Dancing Around The Table Analysis

Other forces of assimilation that rose up near the introduction of the Indian Act was both the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857 and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act of 1869 (Henderson, “Indian Act”). Both these acts were responsible for stripping the status of First Nations people (Henderson, “Indian Act”). They “were almost uniformly aimed at removing any special distinction or rights afforded First Nations peoples and at assimilating them into the larger settler population (Henderson, “Indian Act”).” The only perk a First Nations person would gain in voluntarily abandoning their rights, is to gain the right to vote, which was later acquired in 1960 (Henderson, “Indian Act”). Describing the forces of assimilation allows the reader to understand
In Peter Russel’s work he identifies that a majority of First Nations Canadians “identify with Canada and have an allegiance to it, but they also identify with a historic nation (Russell 232)”. Then there are causes being presented that conflict with the loyalty and dedication to their historic nations and culture, should a banner of Canadian nationalism present itself, it is likely the former will prevail (Russell 232). During the conferences and documented by the video “Dancing Around the Table” there were two quotes that spoke true and emphasized the frustrations of the First Nations people, “the exercise now is not about frank and open discussion, or understanding and appreciation of other peoples’ concerns on the basis of respect and dignity, it has become all of a sudden the question of power and who exercises it (Bulbulian “Dancing Around the Table”).” Just a day after Premiere Rene Levesque confirms that this is a problem, however that it needs to be the First Nations people who are responsible in acquiring power to appropriately negotiate as equals, because it is ultimately the political process (Bulbulian “Dancing Around the Table”). Considering these words were said by one of Quebec’s premiers spoke volumes, because the two groups that possess a dual sense of national identity is both the Quebec and First Nations people (Russell 232). The concerns mentioned by the First Nations representative which is only later confirmed by Rene Levesque demonstrates that what was now occurring, was a dance around the table. There was no genuine or real desire to meet the demands and concerns of the First Nations people, rather than an attempt to humouring them and integrating them into Trudeau’s vision for Canada. This feeling is later confirmed a representative stating that,