Mothers of the Nations: Indigenous Mothering as Global Resistance, Reclaiming and Recovery by Harvard Lavell Memee.;

Author:Harvard, Lavell Memee.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Demeter Press
Published: 2014-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

10.

Motherhood, Policies and Tea

WENDY PROVERBS

the Old one pokes through charred debris

reflections emerge provoking long ago desires

she pauses as ancient tongues whisper daintily

slowly she gently sifts and carefully pulls

one rooted word after another1

How do I, as a middle-aged Indigenous2—Kaska-Dena—woman, mother and researcher, write about two mothers, one who raised me and one who I never knew? How do I honour two unique individuals—knowing one well and only piecing together scraps of information from government documents and a select few records for the other?

Most Canadians are born into the world without an official personal file; however, many Indigenous children continue to have agency files created detailing intimate aspects of their young lives. My fate was determined for me while I was in utero, for I was born to an Indigenous woman who was not legally married to her European common-law husband. Both of my mothers’ lives changed forever when, at four days old, I was ushered into the lives of my foster family. What was originally meant to be a temporary stop in my young life turned into a permanent placement for me. My foster family eventually adopted me, and I thrived in a loving home.

This paper highlights the effects of legislation upon Indigenous mothers and their children. I have sometimes thought about how my two mothers would have carried on a conversation about their separate lives over tea. It is likely that I would have been a point of discussion; however, I believe they would have discovered other similarities between their distinct lives. I have incorporated my reflections of the impact of government policies upon Indigenous peoples, overlaid with a “conversation over tea” between my two mothers.

IMPACTS OF LEGISLATION

The impacts of government legislation continue to reverberate throughout Indigenous communities in Canada. Detrimental effects stemming from federal and provincial legislation have severely impacted Indigenous communities.3The1876 Indian Acthad long imposed its power over Indigenous peoples in Canada; social welfare policies during the “Sixties Scoop”4 era were entrenched in British Columbia and had far reaching impacts on Indigenous families. These policies had a firm grasp on my birth siblings, my birth mother, my adoptive mother and me. It can be argued that these damaging policies still exist and are linked to the coined term “Millennium Scoop”5that has since usurped the “Sixties Scoop” era. These policies were tied to the concept of assimilating the First Peoples of Canada. By forcing our peoples to adopt European lifestyles, behaviours and beliefs, assimilation was viewed as an ideal that would raise the “Indian” into being a solid citizenofCanada.6Indigenouspeoplesdidnotrelinquishtheirownbeliefs, cultural practices or ties to their land willingly or easily; thus, processes of assimilation required government policies, legislation and zealous workers to be effective. Assimilative policies included the eradication of Indigenous languages, cultures, traditions and social organizations. These policies were enforced through the Department of Indian Affairs, Indian agents, law enforcementmembers,socialwelfarepractices,churchaffiliations andresidential schools.

Many Indigenous children were seized indiscriminately from their families; many were put into non-Indigenous homes for temporary or long term foster care and adoption. Some Indigenous children were

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