Friday, September 1, 2023

WHY IDENTIFY AS INDIGENOUS WHEN WE HAVE ONLY ONE HISTORICAL ANCESTOR?


This question seems to be asked the most by some Canadians who antagonistically challenge the rights of a majority of people with native ancestry.

The answer is simple: Canada is multicultural and the constitution is supposed to protect the rights of citizens to identify as they wish without discrimination.

These antagonists justify their posture by faking support for people who have colonially recognized indigeneity and accusing their unrecognized cousins as "pretenders", "race shifters" and thieves of colonially perceived privilege. 

Antagonists, for their own unfounded reasons, might say, "Why should one indigenous ancestor be favoured over hundreds of other European ancestors?

This question is subtlety racist and politically inspired. Declaring ones indigenous identity is personal to each individual and lacks evidence of illegitimacy.

Identifying as indigenous involves emotional as well rational reasons. Pride in ones European heritage is rationally compromised for the following reasons:

·        Historical European settler attitudes were self righteous, arrogant and domineering in every way! A political majority of Canadian settler descendants have inherited and continue to justify their ancestral felonious invasion of North America.

·        our indigenous ancestors were mistreated as inferior by our European ancestors.

The most important reason for choosing indigenous self identify with just one ancestor is the reality that we live on the land belonging to our indigenous ancestors---not in Europe! 

If there are non-indigenous Canadians who identify as indigenous, our descendants should consider it an honor that a white settler descendant would choose to have an indigenous rather than a European bias.

Though Canada has benefited indigenous as well as non-indigenous citizens with limited social security and conciliatory policies; it still remains superior and coercive. 

Only when indigenous values are incorporated into government infrastructure will it truly deserve patriotism from all citizen.

 


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