Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/936360
15 F I R S T N AT I O N S • Some people think that we no longer exist. Not only do we still exist, our communities are growing at high rates and we are fighting to revitalize our languages and cultures. • There are hundreds of First Nations with unique cultures and traditions. Grouping all of us together does not respect our independence and the historic and contemporary realities we face. • We cannot "get over" the past because colonialism is not over, it continues to attack our communities in significant and violent ways. • Our nations are nations with rights to sovereignty and self-determination. We need to be respected as such and not treated as being childlike. • We do not get everything for free (healthcare, education, taxes etc.). • Reserve land only makes up 0.2% of Canada's land mass. • We are often viewed according to the 4 D's: drinking, dancing, drumming or dead. Our communities offer so much more than this and understanding of us must go deeper than these stereotypes that the media perpetuates. • We have different physical appearances; we do not all have long hair, with dark skin and no facial hair. • There are organizations and groups that attempt to advocate for First Nations issues, however, they do not represent all of our perspectives and voices. • Colonization has imposed concepts of gender binary on our people thereby displacing the roles and acceptance of LGBTQ and Two Spirit identities. This was not always the case and we need to reclaim their places of significance in our societies. • Many people view us as being lazy, uneducated and that we are content with abusing the system to get by. We are not content and there are many, many First Nations people working in our communities and across different fields to create positive change for our people. • The view that we are all anti-social and angry is a harmful stereotype. Experiences with oppression and racism has justifiably led to anger and distrust, however, we are also very open and caring people who have leveraged love and laughter as tools for survival. • There are many different opinions on reconciliation that need to be respected. Not all of us are interested in engaging in this process in the same way and it should not be in the control of non-Indigenous people to determine how it should be understood or approached. • We do not need non-Indigenous people to save us.