Behind the Colonial Wall: the Chains That Bind Resistance
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Behind the Colonial Wall: The Chains That Bind Resistance by Brenda St. Germain BSW, University of Victoria, 2003 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK in the School of Social Work Brenda St. Germain, 2014 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Behind the Colonial Wall: The Chains That Bind Resistance by Brenda St. Germain Bachelor of Social Work, University of Victoria, 2003 Supervisory Committee Dr. Catherine Richardson, School of Social Work Supervisor Dr. Jeannine Carriere, School of Social Work Departmental Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Catherine Richardson, School of Social Work Supervisor Dr. Jeannine Carriere, School of Social Work Departmental Member The “colonial wall” is the analogy drawn between a visible, physical barrier designed to confine, control, and contain a nation and a psychological barrier designed to control, confine, and contain a nation by internalized colonialist subjugation or colonizer domination. This thesis answers the question, “How are colonial policies and ideologies internalized by Indigenous and Settler populations to maintain the relationship of domination and oppression in modern society?” The secondary questions explore how colonialism is perpetuated by both colonizer and colonized and ask if there are situations occurring in society today to indicate a correlation to the Indigenous Seven Prophecies and Eighth Fire Prophecy. Research constitutes a review of literature to explore the questions from thematic categories that emerged from the analysis: economics, epistemology, politics, and patriarchy. There are numerous literary contributions on the colonial phenomenon but few offered explanations about how it affected the psychology of a colonized individual or even how cognitive function is affiliated with acts of domination that affect the psyche of the colonizer. This thesis documents and offers emerging theories on how colonial policies and practices are taken up to influence the dyadic relationship between Settler peoples and Aboriginal populations in Canada today. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................ viii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1—Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 The Post-Colonialism Facade: Behind the Colonial Wall .............................................. 2 Becoming Self-Aware of Modern Colonialism .............................................................. 3 Development of Research Perspective............................................................................ 9 Research Question ........................................................................................................ 10 The Prophecies .......................................................................................................... 12 Purpose of Research ...................................................................................................... 16 Self-Location................................................................................................................. 21 Chapter 2—Decolonization: Indigenous Identity and Research ....................................... 27 Introduction: Indigenous Landscape ............................................................................. 27 Autoethnography as Methodology ................................................................................ 29 Hermeneutic Interpretation ........................................................................................... 31 Indigenous Methodology .............................................................................................. 32 Indigenous Ontology—Ways of Being ..................................................................... 33 Four Structures of Colonization .................................................................................... 40 Western and Indigenous Epistemology: My Cultural Dissonance ........................... 45 My Framework: Theory fusion in Community Development and Research ............ 47 Prophecy of the Fourth Fire .......................................................................................... 50 Chapter 3—Eurocentric Influences in Canada by Settlers ............................................... 51 Doctrine of Discovery—Foundation of Colonialism: Circa 1400 ................................ 51 Influence of European Philosophies ............................................................................. 55 British and Imperial Ideologies ..................................................................................... 57 Legislation of Colonial Policies in Canada ................................................................... 58 Linguistic Patterns and Colonial Manipulation ............................................................ 60 Colonizers, Colonialism, Imperialism .......................................................................... 63 Internalization and Settler Mentality ............................................................................ 66 Psychological Effects in Colonial Nations ................................................................... 69 The Prophecy of the Fifth Fire ...................................................................................... 71 Chapter 4—Process of Colonization ................................................................................. 74 The Prophecy of the Sixth Fire ..................................................................................... 74 First Colonial Structure - Economics ............................................................................ 83 Second Colonial Structure - Epistemology ................................................................... 85 Education .................................................................................................................. 89 Third Colonial Structure - Politics ................................................................................ 93 v Fourth Colonial Structure - Patriarchy .......................................................................... 97 Benevolence .............................................................................................................. 99 The Prophecy of the Seventh Fire ............................................................................... 106 Chapter 5—Decolonization and Transformation ............................................................ 108 Transformation ............................................................................................................ 115 Chapter 6—Conclusion ................................................................................................... 120 The Eighth Fire ........................................................................................................... 120 References ....................................................................................................................... 127 Appendix A: Chronological Timeline of British, French, and Indigenous History....... 141 English Settler History ............................................................................................ 141 French Settler History ............................................................................................. 143 Indigenous History & Policies ............................................................................... 145 Current History ...................................................................................................... 148 Appendix B: Glossary of Terms and Definitions ........................................................... 151 Appendix C: Sample Concept Map from Education Literature...................................... 154 Appendix D: Translation of Elder Commanda Speech, September 2012 ...................... 155 vi List of Tables Table 1 Negative Impacts on Aboriginal People .............................................................. 85 vii List of Figures Figure 1 Seven Prophecies and Eighth Fire ...................................................................... 15 Figure 2 1990 Oka Crisis Standoff Between Two Cultures ............................................. 19 Figure 3 My Home at Kootenay Campsite for Ceremony ................................................ 36 Figure 4 Four Colonial Structures ................................................................................... 41 Figure 5 Four-Strand