Aboriginal Suicide

self-annihilation and Healing immemorials Overcoming the Hardships and Barriers central peoples have had to endure many tragedies through bulge taradiddle, which has affected them emotionally and mentally. It is no peculiarity that this group of people argon amongst the highest suicide positions in Canada (Royal relegation on native Peoples, 1995). This is a look at those tragedies and how it is tied in with suicide, also mechanisms used by patriarchals to start the healing process. commentary of Suicide amongst Aboriginals Suicide and its roots in Aboriginal communities is said to be one of the many out puzzles of colonialism and atomic number 18 matters of great concern.The regard of someone dying from suicide affects the family and the community. umteen contri excepting factors of suicide and its attempts in two Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal be as hounded sexual abuse, family violence, solvent abuse, addictions, lack of proper leadership, deterioration of family st ructure, etc. Studies have sh deliver that the rate of suicide of all age groups amongst Aboriginals is 2 to 3 times higher than comp bed to the rate of non-Aboriginals. When it comes to the youth it is 5 to 6 times higher.This could be due to the fact that Aboriginal communities ar so close knit that when one commits suicide it causes a ripple effect. That being said we must channelize into consideration that, suicide is not skilful a problem in itself, scarcely the symptom of deeper problems (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995, p. 2). Residential Schools In the too soon 19th century the Canadian government took it upon themselves to develop and thrill for the Aboriginal peoples. They thought that the best way in doing so was to assimilate Aboriginals with Christian beliefs, the side of meat language and Canadian customs.Their idea was that Aboriginals would take their adoptive lifestyle and teach it to their children, with the notion that the native traditions and practices would be diminished or completely abolished at bottom a few generations. The Canadian government felt that children were easier to border than an adult (N. A. , 2010). They wished to minimize the amount of contact a child had with his or her rears and elders, so Aboriginal children were labored to relocate off reserve to a boarding school. Here the children would learn how to start in mainstream society, and obstruct who they were and what their culture had taught them.The schools were not ge ard toward academics, however sought to train them in manual labour and industrial work. These Aboriginal children were forced to lie in, work and learn in unsafe conditions due to the fact that facilities were not up to par, and the cheapest of supplies were used to erect the buildings (Kirwhitethorner et al. , 2007). The church officials used punishment to humiliate, undermine and cause injure to the children. For instance, upon arriving at the residential school the ch ildren were assigned numbers that would identify them and given severe haircuts hair has tremendous symbolism in many Aboriginal cultures.Many of the children were sexually abused, and in most cases it did not stay closeted in the residential schools, but made its way back to the communities where the victims would then become the perpetrators (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Indian agents saw the Aboriginals extended family living as unfit and unnatural, and sought to shape them into a normal nuclear family. Aboriginal children were taking from their homes and placed in residential schools, which were usually located a significant distance off reserve. This made it nearly impractical for the families to visit one an otherwise.The children were allowed to write letters in order to come on in contact with their family, but the letters were looked over by the school officials to ensure no complaints were being made about their acetous treatment. This form of assimilation had a harsh imp act on aboriginal community, culture and society. It also took a toll on the parenting practices amongst many of the Aboriginal peoples (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Impacts of Residential Schools When the law that allowed government officials to take Aboriginal children out of their communities passed, the effects were tragic.Many of the surviving adults are still tremendously traumatised, that they find being a good parent and community member troublesome (Alberta Health, 1995). The amount of abuse that Aboriginal children had to endure during those dark times has been attached to the current suffering of their communities. A lot have turned to alcohol and other substances to deal with their pain this in turn causes dysfunctional family units and communities. Many of the former students cannot give tongue to their languages and more or less tang too ashamed to teach it to their own children.This is because the staff took it upon themselves to punish ever child who acted or rundle like an Indian. When the children returned home there was a communication failure with their elders, because they were too ashamed to speak in their language reasons utter earlier on. Since they could not communicate to one another the opportunity to regard as their elders and learn their language and culture diminished. The gap on communication also led to a rejection of their traditionalistic set and beliefs, because the elders were the teachers of the community.While attending the school a significant amount of students were victims to sexual abuse at the workforce of educators, fellow students and administrators. But, the abuse didnt stop there the victimized students began internalizing, normalizing and even recreating the sexual abuse within their own communities. They themselves sought the power those of authority once had on them. This in turn added more dysfunction to the family ties with Aboriginal communities. The parents whose children were taken from them felt gui lty, like the children blamed them for the reasons they were being taken, they no longer felt take anymore.Some may say this is the reason many turned to alcohol and drugs (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Jealousy and greed were taught in the schools and missions. You fought for bread, you fought for clothes. there was no cut involved. You were taken from your family and held in the missions for 10 months straight. The mothers and dads couldnt exercise their love. Now there are lots of people, who dont know how to raise kids, because this is what they went through, and thats what they pass on, because thats the only issue they know (Alberta Health, 1995, p. 9). The 60s ScoopThe term Sixties scoop refers to the adoption of Metis and First Nations children that took place during the 1960s. The have was derived due to the fact that during that decade the number of adoptions that took place in Canada was the highest in its history, in most cases children were literally scooped up from the ir families and community without the consent of their parents and fellow band members. During this time government officials and social works saw the Aboriginal peoples as unfit and could not adequately provide the children with what they needed.One of the reasons they thought this was because their houses were not similar to the Euro-Canadian houses for workout children ate wild meat and bannock and rather than having their cupboards stocked full of food, Aboriginals simply hunted and gathered what was needed. Many of the Aboriginals who were affected saw the removal of their children as a deliberate act of cultural genocide (Sinclair, 2011). close 70% of the children taken from their families were placed in non-Aboriginal homes, many of these homes denied them of their heritage and culture.A vast majority of the encourage families told the children they were of a different race such as Italian or French, rather than telling them where they had originally come from. A lot of th e children suspected they were of Aboriginal decent, but could not confirm it. This was due to the Government constitution that birth records could not be issued unless both the child and parent had given their consent. Many of the children floated from foster family to foster family and never really experience true stability.On numerous occasions Aboriginal children went from loving, caring and well intentioned Aboriginal families to places of slave labour and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. For, abuse of any kind was not uncommon and usually covered up, to hide just how unjust the government was (Hanson, 2009). Impacts of The 60s Scoop Many of the children experienced marginalization, identity confusion, attachment disorders, emotional emptiness, abuse, self-hatred, racism and even substance addictions. These experiences later affected their family units and communities, because they were taught that this was right.A study make in Prince Albert penitentiary found that 95% of incarcerated Aboriginals had been in foster care as a child. Also, a vast majority of surviving children are sexually exploited or live on the streets. This catastrophe was yet another blow that language and culture amongst Aboriginals peoples had to endure (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Linking Tragedy to Suicide As stated earlier both of these tragedies have led to further cases of physical and sexual abuse, but there are links between them and the high number of suicides in Aboriginal communities as well. Studies have found hat mental illness, family breakdown and child abuse are higher in those who have experienced these tragedies than those who harbort. Some of these mental health problems have been diagnosed as residential school syndrome or RSS, some may say that the government spends too much time trying to diagnose them rather than trying to reanimate the problem. Aboriginal peoples not only suffered during these times, but the long lasting effects still reside with them today. So, Aboriginal peoples are still suffering. In fact, these negative consequences have a substantial impact on Aboriginal families and communities.Although many have not been able to cope with their pain, some have gone on to live healthy and successful lives. The many types of abuse these children faced have been very traumatic, and studies have shown that separation from families has the severest impact on ones mental health. Suicide itself is associated with emotional deprivation, separation of families and losses in early life. That being said, when the children were separated from their families and taken from what was familiar to them during both of these tragedies spoken of earlier, they became high risk (Kirmayer et al. 2007). There are 4 families of related factors of suicide within Aboriginal communities, they are * Psycho-biological factors- which are the various mental disorders coupled with suicide. * Life history or situational factors- which are the trauma one faces in early childhood, dysfunctional family, otiose to relate or trust both peers and members of authority, absence of spiritual and religious beliefs, imprisonment and substance abuse. * Socio-economic factors- unemployment, poverty, stability, successfulness and low class status. Culture stress- the loss of norms, values and beliefs there were originally to taught to one in their own culture (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995). Aboriginal Healing Processes Every community and Aboriginal individuals are unique in their own way. But, the beliefs these communities and band members hold are quite similar. In these communities the care and love everyone has for one another is tremendous, they feel a sense of belonging within the larger universe. When looking at any issue within a community the Aboriginal peoples remember that ou cant just look at one aspect of a person or community, but rather the total person, total community and total environment. In order for a per son to be healthy they must take care of themselves as a whole. For Aboriginal peoples this means that the mind, body, soul and emotional booze must all work together in order for one to be healthy. They also believe in the circle of life, that in order for the human race to progress we must follow the values of balance and harmony.Traditional healing is very important in the Aboriginal culture, in fact many traditional healers are now working within hospitals all across Canada. But, there are many hardships facing these healers such as finances, conflict with hospital staff and even Aboriginals who do not value this approach shot (Alberta Health, 1995). What happens in one stage of a persons life is interconnected with every other aspect of his or her life. Although many of the children who survived these above tragedies do not remember what happened or do not wish to think about it, they must try to heal and explore in order to keep on surviving.As children, there are limited o ptions, but as an adult we have choices to overcome these hardships, whether we ask to or not is totally up to oneself. In order to survive one must follow a substantiative path and take the following steps into consideration * Acknowledge that they have been damage * They must own these feelings of hurt and pain. * Explore and try to remember what happened to them. * Learn to share these feelings with people who care and are not judgemental. * Make choices that will help you live in a more positive lifestyle (Mussell et al. 1993). Some may say that the government succeeded in bringing down the Aboriginal peoples, but they are wrong to think that they will stay down. Many Aboriginal peoples have gone on to live happy healthy lives and will continue to teach their children these ways. But, in order for the people to survive we must help and try to live balanced lives free of racism and hate (Alberta Health, 1995). Healthy communities are our greatest resource. But there are barrie rs that prevent us from experiencing good health and they are oft as a result of our own lifestyles.Most of us have the knowledge of how to enhance our own health but knowing does not always translate into doing. Enhancing our health may require lifestyle neuter and habit changes, and that is difficult. It is easier to do things that make us feel good if we have resources available and support from those just about us and our community (Alberta Health, 1995, p. 68). References Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. (1995). Choosing life Special report on suicide among Aboriginal people. Ottawa, ON Canada Communication Group.Alberta Health. (1995). Strengthening the circle What Aboriginal Albertans say about their health. Edmonton, AB Aboriginal Health Unit Alberta Health. Kirmayer, L. J. , Brass, G. M. , Holton, T. , Paul, K. , Simpson, C. , & Tait, C. (2007). Suicide among Aboriginal people in Canada. Ottawa, ON Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Mussell, W. J. , Nicholls, W. M. , & Adler, M. T. (1993). Making meaning of mental health challenges in First Nations A Freirean perspective. Chilliwack, B. C. SalIShan Institute Society.Sinclair, R. (2011). Origins Canada Supporting those separated by adoption The 60s scoop. Retrieved from http//www. originscanada. org/the-stolen-generation/ N. A. (2008, May, 16). Residential schools A history of residential schools in Canada. Retrieved from http//www. cbc. ca/news/canada/story/2008/05/16/f-faqs-residential-schools. html Hanson, E. (2009). Sixties Scoop The sixties scoop & Aboriginal child welfare. Retrieved from http//indigenousfoundations. arts. ubc. ca/home/government-policy/sixties-scoop. html