How being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person

Culture affects people’s everyday lives, whether it be in a good way or a bad way. The Aboriginal culture is affected poorly every day because of a lack of acceptance. This very poor culture is denied many of the basic necessities of life and is stuck trying to express the culture they were born into, but can’t because of how they are treated by others. Many reserves are stuck in isolation because the government won’t help, for an example, in the documentary, “Colonization Road”, the people living on a reserve tried building a road to save them from isolation, but the government denied every request. This proves the lack of respect and acceptance the government has for the Aboriginal culture.

In a 2016 article by Global News, it was found that over 80% of reserves had median incomes below the low-income measure. The average income below the low income measure in Canada is $22000 for a person, compared to the average regular income of Canadian citizens being $70000. The incomes on reserves in Canada are significantly lower than that of other Canadian citizens, showing how the Aboriginal culture can be detrimental to a person’s life. Another point made in this article is that Indian reserves have a significantly younger population, which is due to the shorter life expectancies because of the harsh living conditions on the reserves.

Housing on an Indian Reserve

Tomson Highway’s play, The Rez Sisters, shows what the people living on Indian reserves have to deal with in their everyday lives. Highway uses many symbols to prove his point about the harsh conditions of Indian Reserves, including winning a bingo, which symbolizes winning money to be able to afford basic necessities of life because of the low income bracket and the low federal budget for housing on reserves. One of Highway’s characters is fixing her roof right at the beginning of the play and says it can only hold up one person at a time, proving the low housing budget that is given to reserves. The fact that the characters in his play dream of having paved roads, working kitchen appliances, and even indoor plumbing proves how poorly life on reserves is, which ties back to culture. These people are only going through this because of how people around them, including outsiders to their communities and the government, aren’t accepting of them and their beliefs. They are relying on a game to give themselves a better life, that’s how desperate they are.

How Being Tied To a Culture Can be Detrimental

How Being Tied To A Culture Can Be Detrimental

"The Rez Sisters"

                   Thompson Highway's "The Rez Sisters" shows how being tied to a culture is detrimental to those who are in it. "The Rez Sisters" is a play that tells the story of native women living on a reserve in Canada. The women dream of winning the bingo  in order to obtain things
 that most think to be everyday necessities. For example a character named Philomena wishes to buy a toilet with the prize money, something that most Canadians use everyday and don't think anything of it. Another character, Veronique, wishes to buy a stove, another item that Canadians rely on everyday to prepare meals. This is all because the Canadian government completely disregards the state of reserves and the people in them. This is proven when Pelajia reveals that she wants to put the chief to shame and pave roads. This proves that the government completely disregards the state of these reserves and the people in them because toilets, stoves, and paved roads are something that everyone in Canada has, with the exception  of people living on reserves. It is detrimental to be tied to a culture for these women because part of their culture is living on these reserves where they don't get equal opportunities. Just like Thompson Highways play "The Rez Sisters", there are many First Nations reserves in Canada that live with very poor living conditions. Many First Nations people that live on reserves have to live in run down housing and even send their children to schools that have mold and various other safety issues. In some of the worst cases, like in the Attiwapiskat reserve located five thousand kilometers north of Timmens Ontario, there was shortage of housing which led to a state of emergency making people live in un-insulated sheds and tents with wooden barriers, no water hookup, and no hydro.This reserve also has their food and water trucked and flown out to them so they have to be very careful with what they use. Canada has 3117 reserves, most go without plumbing and others rely on various water systems that may not be healthy, this is a prime example of how Canadians on reserves do not get the same treatment from the government. Most of these reserves in Canada have suicide rates significantly higher than anywhere else, both teens and adults are more likely to commit suicide living on these reserves with terrible living conditions. This once again proves that it is detrimental to be tied to a culture that requires you to live on a reserve because people that live on reserves do not get equal  opportunities or rights.  In conclusion, it is detrimental to be tied to a culture for the both the characters in "The Rez Sisters" and First Nations people in Canada because part of their culture is living on reserves where they are forced to live in poor conditions and do not get equal opportunities.
 

Hoe Being Tied To A Culture Can Be Detrimental To A Person.

How being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person.

In Tomson Highway's play, “The Rez Sisters”, there is a great example of how culture can be detrimental to a person. In the play, the 7 Indigenous women all live in the same indigenous community, the reserve they live on is very poor and run-down, just like many other First Nations reserves.  First Nations people living on some reserves live in wooden sheds and also tents held up by wooden frames, this undeniably not only shows that the way they are living is unhealthy for any human, but it also shows that the government has not done anything to help increase job opportunities for them, nor have they done anything to increase the living conditions they have to deal with day after day.

Each character in the play partakes in playing Bingo. They have their own idea of what they would like to purchase if they happen to win the jackpot money. One character named Pelajia, wants to escape the reserve and move to Toronto because of the horrible living conditions on the reserve, and also because of the lack of job opportunities and the housing situation. Pelajia’s sister, Philomena and her sister in law Veronique want to buy a stove and a toilet which ultimately shows their lack of resources and their desire for a better life. The Bingo is their only way to make some decent money to help them survive, it is also a way they can escape the harsh lifestyle their living in and move to a city where the jobs and living conditions are better.  Being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person because of some of the consequences that tag along with it, for example, indigenous people have their land taken away from them, their stripped of their culture, and even get treated like low class citizens. In my opinion, being Native forces you to be tied to your culture because of the fact that you want to stick together as a culture, but this also leaves you living in terrible conditions and struggling to survive day after day. Many First Nations people live a very poor life, and I think that Highway demonstrated this throughout the play by showing the reader the challenges and also the barriers the 7 indigenous women are continuously faced with.

In conclusion, I believe that being tied to a culture can ultimately be detrimental to a person because of some of the consequences that come with it. For Example, being a first nation citizen comes with a lot of challenges and barriers because of the Canadian Government trying to strip you of your culture and change you from the person who you really are. Living conditions on reserves are harsh and also unhealthy. To conclude, it is clear to understand that being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person.

Jack Parsons Rez Sisters How Can Being Tied to a Culture be Detrimental to a Person

How can being tied to a culture be detrimental to a person?

Some peoples ideal living conditions may be different from yours, it all depends on what conditions you grow up in, and how you have been treated. For example the characters in, The Rez Sisters Values and what is a necessity in life may seem different from people that live in a town like Orangeville.  For example Philomena says,” Well I like it here. Myself, im go to every bingo and i’m gonna hit every jackpot between here and Espanola and i’m gonna buy me that toilet im dreaming about at night… big and wide and very white…” (Highway 5).  Yes she likes it there, but the fact that she is so excited about how she is finally going to have a toilet in her home is quite saddening. Most of the people that live on the reserve have to go to the store to go to the washroom. There is an article in the The Toronto Star called ,”For Attawapiskat Residents, Life is a Constant Struggle”. The article states, “any community that has 20 people living in a small substandard dwelling heated with nothing more than a wood burning stove is bound to have problems. Serious ones”(Ross 1 ). People may just say or think why don't you guys just leave the reserve and go somewhere else if the conditions are so bad, but the thing is they can’t. There are no jobs on these reserves no way for them to make money to be able to survive when they leave the reserve what do you expect them to do? The people that live on these reserves are so attached because it is such an important part of their culture they don't see how dangerous it can be, and how dangerous the conditions really are compared to other places around Canada. These poor living conditions are a huge part that is connected to the suicide crisis that happened here not so long ago, it's not just one person being affected its everyone.  The most they can do for themselves is use what they've got and make the most of it. Since all of the men have left the reserve in hope for a job to make money, all the women are forced to do the odd jobs around the house. I understand why they don't want to leave the reserves and give it to the government it is there land and they deserve to be there, but there is a point where your physical and mental health should be what's most important. The character Pelajia finally realized after living on the reserve all her life that she has had enough and wants to move to Toronto for a better life, and all she can depend on is that she is going to win the jackpot in bingo which is here main source of income. I Understand how tied to the culture and rez they can be since the have been there there whole life, the government is a huge reason why it's gotten this bad, but there should be a sense where this is enough and it's time to move on.

Ross, Oakland. “For Attawapiskat Residents, Life Is a Constant Struggle.” Thestar.com, Toronto Star, 30 Nov. 2011, www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/11/29/for_attawapiskat_residents_life_is_a_constant_struggle.html.

Krasner, David, and Tomson Highway. “The Rez Sisters.” Theatre Journal, vol. 46, no. 3, 1994, p. 399., doi:10.2307/3208615.

The Detrimental Part Of Being Tied To A Culture

How Being Tied To A Culture Can Be Detrimental To Person

Being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person. An example of this is the Attawapiskat reserve. It is located five thousand kilometres north of Timmins, Ontario. Due to the housing shortage, they had to declare being in a state of emergency. The First Nations community is now forced to house people in uninsulated sheds. Some live in wooden framed tents having to be heated by wood stoves. There is no water hookup, and no hydro hookup. This inhumane way of living is caused due to being tied to a culture.  

Canada has 3,117 reserves, containing around half a million people. Many do not have indoor plumbing. Around a quarter of them are forced to rely on various water systems that have risks towards the environment and their health. The unfortunate infrastructure problems have even caused mold infestations that lead towards rashes. Quite a few of the reserves are currently under water advisories.   

There is a huge gap between Indigenous people and the rest of Canadians. Is it caused by the lack of knowledge that we have? Or the fact that the government is not doing enough? The Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo said “The images of communities where there's slop pails, no running water, no reliable power … Perhaps the underlying reasons, particularly, the policy reasons [are] the fact that we've all inherited an Indian Act that's 125 years old now that isn't serving anybody".

Many reserves, such as Attawapiskat, are in horrible conditions. It is not a way of living, and they should not be treated that way. After the residential schools, I would think we would try harder to fix the way Indigenous people are treated. The only reason they are trapped in the reserves are due to their culture, because of the way Canada sees them, they are not treated the same as you and me.   

A wood-frame tent where a family of six is being housed in Attawapiskat, a Cree community near James Bay in northern Ontario. The tent is heated by a wood stove. (Courtesy of Charlie Angus)

Tomson Highway’s play The Rez Sisters, is about seven indigenous women living on a reserve in Canada. Their big dream is to win the bingo in order to fulfill their desires. One of the women named Pelajia wants to go to Toronto. She feels the need to escape the horrible living conditions on the reserve. It lies on an island, isolated from the rest of the world. There are no jobs, and the government has completely disregarded them. Their culture tied them to a stigma from the government and others. The women are not treated with respect to themselves or their culture. Pelajia’s sister, Philomena, and their sister in law, Veronique, wants to buy a toilet and a stove if they win the bingo. This shows the lack of basic resources that they have. There is no other way for them to get money beside the bingo. The bingo is a way for them to escape for the poverty they live in. The harsh reality is that if they weren't tied to a culture, they most likely wouldn’t be in the situation they are in. There would be no reason they couldn’t have jobs.

I believe that due to the nature of the government and others, people tied to a culture are suffering. We need to ask ourselves why there isn’t enough done to provide people of all ages a basic home and needs. I don’t think we would want to live in those conditions, so why should they?      

Works Cited

Angus, Charlie. A wood-frame tent where a family of six is being housed in Attawapiskat, a Cree community near James Bay in northern Ontario. The tent is heated by a wood stove. CBC, Kazi Stastna, 26 Nov. 2011, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/shacks-and-slop-pails-infrastructure-crisis-on-native-reserves-1.1004957. Accessed 9 June 2018.

Highway, Tomson. The Rez Sisters. Fifth House Publishers, 1988.

Stastna, Kazi. “Shacks and slop pails: infrastructure crisis on native reserves.” CBC, 26 Nov. 2011, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/shacks-and-slop-pails-infrastructure-crisis-on-native-reserves-1.1004957. Accessed 8 June 2018.

       

How being tied to a culture can be detrimental

How being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person is depicted in the play The Rez Sisters. This is done in the form of how being aboriginal people that are poor stops them from achieving what they want in life.

This is shown in how Pelajia Patchnose wants to improve the reserve’s living conditions like the peoples housing, education, and the roads. The chief is not doing anything, but the sisters can’t do anything because the women in her culture are bound by it not to lead and must follow the antiquated rule. I believe roads could be a symbol of how bad it is for the indigenous people living in Canada, for the reason roads are seen as the roots or start of a growing civilization.Their roads not being paved shows a lack of care for the people that were here before the Europeans. Even after all this time we have just pushed them away and hid them away on reserves and not gave them the respect they and their culture deserve. These indigenous people are trying to hold on to their culture which is good, but how they are doing detrimental because it isn’t allowing them as a culture to integrate into an average Canadian lifestyle. I believe they must not leave behind their culture but move away from reservations and this segregation caused by the immigration of the first European settlers. As well as we must respect the treaties and give the indigenous people what is they deserve and what was bound by law. The breaking of these treaties shows a lack of respect which needs to be put to an end and the government should put more funds into the indigenous communities to make up for this act.

The Main problems with how are government and society treats aboriginals leads to lower quality of life for those people. This shows up in many different ways from the 5 to 8 times higher suicide rate, or the fact the there's an almost 80% unemployment rate among indigenous communities. Also the conditions of their houses and the money they are given is far to low for them to live an average life with (Shown here). That's why many aboriginal communities look run down, and have dirt roads, with poor accessibility to basic needs. These problems will only get worse if they are not addressed and fixed soon enough. The government should put money into the communities to rebuild local economies and allow for more job opportunities to grow. In general their culture has been a detriment because it has not allowed them to move past these issues and move on into a new life for them and future generations.

Sources:

Highway, Tomson. The Rez Sisters. Markham, Fifth House, 1988.   

https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/8-key-issues-for-aboriginal-people-in-canada

https://www.google.ca/search?q=definition+of+treaty&rlz=1CADEAC_enCA800&oq=definition+of+treaty&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.4953j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on

/www.google.ca/search?rlz=1C1GGGE_enCA432&biw=1280&bih=677&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=EP8dW5fFM8mkjwTq8pPwDA&q=house+on+aboriginal+reservation&oq=house+on+aboriginal+reservation&gs_l=img.3...8637.11671.0.12123.11.11.0.0.0.0.170.1263.3j8.11.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.0.0....0.dvUX2StLxLc

Rez Sisters - How Being Tied to a Culture can be Detrimental to an Individual

Being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person because it can affect how they are treated by others or even the government. Indigenous people have different customs and cultures, but they are all exposed to unpleasant realities, such as removal of their land, denial of their culture, attacks, and even being treated as second-class citizens. Those who are closely tied to their culture in Canada were placed on reserves, in order to convert them to Christians. To this day, First Nation's peoples still live on reserves (though they are not forced to change their cultures) that are subject to horrible living conditions. It is evident that the conditions of these reserves today have not changed much since they were created, as explained by Kazi Stasna in her CBC article; "Housing on reserves is generally substandard, dilapidated and overcrowded” (Stasna CBC). First Nation’s people are forced to be on these reserves, because they are tied closely to their culture, resulting in them living a poor life. Also, Stasna’s article includes a quote from Chief Shawn Atleo, who stated “There’s slop pails, no running water, and no reliable power” (Chief Shawn Atleo in Kazi Stasna’s CBC article). These quotes prove how poor life on the reserve is, and what First Nations must deal with, due to their culture.

A family in the First Nations community of Pikangikum in northwestern Ontario. Overcrowding is a major problem on many reserves, where housing is in short supply and living conditions often substandard. (CBC news)

In The Rez Sisters, the recurring themes throughout the story highlight the conditions of reservations as well as challenges the characters face due to their culture. The sisters in the play experience loss of culture as well as new cultures they are forced into.These themes, represent how being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person. For example, the sisters plan on travelling to Toronto in order to take part in a Bingo, in hopes of winning, therefore granting them much-needed money for their basic needs such as “That toilet im dreaming about… big and wide and very white…” (Highway 5). The sisters do not have access to basic equipment, such as a toilet, representing the challenges they face on the reserve. In terms of forced culture, the First Nations people on the reserve were to be converted into the Christianity religion, this can be seen in the play when “[Veronique] makes a quick sign of the cross without skipping a beat” (Highway 26). The First Nation’s sisters in the play are forced to change their culture and religion to conform with the expectations (new culture) on the reserve. By stripping them of their culture and religion, it also takes a part of their identity, leading to them becoming lost or without cause. In the play, Philomena knows there is nothing left to lose so she accepts life on the reserve, but it is evident that the others want to leave, as Philomena argues “And don’t give me none of this ‘I don’t like this place. I’m tired of it.’ This place is too much inside your blood. You can’t get rid of it. And it can’t get rid of you.” (Highway 4). Philomena has accepted the fact that they will never rid the reservation from their minds and it is something that will stick with them forever.

In conclusion, the symbols and themes in The Rez Sisters, as well as current conditions of reservations today, highlight how being tied to a culture can be detrimental to a person.

Works Cited

Highway, Tomson. The Rez Sisters. Markham ON, Fifth House Ltd., 1988.

Stastna, Kazi. “First Nations Housing in Dire Need of Overhaul.” CBC, 26 Nov. 2011,

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/shacks-and-slop-pails-infrastructure-crisis-on-native-reserves-1.1004957.

Accessed 12 Apr. 2014.