Othering: As Shown in Thomas King’s “Coyote and the Enemy Alien” and the Canadian Government In the short story “Coyote and the Enemy Alien” by Thomas King, there is a common theme of othering that is demonstarted in the story. Othering is defined as to “view or treat (a person or group of people) as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself” (idk how to cite this). The idea of othering is expressed through the Coyote’s words and actions. Othering has been a significant part of the Canadian society with the inauguration of the Indian Act and unethical treatment of the Indigenous people of Canada due to the introduction of the new legislation. In “Coyote and the Enemy Aliens” by Thomas King, the main character, the Coyote, has the “most important job in the world” (King 55) as he states it is more important than being “truthful” (King 55), “reliable” (King 55), “fair” (King 56), and “generous” (King 56). The Coyote’s job is a direct parallel to the job of an Indian Agent when it was introduced in 1867. The Coyote’s job is to confiscate and sell any contraband items that the Enemy Aliens have in their possession or any items that the Coyote believes is unnecessary for the Enemy Aliens to have. Similarly, the job of an Indian Agent had the same duties. An Indian Agent had the right and role to regulate everything that happened on a reserve, including confiscating property and relocating problematic Indigenous people away from their home and family. With the Coyote’s ability to confiscate Enemy Alien property, especially the family heirlooms, this can cause depletion of Enemy Alien traditions and heritage can become lost. The loss of tradition was the goal of the Canadian Government when the Indian Act was introduced, “assimilation and civilisation of First Nations people” (Gov website). Eminently, King’s installation of the Coyote’s job appropriates the position that the Indian Agents portrayed in the history of Canada. It exhibits how much unquestionable authority and dominance the government had over the Indigenous society and how much the introduction of the Indian Act had on how the Indigenous people were scrutinized by society. With othering, it is viewing someone as intrinsically different
“Coyote and the Enemy Aliens” is a satirical commentary that effectively expounds on the intense objectification and dehumanization of Japanese Canadians during the colonial Canadian era. By depicting the grotesque living conditions, the Japanese were subjected to, King is able to critique the racist perspectives of the Canadian society. King condemns the actions of colonial white-men, depicting them as creatures engulfed in moral blindness that strive to fabricate an ideal white world. Moreover, King vividly portrays the idea of social dynamics, expounding on the helplessness of Citizens against dominant political powers. King also introduces an idea of conformity, showcasing how citizens gradually adapt to
The Indian Act was an attempt by the Canadian government to assimilate the aboriginals into the Canadian society through means such as Enfranchisement, the creation of elective band councils, the banning of aboriginals seeking legal help, and through the process of providing the Superintendent General of the Indian Affairs extreme control over the aboriginals, such as allowing the Superintendent to decide who receives certain benefits, during the earlier stages of the Canadian-Indigenous' political interaction. The failure of the Indian Act though only led to more confusion regarding the interaction of Canada and the aboriginals, giving birth to the failed White Paper and the unconstitutional Bill C-31,
During the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had formed policies which reduced land allotted to Native Americans. By enforcing these laws as well as Anglo-American ideals, the United States compromised indigenous people’s culture and ability to thrive in its society.
This essay presents a brief history of Californian Indigenous people. It also showcases a history behind the evolution of Federal Recognition and the Termination policy. In addition, it presents the history and explains what is the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is. It then examines the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria giving a brief history. It also discusses the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria’s termination due to the Termination policy and California Rancheria Act of the 1950s. It also discusses the importance of regaining federal recognition applied to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
The Indian Act was a challenge by the Canadian government to adjust the aboriginals into the Canadian culture including bring in residential schools, separating every First Nations in trying to “improve”, and practice them for standard society (Emberley, 2009). First Nations people were also not allowed to possess any land or offer the land that used to be theirs before the Indian act as this segregation put limits maintaining or even owning anything (Emberley, 2009). This lead to the point on everything being restricted for the First Nations including losing history, practicing
With the proposal of the ‘Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy’ (hereafter referred to as the White Paper) in 1969 by Jean Chretien, existing tensions over the role and future of First Nations within Canadian society would finally come to a head. Prior to the introduction of this policy, government bureaucrats and missionary organizations had finally begun to realize that directed change and economic development were not taking place amongst First Nations communities as they had wanted, and decided in the favor of a change. This change in policy brought about the White Paper, which was a cleverly veiled assimilationist proposal of the Canadian government to the First Nations peoples of their country. This shift in policy
Othering, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is, “the perception or representation of a person or a group of people as fundamentally alien from another, frequently more powerful, group.” (“Home: Oxford English Dictionary,” 2017). Therefore, in my opinion, the practice of Othering in this article is the exclusion of persons who do not fit the norm of the social group [African descent].
Often times, when it came to the discussion on equality within Canada, the actions of Canada were compared to those of the United States, and often times, a comment is made stating that the United States could learn from Canada’s example when it came to racial harmony. However, this idea was often criticized as the racial problems within Canada were just as severe. The respect and the livelihood of the First Nation were violated for years even before the start of the twentieth century. However, the issues of the First Nations were hardly ever brought to light by other Canadians because these issues were often hidden deep within the reserves that these First Nations were forced into. From taking their land away to disregarding their cultures, the government rarely ever acknowledged the needs of the First Nations until they could no longer be ignored. The government continuously stressed assimilation, especially with the Indian Act , and expected the First Nations
all who reside on the reserves. It was then that the distinction between Status Indians and
A history of struggle and isolation from the rest of society has led to the deterioration of Native American cultures and customs and to their rising levels of unemployment, poverty, and crime on reservations. The United States government has had a major role in the coming about of the struggles that persist for Native Americans to this day. As crime and poverty grip the Sioux tribe, they will continue to lose their traditional culture and move farther from who they once were as a people. I will first review how European explorers introduced alcohol to Native American tribes and how this lead to a strong prevalence of alcoholism in the Sioux tribe. Next I will discuss the U.S. government’s use of forced assimilation and boarding schools led to the loss of Native American culture and customs. This led to more anger of the Sioux tribe towards the U.S. government and to outer society as a whole. Third I will analyze the living conditions and complacency felt by the Sioux tribe as seen through the photographs and interviews conducted by journalist Aaron Huey. Lastly, I will assess the efforts taken by the elders and leaders of the Sioux tribe to combat the prevalence of crime on their reservation. The people of the United States and their government have caused many struggles for the Sioux tribe since their existence in America. For these problems to be resolved, the United States needs to take an active role in acknknwoldeging the problem and allocating the necessary resources
The primary goal of the Indian Act was to demolish any Aboriginal Canadians attempt to sovereignty and self-determination. Its promise to provide adequate living condition on reserves and social welfare services are few of many broken promises that Aboriginal Canadians did not acquire. Instead the Indian act consisted of assimilating policies stripping aboriginal Canadians of their status. “The principle behind the Act was that it was the Crown 's responsibility to care for and protect interests of First Nations people by acting as their "guardians" until such time as they could reach a level of sophistication that allowed them to fully integrate into Canadian society” (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development of Canada, 2011). This quote, taken right from the Government of Canada’s website is an example of how the Federal government defines the Indian Act today. Terminology used amplifying control; “sophistication” is important indicators of colonization and assimilation tactics in which the government imposed in the past, and upheld today. A major implication of the Indian Act included Aboriginal identity in terms of status and
Years of violence, forced removal to Indian Territory and forced religious indoctrination had failed to solve what the federal government referred to as “the Indian problem.”[6] the Native Americans may not have flourished in their new land, but they survived and would not go away. As a result, American policy shifted from
Thomas Flanagan disapproves the idea of Native sovereignty ever coexisting with Canadian sovereignty. Flanagan identifies the flaws in Townshend’s arguments referring to them as a theoretical approach and not a practical approach. It is true that the sharing of jurisdictional power is the essence of the Canadian state but this cannot apply to the Aboriginals of Canada. One reason a third level of government cannot work in Canada is “In the 10 provinces, Canada has over six hundred Indian bands living on more than 2200 reserves, plus hundreds of thousands of Métis and non-status Indians who do not possess reserves,” (Flanagan 44). Flanagan draws the fact that “No one has proposed a workable mechanism by which this far-flung archipelago could
Thomas King’s The Inconvenient Indian tells the story of Indigenous people in Canada and the United States, it challenges the narrative on how Indigenous history is taught and explains why Indigenous people continue to feel frustrated. King’s seeks to educate the reader as he provides a detailed accounts of the horrific massacres Indigenous people endured, yet he simultaneously inserts humorous moments which balances out the depressing content and enhances his story. The books highlights the neglect and assimilation that Indigenous were subjected to and how their survival was seen as an inconvenience to western culture. King directs his message at a Euro-centric audience to offer an accurate explanation of Indigenous culture and
Othering is the process of forming a person, an object or a group into the role of the ‘other’ and creating individual’s identity through opposition. But as someone is “other” to me, I carry the same label for someone else who identifies with a different group. How do we bring meaning into a term that refers to absolutely everyone? In the films that we have watched, the term is usually defined in terms of the distinction from dominant group. In various films, we see several different kinds of others – ethnic, racial or sexual. While some films deal with others and the process of othering in full exposure, other films and diegetic nationalities treat this sensitive subjects under the covers, therefore society is silent about things that alter from the normative.