Colonial Trauma

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Colonial Trauma Indigenist Ethics

• Implications for helping Ucwalmicwa

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What is Colonization?

• The subjugation of one people by another through
  destruction and/or weakening of basic institution
  of the subjugated culture and replacing them with
  those of the dominant culture Lee (1992)
• Colonization is not an event or even a series of
  events it is a process

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Waubageshig (1971)

• Bruyere quotes Waubegeshigs description of the 4
  stages of colonization
• As you see the stages you will notice the
  traumatic events that occur to Indigenous peoples

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Stage 1

• Native and his/her culture exist as they have
  traditionally done

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Stage 2

• Settlers arrive and natives resist the
  relinquishment of their way of life and try to
  preserve their self-determination
• the settlers use technology and violence to
  dispel any opposition to their claims.
• Conventional weaponry and biological warfare
  utilized (smallpox blankets)

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Stage 3

• Settlers occupy strategic roles such as
  employers, defenders and legislators
• natives are legally, economically, and
  politically exploited
• Natives are racially discriminated against as the
  Other
• settlers enforce their will through force and
  utilize legislation to justify their oppression

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Stage 4

• Natives are rejected as inferior and forced to
  occupy a low status in the colonized society
• natives mount a growing resistance utilizing
  violence
• Natives build upon a consciousness based upon the
  remnants of traditional culture as a unifying
  force
• Natives regain land back

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Analysis

• Violence does not necessarily play a role in the
  helping venue
• However, Indigenous peoples cannot be passive in
  regaining control over their own healing
• They must exercise their Indigenous powers to
  help themselves and not rely on or allow others
  to do it for them

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What is Trauma?

• a traumatic event involving actual or threatened
  death or injury to a person or others -- and
  where they felt fear, helplessness or horror
• a cluster of 3 symptoms, including intrusions
  (flashbacks nightmares) avoidance (avoidance of
  others or events that bring on symptoms) and
  hyperarousal (hypervigilance increased startle
  response) (Baldwin, 2005)
• Trauma is subjective

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Symptoms of trauma

• avoidance behaviours of anything or persons that
  remind the person of the trauma
• markedly diminished interest or participation in
  significant activities
• feeling of detachment
• restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have
  loving feelings)
• sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not
  expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a
  normal life span)

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Long term symptoms

• Inability to commit
• Excessive shyness
• Depression
• Immune system and endocrine problems (asthma,
  migraines, severe PMS, digestive problems, neck
  back problems)

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Considerations

• The Eurosettler definition of trauma is often
  applied and designed for individuals, it is
  rarely applied to cultural groups, families or
  communities
• western psychological perspectives have failed
  to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples

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Colonial Trauma

• I arrived at the concept of CT when I considered
  colonization and the past past, immediate and
  long term trauma inflicted on Indigenous peoples
• CT is not limited to individuals in the present,
  it can be applied to individuals, families,
  communities, ancestors, descendants and
  Indigenous peoples in general

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CT is a process

• CT is a process ongoing since contact, CT is
  dynamic and it is still happening to Indigenous
  peoples
• CT cannot be prevented, it has already happened.
  Indigenous Peoples can reduce the impact it has
  on their and their descendants lives

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Fighting Terrorism since 1492
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Indigenist Therapeutic Perspective

• Emerges from Indigenous helpers communities
• Is based on Indigenous systems and values
• Perpetuates Indigenous culture
• Is not cross-cultural
• Is not problem based
• Is not a magic bullet approach

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Problems with problems

• Eurosettler psychology tends to be problem
  focused
• Many healing programs focus on problems such as
  Residential School Syndrome, alcoholism, poverty,
  family violence, lateral violence
• I believe that ultimately an ethics based
  approach will be more effective

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Indigenous Traumas

• Loss of land
• Loss of identity
• Loss of language
• Involuntary separation from people /culture/land
  by adoption, necessity or legislation
• Suffering of ancestors
• Poor economic outlook, lack of sovereignty

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There is no magic bullet

• There have been many supposed magic bullets over
  the years land rights, AA, residential school
  settlements
• Fighting these things for decades has done little
  to heal our people
• We cannot stay focused on and divided by problems
• We cannot get lost in the hunt for the magic
  bullet

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Layam

• We are not only fighting a disease,
  condition or syndrome we are also fighting a
  spirit, perhaps only a spirit
• Layam is a Statimc word roughly translating to
  devil
• We know when Layam is moving through our
  communities, whether its suicide, alcoholism,
  family violence, glue sniffing, or lateral
  violence
• We face a spirit which gains strength from the
  pain of colonial trauma

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Indigenous power healing

• We cannot defeat Layam with programs and
  non-Indigenous consultants
• We must take power and responsibility for our own
  healing
• We should be guided by ethics, not problems or
  techniques

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Indigenous Powers

• Power to Protect
• Power to define often the first power removed
  from Indigenous peoples
• Power to decide
• Moana Jackson, 2002
• A component of CT is the loss of our Indigenous
  powers, we are crippled

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Respect

• To respect is a more important value for
  Ucwalmicw than assertion
• Respect is a process, a way of living
• Respect is the Earth, respect is the foundation
• Respect for Mother Earth, for Creator, for
  ancestors, descendants, 4 leggeds and spirits

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Relevance

• Lack of relevance in Eurosettler therapeutic
  approaches is the cause most cited for the
  failure of Ucwalmicw to thrive in counselling
• What is relevance? The literature only states
  that it is hard for Eurosettler approaches to
  achieve, not what it is
• Relevance means the approach is based on
  Ucwalmicw worldview

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Relationships

• Relationships for Ucwalmicw refers to all members
  of the community, not only family
• Ucwalmicw relationships are in a constant state
  of flux
• A helping relationship is not limited to the
  counselling session (community involvement)

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Reality can be layam or trickster

• The principle of reality can be layam or coyote
• Can be disruptive if the counsellor is not aware
  and prepared for it
• Multiple relationships not dual relationships
• Reality is good medicine and bad medicine

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Responsibility

• Was another principle I considered, but still a
  work in progress
• Ucwalmicw are ultimately responsible for their
  healing from CT, it is ours, we own it
• All community members have a responsibility to
  the communitys well-being
• Non-Indigenous helpers have a responsibility to
  step back

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The future

• There will be more Ucwalmicw helpers who have a
  base in Ucwalmicw traditions in addition to or
  perhaps instead of Eurosettler training
• Ucwalmicw will regain power over their healing
• Layam will lose strength and Ucwalmicw will
  regain their powers to define, protect and decide
• A healthier community means healthier and able
  leadership

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Regaining who we are

• Indigenization