a Bier Press Le

March 5, 1996

 

“A lot of it has to do with survival. We're constantly living in a state of oppression. We have to
deal with racism, we have to deal with being Native. Its a double whammy for Native women in the
larger society... a large part of survival is sharing: sharing strength, sharing hope.”

-Lillian Howard, Mowachahat woman from the Nuu Chah Nulth Nation

 

 

Closing the gap in the equality circle

Worthless. Sub-human. Savage. Idiot. Ask a Native

well include these words.

Yet today, despite tremendous
odds against them, Native Canadian
women are preparing to break free
from the stereotypical restraints
imposed on them by a more
advanced, “civilized,” and
“superior” white culture.

Under a “well-intentioned”
assimilation policy that was
enforced by the Canadian
government and implemented in
residential boarding schools, Native
Indian girls learned that it was
unacceptable to speak their native
language, that becoming alcoholic
and pregnant out of wedlock was
expected of them, and that they
would never make it in this world
because Indians were of inferior
intellect. Some managed to jump
over this cuckoo’s nest of
oppression.

During the last decade more
awareness and concern has been
expressed for health related issues
of Aboriginal peoples across
Canada. In the late 1980’s the
Medical Services Branch of Health
Canada initiated and funded
research with the BC Division of

Indian woman what she once believed was

synonymous with “Indian” and her answer may very

Vital Statistics to update population
estimates and analyze major health
status indicators for BC’s Status
Indians. Status Indians refers to
only one part of the Aboriginal

or First Nations population.
Three reports have been
produced, the last covering a
seven year period from 1987-
1993.

The statistics revealed in these
reports are appalling. But
statistics alone can never depict
the real tragedy of human
suffering that lies beyond them.
When it comes to matters
affecting Native populations
arguments often arise over
whether it is the Indian or society
that is to blame. Did anyone question
whether Rawandans were worthy of
our aid when disaster struck them?

Canada has been criticized for
supporting the blacks of South Africa in
their struggles against apartheid while
its own Aboriginal peoples live in
comparably deplorable conditions on
reserves. Buried beneath the

negotiations over larger issues of Native
Indian self-government and land claims
lie 48 201 Aboriginal women of BC—

 

and women represent only slightly more
than half of the total Status Indian
population of the province.

While most Canadian women feel
pinched by the inequalities of
gender, Aboriginal women are
doubly disadvantaged. These
women representing 4% of all
women living in Canada, face

Prospects for employment among
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
women do not differ much. Both are
limited. In 1991 about half of all
working Aboriginal women had
traditionally female jobs in clerical,
service, and sales, the same as other
women. Their chances of being
employed in professional or
managerial positions were
only slightly less than that of

 

Canada has been criticized for
supporting the blacks of South

Africa in their struggles against
apartheid while its own Aboriginal

peoples live in comparably

deplorable conditions on reserves.

other women.

But if you think their
earnings were equal to that of
other women, think again.
The average earnings of
other women were
approximately $2000 more
than those of Aboriginal
women in 1991. Much like
other women who earn less
than their male counterparts,

 

disadvantages based on both gender
and their Aboriginal origins.

According to Statistics Canada,
54% of registered Indian women
with North American Indian origins
only, lived on reserves or Indian
settlements in 1991. Registered
Indian women of mixed origins, and
non-registered Indian women, were
much less likely to live in these
communities. Many, whether. on
reserves or outside them, continue
to live and raise their families
in stereotyped degradation
and dependence. They seem
powerless to rise above
poverty.

Canada’s Aboriginal
women receive a relatively

payments. In 1990,

compared to 13%
of the income of
* non-Aboriginal
“ women and 11%
of that of
Aboriginal men. At
all ages, Aboriginal

diploma, and 18% had even
‘ less than a Grade 9 education.

the full time, full year

earnings of ‘Aboriginal
women were only 72% of those of
Aboriginal men. Aboriginal women
experience higher levels of
unemployment and are less likely to
participate in the labour force, that
is, they are neither employed nor
looking for work, compared to other
Canadian women.

The life expectancy of registered
Indian women has increased greatly
over the last two decades relative to
the rest of the Canadian population.
Nonetheless, other Canadian women
born in 1992 can expect to live 11
years longer than their Indian

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
   
   

as likely as others to-be lone parents.

The Status Indian live birth rate

was twice the provincial rate of 13.3.
The birth rate for teenage mothers
was 4 times the BC provincial rate.
Death of infants aged 27 days to one
year was alarmingly high at more
than 3 times that of other British
Columbian babies.

Despair is all too common.
Suicides among Status Indian
women varied according to age
groups from a high of 11 times to a
low of 3 times the BC rates. The
lowest number of Status Indian
women suicides was 4 deaths in
1990; the highest was 10 deaths in
both 1992 and 1993. Overall they
were 3.3 times higher than those for
all BC women. The age for Status
Indian females committing suicide
was on average 10 years younger
than the age of other women who
suicided in BC during 1987-1993.
Three Status Indian suicides
reported during this same period
were girls under 14 years of age.
Although accidental poisonings,
including deaths from opiates,
narcotics, and other drugs, were
lower for Status Indian women than
Status Indian males in 1993, they
were still more than 10 times greater
than those of the female population
of BC. As for motor vehicle traffic
accidents, the death rate for female
Status Indians aged 25-44 was seven
times that of the province of BC

When multiculturalism replaced
the 1969 White Paper (which Native
Indians renounced as cultural
suicide), it established the rights of
a mosaic of Canadian immigrants.
Meanwhile, the rights of
Canada’s Aboriginal peoples,

large share of their who have no. other
personal income from homeland and are not
government transfer immigrants, went

largely ignored. Recent

20% of their protests and demands
income was from by Native peoples for
this source, improved health

care are evidence
that their present

needs continue to be

ignored.

( It is unconscionable
to keep these people

waiting in desperate and

een ere likely deplorable conditions
to have incomes below the while bureaucrats and
poverty line than other expensive lawyers haggle over
Hen. land claims that are decades from
Having a less formal settlement. Aboriginal women need
. education than other women in counterparts whose life expectancy to be empowered now by all of us to
= , Canada has made the chances is 70.1 years, paddle their canoes with even
of Aboriginal women getting Lifetime fertility rates among greater determination in the hope
adequate employment less Aboriginal women are considerably _ that they can once again proudly say
likely. In 1991, only 6% hada hipher than those for other groups “lam an Indian. |] am a woman.”
si university degree compared to of women. One result is that they
13% of other women. tend to have more children liv ing at
P Aboriginal women were notas jome than other women. And-
likely to have a high school Aboriginal women arealmost twice

by Maureen J. Bailey