The Luxury of Identity

We’re not Indians and we’re not Native Americans. We’re older than both concepts. We’re the people, we’re the human beings.

John Trudell

Is it a luxury to think about who you are, about your identity? If you are without food, shelter? Do you consider who you are? I do think identity is the number issue Indigenous people are dealing with today. It is not social ills; like poverty, addictions, housing, education or lack of opportunities. It is their identity that is the biggest issue. You disagree?  I can understand that. After all, in terms of social ills we have them. We have high incarceration rates, infant mortality, suicide, lack of housing, child poverty, high murder rates, high violence rates, sexual abuse cases, family violence, apathy, language loss, homelessness and mental health problems. So which "ill" takes precedent?

It is Identity. You know why? It's because everything, everything about us revolves our identity. We can take a quick look at other identities out there and see how it is everything to them. Take a quick glance at the many different identities out there; race identity, religious identity, sexuality or gender identity and geographical identity.

The identity is the backbone to every culture. Their belief system, their language is fundamental to their identity as well. Guess what is attacked by every colonial structure in history?  Their identity, their belief systems, their language. Of course as time progresses, identity is co-opted. It changes. Just look at the relative new identity of a Canadian and that of an American. These are new identities for people. Some people are still conflicted so they become the hyphenated identity; Italian-American, Japanese-American, Polish-Canadian, etc.  We have seen the struggles of identity when it comes to colonial powers; the Soviet Union is one of many examples of identity battles and how it realized into armed conflicts between neighbours.  The impact of colonialism has changed and created new identities: Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean, Cuba as examples of new identities. 
  
Okay for Indigenous people, Identity is a battle. The battle was severe and caused much harm. So much harm, it was better for people to hide their identity and pretend to be someone else. The government of Canada made laws impacting Indigenous identity. People were stolen, sent away from their community and cataloged and numbered. Since this time we have internalized the battle (finding our Identity, denying our identity) and have taken the identity battle lateral. We follow the identity labels and laws of the colonialists. We fight against and discriminate against our "own" people in the identity sweepstakes. We attack other Indians who have not adapted to the new colonial belief systems. It is no wonder we are struggling. The act of bullying has been persistent, relentless and prolonged against the "Indian." We know the immediate affects bullying has done to an individual and it can be devastating. Many victim's of bullying have killed themselves. So imagine how prolonged, persistent, relentless state sponsored bullying on specific segments of society has manifested?

One hundred years of social exclusion, racism, and colonialism has manifested as addiction, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and lack of knowledge on how to parent a child." - - Tanya Talaga Seven Fallen Feathers. 

The State is ruthless and knows well to destroy the backbone of a culture, a community, a society is to attack their belief system, their language, their identity.  With the belief system, much of what makes us think we are worthy in the world is taught there. Our belief systems affects how we see the World and how we see ourselves. One example is the view of the world in animate and inanimate ways. Indigenous see life throughout the Earth and it ties us to the World. With those beliefs damaged we question our own identity; we may see ourselves as less or not belonging, among other things. So identity is crucial. If we are to meet the challenges of the social ills, we need to have a solid footing where we can start from.

You don't think identity is key. Look at the groups affected by colonial attacks on their identity. The American Black population is one group devastated by the attack on their identity. They are constantly fighting to claim their identity; Negro, Colored, Black, African-American, Baptist, Nation of Islam for example. The North American Black population have a difficult time flushing out their ancestral nations. The affect on colonialism has been devastating for them. With the Indian, the Aboriginal, First Nations, Indigenous, Anishinaabe, the colonial attacks are still happening. 

If you are hungry.