I got into journalism in 2019 after many years of reading, watching, and hearing the majority of Canada’s and the United States’ mainstream media repeatedly get it wrong when reporting on Indigenous People.
Frustrated by the lack of proper information reaching the non-native world and provided with a unique opportunity to speak to a large audience of primarily Caucasian descent, I began to tell you our stories, our struggles and triumphs, and most of all, the truth.
If you don’t know the truth or have all the information, you can’t make an informed decision or form a healthy relationship with the thought of Truth and Reconciliation.
Until recently, I thought I was doing an excellent job providing you with the kind of information I thought was essential or my readers inquired about.
I have been approached by numerous people, including the Wingham and Area Historical Society, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, and local libraries. Even local politicians and dignitaries have reached out for information and collaboration ideas, making me extremely happy that people are listening and making positive changes in their respective lives and workplaces.
Part of forming this healthy relationship with Truth and Reconciliation requires the ability to change your thought process; how you think about the Original People of this land depends on what you know and what you have been taught.
History is always fascinating, and people love to learn about it. It’s taught in schools, and movies and television shows depict historical moments that people tend to believe. Up until recently, the very limited historical references to Indigenous People were incorrect, stereotypical, and, at times, blatantly racist.
Work is being done at all levels, from grassroots organizations to top-level government officials, to correct the history books, school curricula, movies and television shows, and the news you read/watch/listen to.
The battle is slow, an uphill battle with many hurdles, but the work is progressing, with more and more people showing up armed with the truth and changing their words to reflect a more accurate depiction of this country’s history, specifically its relationship with the people who were already here, the people who were displaced to make room for the influx of newcomers.
The recent presentation about the history of the railroad in Wingham brought many people of all ages and backgrounds out to the tiny train station on Josephine Street, which I was very much looking forward to.
I was thrilled to see the interest in history as the room filled up and people of all ages greeted each other and took their seats; I could feel the sense of community and camaraderie.
The presentation was about trains, the railroad and its connection to Wingham. I thought I was going to hear more about things like the Wingham Salt Mines, the industry the railroad brought, and maybe a bit about who was instrumental in bringing the rails to the community, and that may very well have been the case, but I had to leave.
I left because I was sick to my stomach and very, very upset with what I was hearing. I packed up my stuff and walked out the door with tears running down my cheeks, so full of disappointment and, quite truthfully, rage.
Why, you ask?
The speaker wasn’t talking about trains or Wingham, he was reading from some obscure book, which, in his own words, was likely the only copy left in the world.
Most people will give a warning, some heads-up that they are about to repeat words that aren’t said in today’s polite society or something along those lines, especially when youth are in the audience.
This did not happen.
The first reference to the “Indians” made me cringe. The way he said it was like he was spitting something foul out of his mouth while telling the audience about how “dem Indians” stole the horses from workers building the railway. (The truth is, yes, horse thievery was a thing in the 1800s, but not just the “Indians” participated in that activity. And in all fairness, their land was being stolen).
The second reference talked about how “dem Indians” used to eat the “whole dam animal, head and guts included,” creating a picture in the minds of something disgusting. (The truth is that the Original People don’t waste any part of the animals they hunt, but they don’t eat every part: clothing, bedding, housing, medicine, oil for lighting, etc.).
The third reference is the one that made me sick. When he spoke about how the workers were leering after a “beautiful Indian girl until she picked up a buffalo intestine and sucked the juices right out of it, and then they didn’t want her no more,” he laughed.
Then, the entire audience laughed and laughed.
Truth: More than 1,000 Indigenous women and girls were killed or went missing between 1980 and 2012, according to the RCMP, but experts believe the true number is closer to 4,000, according to the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC).
Stereotypes. Incorrect information that is created to dehumanize and demoralize an entire race of people. Information designed to justify the never-ending kidnapping, raping and murdering of our women. Because look at the history told! We are described as animals. Chattel for the taking.
And they laughed, knowing that I was standing right there—one of the Original People, an Indigenous woman standing right there.
One more lie about how “dem Indians” used to kill all the buffalo “just for the one or two they needed” and leave the rest to rot. Lies, more stereotyping, and I had had enough.
I hope the rest of the presentation was about trains. I hope the laughter I heard was a nervous tic kind of thing. I hope this column will help you understand how hurtful this type of behaviour is. Maybe next time you listen to words like these, step up, speak up, and correct the stereotyping and racist rhetoric before the next generations repeat the same lies.
Miigwetch.
All My Relations.
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Cory Bilyea is an Indigenous journalist currently working for Midwestern Newspapers. She is a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River, better known as Onkwehonwe, the original people. Cory is a survivor of intergenerational trauma caused by residential schools. She can be reached at cbilyea@midwesternnewspapers.com.
