af VR - 11SE 928622 Brampton Centennial SS 1 år siden
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Mere som dette
Granny talks about dying when she looks at her leg and sees a yellow bruise.
If you have a yellow bruise that doesn’t mean you’re dying
Joe called the Indians drunk when he was the one drinking
Indigenous peoples were first on this land and their own culture isn’t being accepted
“Citizenship? Blackfoot, my mother repeated” (King 137)
The fact that he used sarcasm because the Chief asked an unintelligent question
There is also some humour
It created a light mood for the reader
“Chief, you hard of hearing … we been talking about Portuguese fishermen? Course I mean Indians” (King 106)
The audience’s and mayor’s reaction to it was inappropriate as they didn’t clap or appreciate the play
The play only showed history and what happened in the past
“You can’t muck around with history. It ain’t always the way we’d like it to be but there is it. Can’t change it.” (King 108)
The mayor tells Joe that is was inappropriate and he “didn’t like it” (King 120)
The facts written in this book and many other history books are untrue
“I read it in a book” (King 123)
Christopher Columbus wanted this land, but did not find it
How can one find something that isn’t lost?
In that sense the totems aren’t the problem, the museum members are
The totem poles are a great representation and extraordinary way to show history
The museum members are trying to get rid of the totems and the history
Adopted the residential school system
Made several apologies to Indigenous families over the years
Current Prime Minister of Canada
Shows genocide and assimilation
They were taken advantage of for the colonizers own good
Indigenous peoples were never treated the right way, rather they were less superior and not even human
“Howdy Chief” (King 102)
Not every Indigenous person is a chief or called by that name
Joe called him Chief due to the sole fact that he was Indigenous
Chief’s family was surprised to hear this at first
“Everyone sort of looked around casual-like and skinnied their necks to see who Joe was talking about” (King 110)
“Joe was the only one in town called me Chief” “I wasn’t a chief and Joe knew it but he didn’t smile when he said it” (King 102)
Wrong because everyone has their own way of expressing themselves
People grow and change their way of dressing and a lot of that can come from pressure
Joe thinks that Indians can only have long hair with braids
“No one’s going to believe that Indians in 1863 had crew cuts. They got to have long hair with braids” (King 112)
The pageant is a periodic play, meaning people have changed
This is incorrect because not everyone from the same culture looks the same
It follows a stereotype that all Indians look a certain way and all the same
They have the same hair and clothes
Only good things are found on the Canadian side such as sweetgrass
The kid thought the bad things that were abrupt were only found on the American side
“I have a friend I went to school with who is Blackfoot. Do you know Mike Harley?” (King 140)
The guard assumed that the mother who is Blackfoot would know another person who is also Blackfoot
Indigenous people are not limited to only Canadian or American
They have many cultures within Indigenous communities that should be accepted
“But you have to be Candian or American” (King 141)
The people call the totem poles a mistake as if they weren’t supposed to be there
They were connected to the land
The totem poles were always there
I’m sure it’s all a mistake” (King 14)
The totems are Indigenous peoples who have been living on this land
Many people think that these totem poles or Indigenous peoples aren’t here, but in reality they are everywhere
They were sure that no totem poles can be there and when they were found, the museum management was surprised
“Walter assured her that there wasn’t a totem pole in the entire place” (King 13)
Indigenous peoples did what they were meant to do and still they were treated that way and seen as horrible people
The management wanted to get rid of the totems as they were found to be annoying
They cut the totem poles down and tried to ignore them
Calling them blind because the Indians stood together facing the beets instead of checking what the ‘spirit’ wants.
“How can you guys drink that stuff?” said Joe (King 90)
Thinks how Indians can drink lemon water without sugar.
He thought they only drink beer or other alcoholic beverages.
He thought they were foolish and didn’t know how to speak English
Joe assumed that the Indians can’t speak English and that they can only speak their native language
“The drunks?” (King 89)
Joe thinks the Indians are always drunk
Joe refers to Indians as a homeless person who drinks wine or other alcoholic beverages
“In that cottonwood at Heavyshield’s cabin.” (King 24)
When someone dies, they are either cremated or buried, but the granny asks to be placed in the cottonwood at the heavyshield cabin on the tree when she dies.
He stole land and called it his
He used Indigenous peoples for his own benefit
America and Indians were always and “were never lost” (King 129)
European never found this land, but rather they stole it and call it theirs
“That is the one who found America. That is the one who found Indians” (King 123)
“we dance in two worlds, inevitable as seasons in one, exotic curiosities in the other” (Tremblay 8, 9, 10)
There is one where they have full control over, can do as they wish, and no one can stop them
They can’t make the choice for themselves and have to listen to what the mayor says, even if it’s wrong
They were doing a play that represents history
“The mayor didn’t like it [pageant]” (King 120)
The audience didn’t clap at first and the mayor called it inappropriate
The Indians used trickery to make Joe and Red build a bench for them
“Citizenship? Blackfoot” (King 141)
She couldn’t make her own choices and had to make a choice between something she knew she was not a part of
“If we can’t solve it, we may have to get some government assistance” (King 17)
The totems couldn’t make the choices for themselves
The Indians are used for Columbus’ own benefit
“Christopher Columbus sold the Indians, I says, and that one become rich and famous” (King 128)
Christopher Columbus represents himself as superior to them
“Some of them go fishing. Some of them go shopping.” “movie”, “vacation” (King 124)
Ambrose had permission to put Granny’s dead body on the tree because it was her wish
The RCMP thought Ambrose stole the body and hid it on the tree so no one finds it.
Follow their own rules
The government have not return the indigenous people objects to them instead they put it in a museum as artifacts without their permission or consent
Learned about experiences and opinions about Indigenous peoples
Contracts signed between Indigenous peoples and the Crown
Justin Trudeau: apologized for the unmarked graves found at residential school sites
Current Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau apologized to Newfoundland and Labrador residential school survivors
Former Prime Minister: Stephen Harper apologized for Residential Schools
Shows erasure and assimilation and how it was done
Punishments in Residential Schools
RCMP doesn’t approve Ambrose for putting a dead body on a tree, even though it was Granny’s wish
They don’t want Indians standing in their corn field
Larson took over the land and killed all the Indians
"Matthew Larson and his two brothers coming ashore at Deer Island and claiming that is belonged to them" (King 116)
Indians helped Larson and gave him resources, but Larson built homes on the land
“He said it wasn’t apppproooopriate” (King 120)
“The mayor was looking red” (King 119)
The people also didn’t appreciate the story
As a result they did not clap immediately at the end of the play
“Canadian? said the guard. Blackfoot. said the mother” (King 137)
If anyone ever said Blackfoot or another culture, the guards did not accept the answer
“cut the pole down and then cover the stump with pruning paste. That way it won’t grow back” (King 17)
“I think the museum should do something about the problem” (King 14)
They try many different techniques to get rid of the totem poles, although they were connected to the ground
“We could get the chainsaw and cut it off close to the floor” (King 15)
The facts in the book are not real
“Christopher Columbus” “That is the one who found America. That is the one who found Indians” (King 12)
This land and Indigenous peoples were always here and “were never lost” (King 129)
Many unmarked graves of young students were found in May 2021
After this discovery, over 1000 more unmarked graves were found in Canada
Students were as young as 3 years old
215 unmarked graves were discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School
Indigenous peoples were thought to be lower than Christians and so the government wanted European people as the future of the country
They were given new names and if students said anything in their language, they were beaten
Red is referring the Indians as Jeff Chandler
Indigenous people don’t recognize themselves as Canadian or American but rather their own Indigenous cultures
“Canadian side or American side? Asked the guard. “Blackfoot side, she said” (King 138)
Singing songs and dancing around a fire is a crucial part of their identity
It’s a ritual, ceremony, and tradition that is performed when one is extremely happy
“Bernie and James got out a drum and started singing a few social songs and some of the families danced for a while” (King 111)
The Indians in the story lived on reserves since that is the land given to them
It shows how reserves are their home and where they prefer to live
Long hair and braids is a massive part of their culture, but not all Indians have long hair
“Your Indians don’t look like Indians” (King 112)
He’s giving the chance to Indians and not giving their identity to others
“My pageant is going to have Indians in it.” (King 104)
“Sort of like laughing” (King 15)
The museum stole their identity from them
The actions that were being performed were a part of their identity
Indigenous peoples don’t recognize themselves as Indians
Ambrose was having a hard time fulfilling the granny’s promise because of the RCMP
They weren’t allowed to put a dead body on the tree
The RCMP accused Ambrose for stealing a dead body without even asking him for what’s the reason behind why he kept the dead body on the tree.
Ambrose can’t even fulfill the granny’s wish on the reserve
Others lived far away
That’s why it took some people many days to come for the play
Some of the Chief’s family lived on reserves
That shows that the Indians didn’t want to associate with another nationality
Every time Joe mentioned the Indians, he’d specifically used the term ‘Indian’
“that is goes right through the floor” (King 15)
One of the totems was found to be connected with the floor since it went right through the ground
The museum management represent the government who stole the land and got rid of Indigenous peoples
The totems represent Indigenous peoples and what went through them
Although Canada is their land and home, Indigenous peoples live on reserves
Indigenous peoples don’t consider themselves as Canadians
“Christopher Columbus grabs a big bunch of Indian men and Indian women and Indian children and locks them up in his ships” (King 127)
Christopher Columbus had no right over the land or the people
"We could sell Indians" (King 127)
The mother had pride over her nationality and that was the answer she wanted to go with
