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.
No comments:
Post a Comment