Pen Meets Paper, Aug 25, 2008

Pen Meets Paper

Opinion by Helge Nome

Have you ever tried to put yourself into the shoes of an aboriginal person in Canada? What would it feel like, walking on the street, going into shops, talking to people? Would you feel at home? You know that any news that appear in the mainstream media are negative news, such as gang shootings, etc. What does it feel like to be a person of mixed heritage, a native person and a European, or Asian, in the same package? Who would you identify with? Whoever it is will ask the other part of you to go into hiding. Whoever you are, you know that the European mainstream culture tried as hard as it could to ethnically cleanse the Native in you from the surface of the earth, using the residential school system. It was done because you did not fit into the culture of the invader of your land. That made you a useless burden on the rest of society, to be discarded as efficiently as possible. You were removed from your parents by force, raised in barracks by hired zealots, and forbidden to use your language at any time.

When the government and academia that created the ethnic cleansing system finally realized how stupid and brutal they had been, they once again allowed you to raise your own kids, having removed all the skills and cultural supports you needed to do the job. Then you were treated with contempt for not being able to raise children in an approved way. So, whatever you do, don't look to the European for help. The result is only hidden contempt. The white man respect those that kick his arse.

Note: This column and other material can also be read at http://helgenome.blogspot.com/