What is Genocide? What does it look like?

Genocide is the destruction of a racial, cultural or religious group, in whole or in part. One need not murder individuals directly, but their premature death often results from "providing conditions of life that lead to the destruction of the group in whole or in part". The first element of genocide is destroying the pattern of the culture, and the second element is replacing it with the pattern of the dominant culture. Somewhere in the world right now, some ethnic or racial or religious minority may be experiencing this: Blankets, clothing, etc. are handed out to them that are infected with deadly diseases. Members of the group are shot or beaten or placed in deathly situations 'for sport'. Their land is assumed by the dominant society. Their governance and religion and cultural practices are outlawed. Children are removed from their homes and placed with the dominant group, adopted, schooled, institutionalized by the dominant culture. Children may be made wards of the dominant culture on a wholesale basis. Parents may be forced to give the children up or face incarceration, again forcing them to give the children up. Encouragement of widespread physical and sexual abuse and torture occurs, by turning a blind eye and covering up crimes, and/or by actively recruiting abusive staff, to break their spirit, break their cultural pattern. Those who do not 'break' ... i.e., will not cry and beg for mercy ... are subjected to intensive abuse, torture that may end in death. Errors of ommission lead to widespread death: Naturally occurring diseases are captialized upon by using no preventative measures - e.g., children with open tubucular sores eating, playing and sleeping with healthy children. Punishment may involve sleeping with a sick child. Sick children receive minimal care, are essentially left to die. Though well children may be forced to sleep with sick children, they are not allowed to visit them to provide food or water or comfort. Children who flee cannot go home as they will be found and returned, so the children who flee are abandoned by the state, left to their own resources with absolutely no supports, often on the streets of the cities where they must somehow eat and sleep while constantly avoiding capture and return to the institution. A genocidal campaign such as that outlined above may go on for years ... decades ... centuries ... through many generations of victims and survivors, in order to destroy the culture. Taking the land and resources out of their hands is the common and dominant element, purpose and single minded goal of the oppressors. Thus genocide is particularly evident where an indigenous population has been displaced by a colonial society. Modern day genocide may look like ... Industrialization of their lands without consultation or consent, with no precautions taken to ensure the integrity of water, air and land from dangerous toxins in their communities. Warnings are not heeded and the whistleblowers are themselves subject to suppression and oppression of rights. Many people become ill with temporary and permanent disorders, or die as a result of environmental 'indifferent' pollution by the dominant society. Communities are not provided with the same necessities of life as dominant communities, including basic levels of funding and care, and opportunities for individuals and the community to gain a degree of autonomy and financial independence to create development and hope for the future. Despite the pressure to assimilate, become part of the dominant society, if they stay in their own communities they are not funded or treated like full citizens but are kept in a state of dependency and poverty. Criminaliztion of dissent and of poverty or land related activism: Rates of incarceration of the group are many times higher than of the dominant culture or other minorities, though their crimes are minor. Minimization of the state's role in past atrocities, denigration of the people and glorification of the conditions of life provided for them. "It was done in the name of providing an education for them (Implication: "... and look what they have done with it ... nothing.") ... in the name of "limiting the liability of the Crown". Minimization of the damage from genocidal practices of the past: Partial acknowledgement of some 'inappropriate practices' but continued blaming of the 'culture' as the issue, rather than the oppression. Enlistment of those assimilated (by threat or force or dependency) from the culture itself to lead communities in the direction of further assimilation, to enforce silence about past atrocities, and to stifle dissent and public protest about imposed poverty, dependency and especially about the land. Continued pressure and bully tactics to assimilate people into the dominant culture, or to remove their supports and drive them out of the community. Encouragement, by failure to intervene, of stereotypes that connect the distressed state of the people to their character as a cultural group. Thus, the stereotypical "lazy drunk Indian, beat up and lying in the street" is not recognized as suffering the effects of survival of genocide, but as a weak character of little value to society. Victims of genocidal campaigns of denigration and oppression of culture and self are not allowed to learn to love, to parent, to participate and to achieve: They learn only to fear and perhaps to fight, and to drown the pain and to endure the trauma. Intergenerational trauma affects subsequent generations because of violence, fear, intimidation, loss of self and culture, and learning violent and destructive behaviours at the hands of the oppressors, then passing these on to subsequent generations. Either they destroy themselves, or they destroy those around them, imitating the patterns of behaviour of those who abused and oppressed and traumatized them permanently. Indigenous peoples of Canada today have either assimilated, or they continue to fight for their culture and beliefs and ways of life and the right to self-determination, or they continue to exist in a state of permanent post-traumatic stress, slowly or quickly killing themselves with substance abuse, self-abuse and suicide. This is the legacy of Canada's past genocide. And RIGHT NOW ... genocide might look like ... Fort Chipewyan Grassy Narrows Sarnia Right now genocide in Canada looks like ... Criminaliztion of dissent and poverty activism: Rates of incarceration of Indigenous people are six times that of other groups, though their 'crimes' are generally not serious ones. Minimization of the state's role, denigration of the people and glorification of the deathly conditions of life provided for them. "It was done in the name of providing an education for them." Minimization of the damage from genocidal practices of the past: Sexual abuse and physical abuse only, delayed until many victims have died, and ignoring the children who died in the schools. Enlisting assimilated enforcers from the culture to lead communities in the direction of further assimilation, to enforce silence about past atrocities, and to stifle dissent and public protest. Continued pressure and bully tactics to assimilate people into the dominant culture, or drive them out of the community. Encouragement, by failure to intervene directly, of stereotypes that connect the distressed state of the people to their character as a cultural group. Thus, the "lazy drunk Indian, beat up and lying in the street" is not recognized as suffering the effects of genocide, but dismissed as a weak character of little value to society. Victims of genocidal campaigns of denigration and oppression of culture and self may not learn to love, to parent, to participate and to achieve: They learn only to fear and perhaps to fight, and to drown the pain and to endure the trauma. Intergenerational trauma affects subsequent generations because of violence, fear, intimidation, loss of self and culture, and learning violent and destructive behaviours at the hands of the oppressors, then passing these on to subsequent generations. Either they destroy themselves, or they destroy those around them, imitating the patterns of behaviour of those who abused and oppressed and traumatized them permanently. Indigenous peoples of Canada today have either assimilated, or they continue to fight for their culture and beliefs and ways of life and the right to self-determination, or they continue to exist in a state of permanent post-traumatic stress, slowly or quickly killing themselves with substance abuse, self-abuse and suicide. This is the legacy of Canada's genocide. And still Canada continues to steal the land and resourves, by failing to "uphold the Honour of the Crown" or to perform its "duty to consult and accommodate" on use of traditional and treaty land, despite the orders of the Supreme Court; By failing to negotiate in good faith and adjudicate land disputes independent of political influence; By failing even to inform development corporations of the duty to consult and accommodate. By failing to consider that a new model of land use is evolving in Canada: A model where all development on traditional and treaty land is reviewed by Indigenous governance and approved, not approved, or modified to meet their requirements for traditional stewardship of the land and environmental safeguards; Where Indigenous groups are entitled to a share in the jobs and training and revenues from resources, etc. from their land, thus breaking the enforced dependency on government handouts and creating avenues for creative endeavours. This model exists in the Haldimand Tract today, where one land reclamation and one small sentence have the developers lining up to "consult and accommodate" the Confederacy, despite the government's continued failure to negotiate in good faith: And those words were "Thanks for the Windmills!" Because the research shows VERY clearly that if they want to prevent adolescent suicide in the community, you give them hope by implementing self governance and you pursue your land rights. It appears that they are taking control of that, and the best we can do is ask them how we can support them in their goals and struggles.

June 29 2007 ... Be there!

And keep this in mind ... the death rate from TB among Indigenous Peoples of Canada, mostly children in the residential schools, was the highest human death rate from TB ever on record, by a factor of 8x. It was not accidental, not just negligence: It was deliberate ... and it was government policy ... and it was genocide for land ... and it still is. CorporationCanada is not to be trusted. Email dallar@sen.parl.gc.ca and cc info@gg.ca