Aboriginals in Canada and Mexico
For many years, Aboriginal people in Canada and Mexico have fought for political sovereignty and self-government. While Canada and Mexico are two different countries with two different cultures and histories, the Aboriginal people's fight in both countries is strikingly similar. Both groups of people have been fighting a war against assimilation and the utter destruction of their culture. While some groups have lost parts of their culture to absorption, these Aboriginals strive to preserve or regain any parts of their heritage that they can. They have been overwhelmed by European colonies and societies and have come under their rule. Aboriginal people in Canada and Mexico are expected to live under Canadian or Mexican government when they are a different people than those who attempt to preside over them. These Aboriginal people have to come to believe that the respective governments should grant autonomy and that they should be able to be their own separate entity within the already established borders of Canada and Mexico. Learning about Canada's history lends some background on how the native peoples there became repressed. Surprisingly enough, European settlers and explorers first treated
In the eyes of the Aboriginal Canadians, self-government was the logically the best way for them to determine their own course in life. Rightfully so, the Indians saw autonomy as a right that they deserved based on the fact that it was well-established in Canada long before any Europeans set foot on their land. Furthermore, the Aboriginals had no recollection of ever surrendering their right to autonomy either. Some were left to feel as if it had been swept out from under their feet without them noticing. Not only was obtaining the rights to self-government a challenge to the Aboriginals, but it was also a challenge to execute. Natives had to go through the Canadian government to achieve this and begin to deal with their problems of "people, place, resources and authority" (25). For example, the Aboriginal people wanted the ability to decide membership of their cultures, whereas Canadian government currently held that ability through the Indian Act. Also the Aboriginal peoples wanted to become part of Canada's redistribution of wealth that came from Ottawa. The reservations wanted that they could profit from their own lands and also receive resources from Canadian supplies because of its need for equality with the rest of Canada. All these demands from Aboriginal peoples stem from "a desire to preserve a traditional way of life and adapt it to contemporary conditions, as Aboriginal peoples see fit, without interference" (28). The Aboriginal fight for rights in Canada would continue and still continues to this day. Canada has traditionally been moralistic and legalistic, but conditions have improved (although far too slowly) over the years. On the other hand, a somewhat different story also involving Aboriginal people unfolded in Mexico. the Natives of North America as a sovereign nation, completely equal in law. Relations between Europeans and Natives varied from friendly trades to hostile battles, yet the Natives were never defeated or surrendered in any way. Conversely, many Indian groups did end up signing treaties with Europeans that would continue to haunt them for generations to come. Once the Natives came under settler rule, the Europeans planned that "eventually find a place for Aboriginals in the social contract" (8). Still, this posed a problem for both groups because European settlers could not see the Aboriginal people as fit for inclusion in their society. Instead Indians
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1620
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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