Reading Note #6 The imaginary Indian-Feifei Ding

This week’s reading is short and sweet. All authors tackle the topic of First Nations in a non-traditional ways, which I appreciate very much. In particular, The Imaginary Indian brings a fresh angle in the discussion of aboriginal issues. Francis (1992) started by his personal experience of visiting Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, where he was struck by the fact that the aboriginal people are so different than those he had in mind. Then he realizes that Indians in White people’s mind do not exist, and they are imagery invented by the Europeans. He thus goes on to trace these images of Indians that White Canadians created in history.  Francis specially claim that this book is “about White-and not Native-cultural history” (p.5) which is very interesting perspective. The White cultural history about the images of the Indians evolved over time and according to the needs of the time. Francis believes these images become more positive gradually though still fall into stereotypes, as White people (believe that they) know Indians better, and have more interactions. A turning point was when the wars were over and White people no longer need the military support of Natives, at which time, Natives became marginal to White Canadians’ new priorities such as the establishment of the nation-state. The image of the Indians are then used for Whites to differentiate themselves and create the Canadian identity.  

At the end of the introduction chapter, Francis specially explains the terminology that he uses in the book. The term Indian represents aboriginal people in non-Native Canadians’ eyes, and they should be actually referred to as aboriginal people, native people or first nations. Francis published this book in 1992, but it is only twenty years later, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development changed its name to Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada in 2011. Although the mandate and responsibility of the department remains the same, the government decided to abandon the imaginary name in White culture, and adopt a neutral name that shows more respect. However, as Francis makes the readers think, do White people really want to know aboriginal people? Do they really care about aboriginal people or about themselves? 

Over the past two years since I arrived in Ottawa, I was exposed in various ways and in many occasion to a mania for aboriginal affairs, to the extent that I am almost sick of the topic, as I feel that too much talk and gesture often implies the lack of sincerity and the cover up of inaction. As Fleming (2015) summarizes that the current Canadian government leverages these issues to demonstrate the Canadian superiority in supporting people in poverty and other inferior conditions. When Harper made the official apology in 2008 about the residential school, some commented that he did not care about whether these aboriginal victims accepted the apology or not, as the only important matter is that the apology is publicly offered. As the only national museum outside of the national capital region, and the first of its kind in the world, Canadian Museum of Human Rights opened its door last fall in Winnipeg. Of course, a great part of the exhibits is attributed to the history of aboriginal people. The museum is heavily subsidized by the federal tax yet is the least popular among the museums in the region. Is this not another demonstration that the Canadian government and the Canadian (non-Native) people’s generosity, yet voted with feet that they could not care less? This past week, Truth and Reconciliation Commission report was published, which took six years and cost $50 million. The government seems to make great efforts in looking back into the history and seek reconciliation, but when it encounters more important issues for the non-Native government such as election, the leader chose to remain silent. Although the term Indian is often avoided now, are we still consuming the image of aboriginal people for our purpose of being great Canadians?