“The Strange Visitors”
During the twentieth century, Canada has been receiving visitors from all racial groups globally. This country has recorded to be the most conative country of a mixture of races. Every tribe had different interests in immigrating to Canada. Canada had a tremendous demand for immigration because of its wealth, especially agriculture and animal products such as pork. Also, the Canadians class of a great experience business expert and skilled workers. Apart from agriculture and commercial activities, most racial groups immigrated for residence to people near related to them—tracing from the History of Canadian immigration, not every group allowed to step in Canada. Still, the procedure was based on various tests on professionalism. This decision means that the immigration criteria were so unfair, and most favored were the European settlers. As a result, the whites dominated Canada as their allies to support them in managing the First World War. White people in Canada used various tactics to acquire lands from other territories. I have decided to discuss the week Three class readings on The Indian Act, 1876 sourced from the book of ‘Strange visitors” edited by Keith Smith, comparing it with other related articles from the library.
“The Strange Visitors” is an article written by Keith, which contains the Indian Act’s parliamentary debates on assimilation. The Indian Act provided various favors to the Indians, such as marriage between the whites in Canada and Indians, which was highly encouraged. Also, The Act provided children with essential education with other beneficial services entitled by the Act. Keith (2014) explains that, initially, Indians were allowed to participate in community activities and were given the mandate to participate in electoral rights, which never worked as anticipated. The reason is that it was a trick for assimilation to acquire everything they had in the name of becoming one community. The author explained that Canada had already formed a government with Great Britain who considered themselves superior to the Aboriginals. They viewed them as primitive and needed to be cultured (Keith, 2014). As a result, Indians revolted with these states of the affairs leading to rebellions to decline the Act so that they make receive back their lands and women. To understand this assimilation, I have selected the other two sources in the library to analyze the Indian Acts and the rebellions. I have identified some common opinions and differences to gain the complete information of the circumstance, through their agreements and their conflicts.
The first article is The Harper Government, the Aboriginal Right to Self-Determination, and the Indian Act of 1876 by Onderkova. Onderkova (2015) explains that the First nations debated reforming the Indian Act of 1876, which contained their roles and social rights as a particular group in Canada. The discussions were as a result of problems that the Aboriginals were going through in Canada. Examples of social sufferings include grabbing their pieces of land and restrictions on participating in the communities despite living together (Onderkova, 2015). The second article that I have selected is the opinions of members of the council of India on Dispatches of Secretary of State, May 1876, relating to the Indian Tariff. The author of this article explains similar objectives of the Indian Act with the two pieces. He argued that the First Nation needed the Indian Act’s reform on tax, employment opportunities, and other privileges to assimilate them to possess lands. The author explains that the Aboriginals also needed some reforms on the opportunities and equal share of land and reduced high taxes imposed on them (Great Britain, n.d). In the three articles, the central theme is aboriginal justice on their land and the whites’ properties in Canada.
Another issue discussed in the three articles is the high imposition of export duties by the Act. In the theme of Strange Visitors, Keith (2014) explains that the tax duties have been increased to Indians to prevent them from exporting products from Canada. The purpose of this was to ensure that the aboriginal would not thrive in commercial activities, thus continue depending on the whites, thus assimilation. A similar idea is shown by Onderkova, who states that heavy taxation was subjected to the Abologinal to assimilate by making them weak in their economic activities. Onderkova (2015) also explains that the Aboriginal step of claiming the Indian Act’s reformation is to recover their fallen economy. In the third article of the study, the author explains that among the resolution’s objectives was to provide the native of the aboriginals with the extra power to enter what has been hindered by high taxes and import duties (Great Britain, n.d). In my opinion, the similarity in the three articles shows that the scientists could not stay behind to research solutions since the Indians were suffering under the whites.
The three articles have some differences despite that their central theme is the resolution of the Indian Act. Keith (2014) emphasized social injustices, such as the confiscation of their land despite being assimilated by the White Canadians. Onderkova’s article (2015) mainly concentrates on aboriginal rights to responsibilities and self-determination. Members of the council’s theme of opinions mostly lay its concerns on the heavy taxes and import duties, thus differing from the rest (Great Britain, n.d). If the three articles had keenly looked at similar concepts without being concerned about other related items, we would understand the aboriginals’ claims and resolution and the white on the Indian Act.
In reflection, despite that, the Indian Act had some adverse effects on the lives of the Aboriginals, it had various significant to their lives. The agreement had allowed them to get an opportunity to immigrate to Canada for an alliance with the First Nation. Keith (2914) explains that India was among the favored people to acquire a place in Canada. Onderkova (2015) has a similar view that the Indians did not pay any amount payable by other immigrants since the first nation favored it due to its agriculture and commercial wealth. The initial agreement between the whites and the Aboriginals is to assimilate and live as one community but not assimilation to colonize them (Great Britain, n.d). I may conclude by saying that Whites were more interested in what aboriginal had but not form allies to fight the first world war as they had agreed on the Act. Still, their greedy character drove them to colonize the Aboriginals.
In brief, the three articles have similarities and differences in the Indian Act, 1876. The items’ similar issues include social injustices such as high taxes, community participation restriction, land grabbing, and culture changes. The minor differences between Keith, Onderkova, and the unidentified author of article three are that they have concentrated more on different issues despite carrying similar language. My perception is that the letters, meetings, and opinions of various members on the India Act, 1876, motivated the two parties to seek the Act’s resolutions. It would have been better if the white had assimilated the aboriginals without harassing them to form strong allies to fight the first-word war successfully.