Common threads

Immigrants and Aboriginal people have many similarities, and it’s important to recognize their connection in Canada’s mosaic

By Rebeca Kuropatwa

Mandela Kuet was 12 years old when he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1989. He was born in South Sudan and moved to Cairo, Egypt, where he spent most of his childhood prior to coming to Canada.

When he first moved here, his relatives warned him about associating with Aboriginal people, though he settled in a part of Winnipeg where many Aboriginals live — the North End.

“When I am going to school and I’m seeing my [Aboriginal] friends interact and I go to their house, I see their parents are just trying to make ends meet, but everyone else around me is saying something different,” says Kuet. “And I’m like, that’s not true.”

Fifteen years later, Kuet has found a way to show those with preconceived notions about their Aboriginal neighbours that they are struggling with problems similar to those faced by newcomers — issues like underemployment, integration and discrimination.

As a youth and family support worker at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM), Kuet reached out to local Aboriginal leaders Michael Champlain and Leonard Monkman.

Champlain and Monkman have been running an Aboriginal community program called Meet Me at the Bell Tower, held at the bell tower in the North End (at Selkirk and Powers streets) every Friday at 6 p.m. At these meetings, they lead a ceremonial bell ringing, sing songs and discuss a selected topic. “They started with [talking about] stopping the violence and protecting women and children, and advocating for indigenous rights,” says Kuet.

Kuet felt this would be a great place to make connections between Aboriginal people and newcomers, and, after talking with the organizers, they agreed it would be a fitting venue to connect the two communities.

“Leonard, Michael and me, we all grew up in the North End, and I still live in the North End, and they still live there. We grew up there and we have the same perspective from the same angle,” says Kuet. “We’re trying to build that relationship and make sure that community members understand first-hand … [that] these are our neighbours, these are our community members, and help them break down stereotypes from both sides.” The theme of a recent Meet Me at the Bell Tower meeting was “Newcomers be Welcome," and Kuet attended along with a group of newcomers who live in the North End. The newcomers met with Aboriginal elders, young adults and families. About 100 people came to the meeting, which is more than double the usual attendance.

“There was a [Blue] Bomber [football] game that day, so they could have chosen to go there, but they didn’t. They were pretty excited. They thought it sounded pretty cool and wanted to check it out.”

Kuet wants to serve as a bridge between newcomers and Aboriginals, and to help them find role models in one another.

“I think we are moving in the right direction — doing things like this, having this as a core value, and wanting to create this opportunity, this dialogue, this space,” adds Kuet. “Our kids share the same schools. We live in the same community … Yet, we don’t interact as community members. Why is that?”

Understanding each other That question is relevant not just in Winnipeg’s North End, but in regions right across Canada. Many immigrants come to Canada not understanding the long and complex history it has with its Aboriginal people, including its years of colonization, residential school system and dispossession that has created devastating effects on these communities.

As a result, many newcomers

learn negative stereotypes about Aboriginal people, and vice versa. A study by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) a couple years ago found that immigrants quickly picked up such negative stereotypes after immigrating to Canada. “The survey results tell us we all need to make greater efforts to identify how negative perceptions develop and what can be done to address them. Immigrants in particular often have no knowledge of Aboriginal peoples and their history in Canada. Why do negative perceptions develop so fast?” said CRRF’s Rubin Friedman. “Perhaps fuller information can be given tials recognized.

Both groups actually face many challenges in integrating into the Canadian labour market, and have similar rates of unemployment. But instead of working against each other, they could build on their connection to improve the situation for all.

“Strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and immigrant groups is vital for creating a more welcoming and inclusive community. They face many similar challenges within Canadian society and can build important support networks by bridging their communities,” according to the Kamloops organization.

Sudanese-born Mandela Kuet wants to build connections with Aboriginal people in his hometown of Winnipeg.

to newcomers about Aboriginal peoples, their history and their rights. Perhaps we need to review what is being taught in schools on these subjects. Perhaps we need to encourage more community encounters and open dialogue to promote a greater common understanding.”

According to a recent publication by Kamloops Immigrant Services, there is, in fact, inherent contention between the two groups, largely over employment issues. There is a perception among Aboriginal communities that immigrants are taking jobs away from them, as immigrants struggle in getting their creden-

This theme of co-operation rather than conflict is clear in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, released in June 2015, following a six-year mandate in which the stories of residential school survivors were heard in an attempt to heal and move forward. The commission recommended 94 calls to action to redress the legacy of the residential school system and to advance the process of reconciliation, including a call to newcomers to Canada.

“For new Canadians, many of whom carry their own traumatic memories of colonial violence, racism and oppression, finding

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common ground … involves learning about the history of Aboriginal peoples and finding ways to build stronger relationships of solidarity with them,” states the report. “The commission believes there is an urgent need for more dialogue between Aboriginal peoples and new Canadians.”

Creating connections For his part, Kuet wants to create more opportunities to connect newcomer and Aboriginal communities. “A lot of newcomers do crafts, clothing and beads, so does the indigenous community,” says Kuet. “So, why not create something that’s mutually interesting for both sides, having them interact while doing something they’re skilled at and enjoy doing?”

Some other ways to connect communities, Kuet envisions include connecting youth from both communities via sports and dialogue. “They like to talk more, they interact, they can push more barriers than adults do, because they’re curious and want to know,” he says.

“And, once they know, they might be surprised to learn that our and Aboriginal youth have the same challenges.”

Kuet is also looking forward to continuing to be involved in the Bell Tower gathering. “I’d like to return the gesture and the hosting … We’ll share our ceremonies and give you some traditional food,” he says. “Come over and hang out.”

8 things newcomers should know about Aboriginal culture and history

1. Today, there are three distinct groups of Aboriginal people in Canada: First Nations, Inuit (live in Arctic) and Métis (mixed Aboriginal and European heritage), recognized by the Canadian Constitution.

2. Historically speaking, when the first European settlers came to Canada, they began trading with Aboriginal people, and needed their help to explore and survive the terrain. But they also battled with them and claimed the land as their own, pushing them onto reserve lands, a system said to have been the model for South Africa’s Apartheid.

3. Aboriginal people became subjects of the new Canadian government under the patriarchal Indian Act. While progress has been made over the years in recognizing Aboriginal peoples’ right to self-government, land entitlement and more, there is still much more work to be done, including new agreements and treaties in some parts of the country like B.C.

4. The Canadian government wanted to assimilate Aboriginal people into European culture, but instead of focusing on the adults, it decided to remove Aboriginal children from their parents and communities, and into Indian residential schools. Not only were the children stripped of their culture, heritage and language, but there were many cases of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and even deaths.

5. Like the diverse cultures of immigrants to Canada, the cultures of Aboriginal people also differ greatly. Many different languages, cultures and spiritual beliefs, but they all have a deep connection to their land, traditionally relying on hunting, fishing and gathering.

6. The diverse Aboriginal languages in Canada reflect distinctive histories, cultures and identities. Unfortunately, many of these languages were under threat of being lost over the years, when Aboriginal people were forced to assimilate and children were only taught English in residential schools. Today, these languages are being revitalized and passed on to future generations.

7. Not all Aboriginal people live on reserve today. In fact, more than half of Aboriginal people in Canada live in cities. There are now close to 800,000 urban Aboriginal people in Canada, many of whom migrate to cities in search of better educational and employment opportunities.

8. Stereotypes of Aboriginal people abound, as much of what gets reported on them in the media are news stories about violence, crime or tragedy. (Couldn’t the same be said for immigrants?)