Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
Ah. Thanks llama. Yea valo, I meant bands fighting each other. But thanks as well.
I guess that's why to this day none of them own any land. The houses on the reserves, or at least the land they're on, is owned by the Nation, not the resident that lives on any specific piece of the reserve.
Kinda weird though, they've adopted so much of our technology and lifestyle, yet few assimilate.
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It's only "weird" to our European sensibilities. The First Nations were always happy to recieve new technology and ways of doing things - especially in a reciprocal relationship, a hallmark of their cultural tradition. But they have also been incredibly resilient to repeated attempts to assimilate them into our culture and we are beginning to see a lot of push back where their traditions are starting to influence our culture.
In many ways, their traditions have directly shaped the way Canada functions and forms one of cultural differences that separates Canadians from Americans. There is an intriguing book on this particular topic that came out recently called "A Fair Country" by John Ralston Saul.
There is a lot of "hate" dividing the two cultures, but I personally think that the First Nations traditions have a lot of offer, especially in a world where energy demands will need to be better managed then they have in the post-industrial age. (that sounds sorta hippy-ish, eeps)