During a trip to Whistler, a friend of mine and me decided to visit the First Nations Cultural Centre. I did not get in touch with topics relating First Nations during my studies or free time in Germany, so I was eager to learn about their culture and history. In my Political Science class in Canada we dealt a little bit with issues concerning the treatment of Indigenous people. In this class I have learned that during history, settler states assumed that Indigenous people would vanish by for example processes of assimilation or simply extinct as cultural groups. These developments were encouraged by policies which stripped Indigenous people of their lands, restricted the practice of their traditional cultures, languages and religions and undermined their institutions of self- government (cf. Kymlicka Multiculturalism Odysseys: Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity, 2007, 66/67). Since the 1970s with establishing a multiculturalism policy, there have been dramatic changes in policies, like adopting a policy of recognition, and Canada has shown a strongly multicultural approach regarding Indigenous people.
The centre, a Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Shared Legacy Project, shall embody the spirit of partnership between the two Nations- Squamish and Lil'wat- around shared values about preserving and sharing traditional cultures. This is also symbolized in the phrase “Where Rivers, Mountains and People Meet”. At the official homepage of Whistler, I found following information about the objectives of the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre:
• Communicate the scope and diversity of the cultures of the Squamish and Lil'wat peoples;
• Describe the role of the land and the locations of the territories from the perspective of the Squamish and Lil'wat entrepreneurs to sell art, guided tours and operate business activities from the Centre for visitor markets;
• Accomplish all of the above from a world-class, high profile facility that is economically viable and sustainable; and
• Profits that are not required to be reinvested to improve operations and programs in the Cultural Centre will be divided equally between the two Nations to be utilized for social programs to improve the lives of the members of the Squamish and Lil'wat Nations as a whole.
(cf. http://www.whistler.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=401)
During the visit in the centre, one question came into my mind: Can Indigenous communities be count as a diaspora? As we have learned in our diaspora class, the term diaspora is not easy to define, because there is a multitude of factors (e.g. time, voluntary or involuntary movement, specific historical context) which influence its meaning. Different scholars do also have different views on this subject of study, so that a single universally valid definition cannot be given. Diasporic groups have in common that they are due to different reasons not living in their original homeland and have generally a desire to return home. The situation for Indigenous people is quite interesting, because on the one hand they were the first residents, so that the territories are their original homeland, and on the other hand they can be called diasporic, because the land was taken from them with the help of unfair treaties and they were unsettled in a very cruel way. This is especially important, because Indigenous people have a unique relationship to the nature and environment of their homeland. Although there is some process in policies and providing money for cultural centres may be part of it, I think that Indigenous people have definitely made a diasporic experience.
This was one part of the interesting exhibition:
Forest One - A Woven Car - by annie ross
Forest One speaks of urban sprawl and the concept of trash (the tree, the car, and what comes back again). It is a cedar bark, plastic strapping, and wool wrapped-twined and plaited full-size automobile (1956 Nash Metropolitan) made with bark salvaged from urban forests clear cut for condominium developments. This contemporary exhibition provides a unique way to connect with and be inspired by the themes of weaving, transformation, and sustainable life. The Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre encourages you to explore the past, present, and future by reflecting on the way in which we live in our shared environment.
(http://www.slcc.ca/explore/featured-exhibits)
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen