Legacy lingers

Indigenous leader: colonialism effects still alive

 By STEVEN CHANG

Indigenous students at Langara are still dealing with negative stereotypes regarding their identity and their past.

At a college family studies’ event on atrocities, divisions and traumatic memories in human history, an Indigenous strategist spoke to students about the impact of colonialism on Indigenous families.

Kory Wilson, Executive Director of Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships at BCIT, said the legacy of colonialism is sadly still around in Canada and getting worse in some ways, and education is the key to overcoming it in Canada. She encouraged students to learn about Indigenous culture.

Langara student Virginia Lecoy, said education was used as a weapon against Indigenous people. Today, she is using education to help herself navigate in the Western world.

“Even though the residential school doesn’t exist anymore, intergenerational trauma remains in families. There are signs of micro aggression from people telling us to get over our history, ” Lecoy said.

Second-year associate general Arts student, Megan Hill, expressed the desire for the public to raise awareness with not appropriating Indigenous culture and seeking it for profit.

Report shows that in 2017, 45 per cent of shelter dogs and 60 per cent of shelter cats were adopted into new homes.

The remainder of the animals were either returned to their guardian, euthanized, transferred, "returned to the field "(cats) or subject to other outcomes, according to the report.

As alternatives to adoption, people can foster, house sit, visit petting zoos or similar establishments. Annually, Langara hosts a destress fest towards the end of the year where students can play with puppies that have been brought in temporarily.

Temporary residents are allowed to foster pets, but they are not able to adopt them.

Natalie Hellyar, who graduated from Langara’s fine arts program in April 2019, is torn about the policy.

As much as she would like to adopt an animal, she is unsure about where she’s going to end up in a couple of years.

“I feel like it’s selfish to adopt a pet if you don’t know where you’re going or what you’re doing,” she said.

Catfe, in Downtown Vancouver, a coffee shop that is also home to multiple cats, allowing visitors to play with the felines, most of which are available for adoption.

Doug Ferguson, a cat whisperer at Catfe, said fostering can be a great short-term solution.

Although the policy that only people with permanent residence and Canadian citizens can adopt is not a law, Ferguson said it’s a policy shelters have all implemented for a reason, as they have had problems in the past.

“It’s not anyone’s fault, but there were people who adopted [a pet] with the best intentions but then they have to go back to their country and can’t take the pet with them,” he added.

“It’s ironic when we weren’t allowed to embrace our own culture all these years. Now you see people wearing the headdress as a joke.” As an educator, Wilson said that students from all backgrounds need to be empowered with formal and informal education to boost their self-esteem.

“Discrimination makes people feel disengaged and alone,” she said. “Marginalized people don’t feel validated. When people’s voices aren’t being heard, they ended up retreating."

Sociology instructor at Langara, Indira-Natasha Prahst, said that it is important to provide young Indigenous students with a spark of moti vation to stay in school.

Prahst said Wilson is a role model for the Indigenous community.

“There is a disconnect with how the curriculum is being taught about Indigenous culture,” Prahst said. “So having more Indigenous scholars, teachers and mentors would really