Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Just because art originated from a culture I fail to see how they own any interpretations of it.
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We're not discussing Italian or Irish cultural imagery which has allowed immigrants and their decedents to integrate into Canadian society. We're discussing a group of people that historically were:
- Almost driven to extinction due to European action during colonialization, including intentional spread of disease, displacement and cutting off food supply
- From 1876 until the first world war, they were essentially prisoners on the reserves due to the Indian Act restrictions
- Experienced the Residential School System from 1847 until 1996 where our government attempted and almost successfully committed genocide.
Currently this group of people are:
- Systemically targeted and persecuted by the Canadian Criminal Justice System, being comically over represented in Canadian prisons. They represent only 4% of the total Canadian population yet account for 30% of all federal inmates. When compared to white Canadians, they are disproportionally arrested, charged, charged with multiple offences, found guilty, and serve jail time.
- Indigenous reserves have an infant mortality rate that is on the level of developing nations.
- Indigenous Canadians have a dropout rate 2.3 times higher than the national average
- A life expectancy over 10 years less than the national average
- A 14% unemployment rate
We are discussing a vulnerable group that our country has attempted to eliminate for centuries, continuing still today. These are groups that are, and I don't mean this figuratively, struggling to survive. Do you think it's appropriate for corporations to appropriate pieces of their art and culture without any financial compensation?