Indigenous Studies 100: Introduction to Indigenous Studies Assignment

This assignment delves into the complexities of Indigenous Studies, focusing on the historical experiences and ongoing challenges faced by First Nations people in Canada. The student's response addresses three key questions, starting with an examination of the role of storytelling in shaping perceptions of Indigenous history, contrasting accounts from colonial sources with those of the Indigenous communities themselves. The assignment then analyzes the process of colonization, its phases, and the resulting complex and intergenerational trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples. Finally, the assignment explores the concept of the "Angry Indian," its origins in media representation, and its connection to complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). The response provides an understanding of the factors contributing to this stereotype and potential solutions, emphasizing the need for social acceptance and healing. The assignment draws upon course materials, including Suzanne Methot's "Legacy: Trauma, Story and Indigenous Healing", and explores the impact of colonial practices on Indigenous communities.

Question 1
The case of the first nations in Canada and the perception of the aboriginal people about their
history is totally dependent on the stories. When we check the historical accounts of these small
communities and other setups, we find that these places have this tendency of preserving history
in the form of various stories. The historical accounts of most of these places identify two types
of sources. The first types of sources are the sources which were maintained by the colonial
masters. Under these accounts, we can find stories from a point of view under which the colonial
masters criticized the local culture and presented colonization as a necessary boost for them to
become a part of the mainstream process of the development. The second accounts of the history
are the glorified accounts of history where aboriginal people inflated the bravery and power of
their Gods and Demigods to add glory in their cultural and traditional stories. In modern times
NGOs and other organizations are also publishing inspirational success stories of the
rehabilitation of aboriginal people in contemporary modern society as well.
The impact of all three types of stories in the formation of positive or negative psychology is
tremendous in many ways.
When we have a look at the history of the first nations in Canada we find a predominance of
stories coming from various sources presenting different versions of the same events. The
aboriginals living in the first nations did learn some valuable lessons from these stories carrying
forward their legacies, however, the same stories also gave them a contrived overview of the life
under which they were reluctant to adopt the scientific ways of life. In general, we can say that
event-based stories majorly bring a negative impact on the psychology of the aboriginal people

unless the outcomes of the events are positive for them. Unfortunately, the history of aboriginals
after the advent of the colonization doesn’t have many glorious chapters because the colonial
historians presented them as an outcast and defined their victories as the victories for the barbaric
forces.
Another issue related to the historical accounts of the aboriginals is ingrained in the fact that
some of the storytellers of these societies glorified the traits and heroes and established them as
demigods. This served as a disadvantage for the aboriginal people because it contrived their
views and prevented them from adopting scientific and modern ways easily.
However, in the modern world, bodies like AHF and others are publishing some stories that deal
more with the emotional faculties of the aboriginals and allow them to develop a feel-good factor
that can inspire them to perform better. Most of these stories are character-centric and deals with
the feelings and battle of a common man surviving against the odds and interacting with the
positivity which is surrounding him.
Question 2
Colonization
Term colonization refers to the gradual transfer of the power from the side of the natives of the
land to the immigrants or the settlers. Under this process, the immigrants or the settlers take the
advantage of the weaknesses of the native people and gradually take control over their resources
and sovereigns with an intention to gain an upper hand in the business deals.
In general terms, the process of colonization demands certain phases, in the first phase
immigrants and natives, share the wisdom and develop compatibility with each other. The

second phase refers to the development of trade relations and other agreements where the
cultural influence of the settlers starts finding a way in the native society. In the third phase,
settlers overpower the administration of the native land and control the resources and
components to their trade benefits and other practices.
Complex Trauma for the aboriginal people and its impact
It is very important to understand the process of colonization under its various phases, the first
phase of colonization promotes an exchange of cultures and technology. Under this phase, a
settler tries to win the good faith of the natives by offering some changes that can be considered
as a correction in the native society. Under the second phase they develop the business prospects
of a probable colony to meet out the specific standards of the trade or international trades, during
the phase of these cultivation colonists generously shares the profit or the fruits with the natives
and make them prosper, Until this phase, they hide the intentions of colonizing the place.
The trauma of the natives starts in the third phase when the settlers try to overpower the natives
by the virtue of the strength that they gained in an exchange of the profits with the natives. Quite
often it emerges as a complex trauma for the settlers because they fail in identifying their own
roots. Sometimes they feel that the decisions made by the settlers or the colonizing powers are
reforms, whereas sometimes they feel that they are exploited by the settlers. The fourth phase of
colonization exerts the peak of this complex trauma where the natives realize that apart from
losing their natural resources they have lost their identities and cultures as well. Concepts of
cultural shocks and upsurge of an inferiority complex often accompany this complex trauma.
Sometimes natives manifest it in the form of aggression and violence and face a stereotyping of
being unreasonable and boorish.

Intergenerational Trauma
When a generation starts disowning the deeds of their previous generation by degrading them as
regressive practices, this phenomenon is known as intergenerational trauma. The best example of
this trauma can be seen in the case of the aboriginals living in the first nations of Canada; plenty
of them now disowns their own roots and feels that the misery faced by their ancestors was an
outcome of the mistakes made by them. Here it is important to understand the fact that the
righteousness or wrongfulness of any act or practice is dependent on the reference and context
pertaining to that particular period of time.
Causative factors and impacts
The causative factors behind the complex trauma can be derived in the deceit and betrayal of the
colonizers, during the first two phases of the colonization, they treated aboriginal people as
equals and later on enslaved them. The trauma of aboriginal slavery is more related to the fact
that many among them feel that they were greedy and responsible for their own miseries.
In a similar fashion, the causative factor behind the intergenerational Trauma can be attributed to
the misrepresentation of the history of a tribe. Its impacts can cause serious personality disorders
in the natives and force them to behave differently in social setups. The current clan of
indigenous people in Canada is facing the same trauma where they are trying to hide their
identities and core values, they are trying to run away from their roots, the mainstream society is
not ready to accept them without their roots and this is where the concept of complex trauma
forces unreasonable and anti-social behavior in their personality.

Question 3
It is very important to understand the concept of an Angry Indian first, the literature developed by the
colonial forces and anti-aboriginal writers presented an image of aboriginal people as savages living far
away from the mainstream society. The impact of this literature is very deep on the psychology of the
current generation and it reflects in the form of trauma in for aboriginal people. Term “Angry Indian”
has its origin in the media reporting of some of the crimes done by aboriginal people. With the passage
of time, it became a stereotype for the aboriginal people that are protesting and depicting angry
behavior.
The violence caused by these individuals finds causes in the discrimination that they are facing in
contemporary society.
Many experts gave it the name of Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). CPTSD is very
common among the aboriginal people who faced some trauma during childhood and later on, the
aggressive reaction became a defense mechanism for them. The immediate solution to this condition
lies in the restoration of the “self-esteem” with the help of loving relationships, respect in the society
and equal acceptance in all walks of life.
One of the major reasons behind the cases of domestic violence can also be attributed to the same
chronic trauma. Sometimes a bias creeps into the minds of these people and they try to justify the
projected image by practicing violence inside their houses because the consequences of this violence
are negligible. Counseling and psychological healings can support some extreme cases however, majorly
it is a case of social acceptance that they are seeking for.