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.