Native American difficulties in the United States and Canada

America and Canada: A Comparison of Native Indian Struggles

America and Canada are now admired by the general public for having low rates of racism and racial discrimination. Native minority, like the Indians, have endured decades of imperialism while remaining invisible. Neoliberal capitalism’s influence on racial and ethnic formation helped the native Indians continue on their path to political emancipation. Despite their isolation, the population of Alien Indians was forced from their homes by bureaucracy in the oppressive environment of the fight for national liberalization. Due to exclusive racial iterations, they were additionally exposed to the idea of individual sacrifice, victimization, and treachery (McCready, 2009). The fundamental contradiction between the American and Canadian native Indians is illustrated in their level of cohesiveness. This paper will seek to compare and contrast the struggle for political empowerment between of the American native Indians and the Canadian native Indians drawing from the articles by Comaroff and McCready.

Canadian Native Indian struggles

McCready (2009) examines the responses of the predominant white settlers at Caledonia arising from redress and reconciliation for political contestation. Redress movements especially the ones inflected in Canada arose from historical struggles and events to rectify the injustices committed and to give rise to precedent setting in the community in times of power imbalances. He assumes that native people are unambiguous and the justice system is divided into the preferential justice system for the aboriginals and a lower tier justice system for the natives. In most cases, white people who sort justice against the natives take the law into their own hands. McCready’s article gives a detailed image of the hostile breach of a town known as Caledonia. All forms of Indigenous sovereignty are rendered invisible thus recognizing that native violence exists in Canada and a primitive interruption to civil laws. Most Indian settlers supported the Mayor Marie as she defended the rights of demonstrators and explained that the behavior was invoked by racial neoliberal that leached the economy (McCready, 2009). heir violence was necessary because of the frustrations that arose from traffic delays and working without pay. Eventually, people started to embrace the anti-native demonstration and the settler community and realized that politicians were not sympathetic to the woes of the natives, and protected them from expulsion although this resulted into resentment and resignation of outraged citizens.

American Native Indian Struggles

According to Comaroff (2006), Neo-liberalization has been applied harshly in Canada, as per the international trend, but with a reflection of unique features of weaknesses in the Canadian capitalism. This article further shows moments in history when neoliberal principles were introduced, developed and ideologically cemented (Comaroff, 2006). The echno-business prototypes in North America focus much on the burgeoning of the economic identity of its First Peoples. The traditional practices have entwined in economic development since the early 1900, such that culturally and economical systems have been mutual and constitutive (p.60). Ethnical branded products emerged in response to the colonial enterprise. The article also elaborates on the styles and souvenirs among Indian visitors and settlers in the middle of 19th century in Eastern Canada.

The legal incorporation of identity began in USA with the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) in the year 1934 (61). This legislation was to deal with the Native American status that is to the traditional objective of Indian assimilation into the American society, and to perpetuate and strengthen the tribes and their culture and traditions. The Alaskan Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was intended to resolving historical issues of aboriginal claims of land in Alaska and stimulation of the economic development. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is a legislation that provided basis for the Indian gaming regulation and protection as a way of generating income for the tribe, and as way of promoting development of economy of these tribes (Comaroff, 2006).

Contrast

In Canada, the Native Indians were scattered in their reserves throughout the country unlike the concentrated reserves maintained by the United States. The largely populated reserves in America led to the creation of strong bonds between the people and any attempt to separate them was retaliated through bloodshed. Canadians attempted to these problems by deliberately giving their natives small and scattered reserves reducing the rate of the unity threat growing against colonialism. In the United States, emphasis was placed on rising capitalist system as opposed to Canada’s process of breaking their labor force. Moreover, the land in Canada was vast but it was impossible to recruit cheap labor from Native Indians whereas in America the problem was the exact opposite their land resources were limited but the Indians were more willing to work at a lower fee. However, both countries struggled to convince the natives to work for them and the problem persisted over the century.

Conclusion

In conclusion, most radicalized groups fail to engage in privileged subjects more so, in this apologetic age. The main purpose of redress is to dismantle the white privileges and their exalted cultural infrastructure. Fundamental Privileges connected to and rendered the possibility of being oppressed and excluded by people who misunderstand the term liberalism. The Indians were engaged in the adaptation process and they sort out the traits expected by their conquerors and adopted the traits that were not a threat to them. Ultimately, they were forced to were western clothes and trim down their hair while learning English to some extent. Some Indians adopted Christianity try to exist within their religious frameworks despite the fact that general Christianity was considered hypocritical and a dominant ideology of imperialism (Comaroff, 2006). Native Indians learned foraging of activities amidst adversities and through strategic, flexible and adaptable traits of their aboriginal cultures, and these traits assisted them to cope with the terrifying Canadian and American civilizations.

References

Comaroff, J. L. C. J., & Comaroff, J. (2006). Commodifying Descent, American-Style. Ethnicity Inc, 60-85.

McCready, A. L. (2009). Redressing redress: The neoliberal appropriation of redress in the anti-native backlash at Caledonia. ESC: English Studies in Canada, 35(1), 161-190.