out, all these children must look up to is the emotional turmoil and hardship that are to come.
I want to acknowledge the struggles that Indigenous peoples of Canada have faced because of colonialism, and more specifically, the Indian Act and its legacy.
I understand how my ancestors and Elders have been scarred by colonialism, and those traumas impact my life.