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 your 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 one of the characters in the play says,” Well I like it here. Myself, Im go to every bingo and im gonna hit every jackpot between here and Espanola and im 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 “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 cant. 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 used to living there 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.
Krasner, David, and Tomson Highway. “The Rez Sisters.” Theatre Journal, vol. 46, no. 3, 1994, p. 399., doi:10.2307/3208615.
Krasner, David, and Tomson Highway. “The Rez Sisters.” Theatre Journal, vol. 46, no. 3, 1994, p. 399., doi:10.2307/3208615.
I agree Jack, the sisters on the reserve are putting all their faith into winning a Bingo game that would grant them basic necessities such as a stove or toilet. It is actually very sad, as you said, because most people already have those items, but living on the reserve, the sisters are longing for them so they can live a somewhat normal life. Also, you are right, if First Nation peoples were to leave the reserve, they'd be in a worse situation (without a job or a house). So, they are enititled to the reserve, that is where they were put and where they stay. To this day Indigenous people still live on reserves that are in horrible conditions, but will this ever change? Will the government ever invest enough money into the support of the reserves? Though the sisters are tied to their culture, there is another culture that was forced upon them in the reserve, that being Christianity, that also had an impact on their lives. If there are no jobs on the reserve how did they make enough money to go to the Bingo in the first place? Why wouldn't they continue making money around the reserve in order to live a half decent life instead of their extremely poor one?
ReplyDeleteJack, I agreed with your opening statement about how expectations around living conditions can vary from person to person, and factors like how a person was raised plays into, and affects, these expectations. I think you used great examples from the text in The Rez Sisters to really open up the reader’s eyes, for example the toilet that Philomena is dreaming about. Also, I mentioned the Attawapiskat reserve in my blog post too, but I was not aware of problems such as the lack of heat or space. Next, I agreed with the point you made where you stated that First Nation citizens on the reservations in Canada are used to a way of dangerous living, and even if these people wanted to leave a reserve there are no finances to support them, for that it is all resulting from there being little to no jobs on reserves. Lack of work on reserves is something I touched on in my blog post too, and I believe that a lot of problems on reservations can be fixed by restarting the economy around and in reserves. When I read your response some questions came to mind. What was the suicide crisis? Where do you think a good place is to start rehabilitating reservations in Canada to make them more livable?
ReplyDeleteJack, I really enjoyed your blog post on how being tied to a culture can be detrimental to an individual. Personally I believe that it can be detrimental but also I find that it can be very beneficial. I do totally agree with the struggles they face in the reservation such as poor living situations and no jobs to make many. I feel that no culture or individual should ever have to go through that. I also find that it is very unfair that the women lose their family due to them having to leave for work in Sudbury. I think that you did a really great job to help the readers understand the struggles that really go on with Indigenous cultures and other cultures in the world for that matter. I think that with all the struggles and difficult situations that go on there is good that can come out of living in a reserve, such as friendships and traditions that can be passed on through generations. All together I think you have very good points to support your statement about how being tied a culture can be detrimental such as no jobs for the women on the reservation and only being able to rely on the bingo. The one question I have for you is what was the suicide crisis? Either than that I think you did a very nice job with your blog!
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