Three Myths about Aboriginals in Cities, Essay Example

Presently, the Aboriginal urbanization has become an urgent issue. The largest Canadian cities have a strong Aboriginal presence, with constantly growing figures of native people concentration.  There are sizeable aboriginal populations in like Winnipeg, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax, and smaller cities and towns, as well. The named facts justify the topicality of the problem which has gained ambiguous approaches, due to multiple conceptions and misconceptions concerning the urban Aboriginal life in Canada.

The 2006 Census of Population provides data about the demographic characteristics of Aboriginals, comprising mobility, housing, family status, and Aboriginal languages. The census shows that the majority (above 50%) of Aboriginal peoples live in urban centers. They represent the fastest-growing and the youngest part of population in Canada.

Aboriginal peoples are more mobile than other Canadians. They change communities, but also move within the same community. E. Peters (2004) appeals to the concept of Aboriginals mobility as one of considerable myths about urban Aboriginal life. Analysis of population statistics and census data lets the author prove the complex character of the phenomenon. The historical background provides proof that Aboriginals assume to realize their rights on their historical territories from which they were deprived when new urban centers emerged (3).

Obviously, E. Peters (2004) properly emphasizes the variation of net migration by locale (reserves, rural places, cities), and by Aboriginal group (Registered Indian, non-status Indian, Métis and Inuit) (4). These factors identify the rates of net inflow and outflow. The reasons for moving from reserves and communities are decent educational possibilities, health care, and employment potential. On the other hand, these people may face phenomena which prevent the adjustment to city life and force them leave the city like ethnic prejudice. The racism surely impacts the education possibilities, job, and consequently low socioeconomic status. Besides, reserves and communities provide close ties with cultural origins.

On the example of American historical experience concerning immigrant inner cities (African American or Hispanic), some researches assume that ghettoization is a factor of Canadian urban Aboriginal people. Low income is not only constantly going up in Canadian cities but is concentrating in poor neighborhoods progressing annually. The identification of ghetto or segregation often relates to cultural, economical marginalization, and discrimination of ethnic community on behalf of other city residents. Despite the fact that there exists some evidence of impoverished urban areas in Canadian cities, their relation to Aboriginals has not been proved.

Peters (2004) admits that indigenous peoples “have a greater chance of living in poor neighborhoods”, due to their financial status (6). Nevertheless, the scientist casts doubt on ghettoization viewpoint on the basis of the census 2001 data. According to the census, Aboriginals do not form the majority of population of a specific neighborhood, and that they spread all over the whole city. The researcher appeals to the maps of large cities to justify the statement that these people do not reside preferably in one location; they spread out within large cities showing no high concentration of the total Aboriginal population (Peters 7).

The move to the urban center impacts cultural identity. Aboriginals assume their ethic and cultural belonging trying to preserve traditions in new, often hostile environment. Nevertheless, the process of assimilation implies transformations in this sphere. The issues of surmounting of incompatibility between indigenous and urban cultures have long been supposed the main point of successful integration in city life. Presently, the approach to cultural identification has changed. Aboriginals assume that their cultural identities do not only relate to reserves locations; they may also develop through dynamic innovations within urban conditions. On this way, natives’ traditions face some challenges. At the Public Hearings of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal people, David Chartrand claimed:

Aboriginal culture in the cities is threatened in much the same way as Canadian culture is threatened by American culture, and it therefore requires a similar commitment to its protection. Our culture is at the heart of our people, and without awareness of Aboriginal history, traditions and ceremonies, we are not whole people, and our communities lose their strength… (qtd. in Peters 9)

In the cities, indigenous people forms communities, like Aboriginal Friendship Centers. They provide support to thousands of urban aboriginal peoples who want to reach success in urban life. Though the concentration of the native population is constantly growing, they face the problem of low level of federal spending. During last decades, the Federal Budget underfunded the growing needs of Aboriginals’ communities.

Works Cited

Peters, Evelyn. “Three myths about Aboriginals in cities”. 25 Mar. 2004. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.