This course was about Indigenous People and human services as taught by an Indigenous social worker at TRU. Sharnelle was such a kind and generous soul. She brought in several guest speakers including her mother whom was a residential school survivor. Throughout the course, we researched events and then were put into small groups to do presentations on a selected topic. I was in the group assigned to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls & the Red Dress Project. It was a topic that I was not very familiar with. After only a bit of research, I was horrified at what was taking place right under our noses in British Columbia. Since the 1970’s, Indigenous women have been disappearing all over the province and in particular, along the Highway of Tears north of Kamloops. It’s baffling to me why the police have never taken this seriously but rather dismissed families repeatedly stating that the missing girls probably just ran away in most cases. This again, is a despicable part of our legacy in this province regarding the welfare of Indigenous women and girls. It adds to the fact that these events need to be more public so that Indigenous voices are heard and listened to.
We also looked at the Indian Act and the history, current reality, & future of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The class examined the historical process of colonization in Canada, the resulting barriers embedded in policy & practice, and alternative ways of viewing the social-psychological positions of Indigenous People in Canadian society. This entire course led me to embrace that we can make a difference in the lives of the young Indigenous People in our classrooms and we can incorporate their ways of teaching into our classrooms so that they can see themselves represented.
MMIWG