INST 203 Unit 1 questions
and answers 2025
In Canada, the word "Native" is commonly used to refer to Aboriginal or
Indigenous people, as distinguished from people whose forebears came to
Canada from abroad as settlers, traders, or immigrants.
Ordinarily, the word "native" is used to denote a person's birthplace; for
example, a native of Vancouver, a native of Scotland, or a native of Rome.
In some countries that were under colonial rule, the word was used in a
derogatory way for Indigenous people. For example, in the Republic of
South Africa during the era of apartheid (racial segregation), "native" was
used to identify black South Africans as distinct from (and inferior to)
white South Africans, who referred to themselves as "Europeans"
The Concept of Identity in the Social Sciences
In the social sciences, the term “identity” is used loosely to refer to social
roles, personal traits, or images that people have adopted for
themselves.
Erik Erikson -
With respect to an individual person, “identity” may refer to someone’s
character, or mental or moral attitudes.
“Identity crisis,” can be very serious for a person who moves between
cultures. Irreconcilable clashes between old and new values may occur,
making this difficult. They may try to find themselves by re-examining the
original cultural ways and beliefs, instead of adopting the culture and
values of the new society without question.
The person may then make a positive identification with Indigenous
cultural values, without rejecting outright the values of the new or
dominant culture in which he or she must now function. As a result, the
individual may gain inner freedom and the ability to deal with the negative
images attached to his or her culture by those who belong to the
dominant society.
Unfortunately, the dominant society may label this person’s cultural ideals
as lesser than its own, in many instances causing feelings of inferiority or
self-hatred in the person who is trying to integrate. By this logic, people
who are not members of the dominant culture may be labelled by the
dominant culture as possessing less desirable characteristics than
members of the dominant society. Members of the dominant culture may
,actually believe that they are superior to Indigenous people, and may
demonstrate this belief through their conduct. This prejudice may result in
the alienation of an individual both from his or her Indigenous culture and
from the culture of the dominant society. An Indigenous person may
escape from the confusion and pain caused by alienation by consciously
affirming a positive “Indigenous identity,” and finding solidarity with other
Indigenous people who are proud of their culture and history.
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The Concept of “Indian”
In 1492, Christopher Columbus, mistook the Bahamas as the East Indies.
Indigenous people from this region were perceived as being
compassionate, generous, and peaceful.
Convinced that he had reached the East Indies, Columbus referred to
those he encountered as “Indians.”
European explorers, traders, and colonizers used the term “Indian” (or
“Red Indian”) to identify the Indigenous inhabitants of the Western
Hemisphere.
However, the enduring impact of the attempted colonization of Indigenous
peoples has been that the inclusive term has been forced on them, to the
extent that some Indigenous peoples use the term for self-identification.
Clearly, the term is controversial and has been a subject of intense
discussion.
Ethnographers, including Slobodin, have attempted to explore the
question “What is an Indian?” by considering the nature of Indian
groupings in the United States and Canada. Slobodin points out that
, Five hundred years ago there were no American Indians, Canadian Indians,
or in the British term, Red Indians. There were members of the
species Homo sapiens inhabiting the Western Hemisphere in a number of
populations, some quite fixed and sessile [sedentary], others fluid,
shifting, and semi-nomadic or truly nomadic.
According to Slobodin, the acceptance by Canadian Indigenous peoples of
identifiers such as “Indian” or “Eskimo” is fairly recent.
Indians or Eskimos did not formerly refer to themselves by these terms. If
Indigenous people belonged to a homogeneous group and shared basic
cultural values, customs, traditions, and language, they often identified
themselves as “The People.” Where they did not belong to a homogenous
group, they were likely to use a toponym (place name) or make references
to a location.
For the most part people referred to themselves, in terms of community,
as people of X Town, or the people camped in Y, or sometimes, Z’s people
—Z being a political leader.
The arrival of European explorers and settlers marked the beginning of
cultural upheaval and population decline among the Indigenous peoples of
North and South America.
The most serious period of cultural upheaval and assimilation began with
the arrival of European fur traders and missionaries in the seventeenth
century.
The introduction of iron tools to replace the indigenous bone and deer-
horn tools brought about a revolution in economic life, and disrupted the
traditional balance of power between women and men.
Similarly, the imposition of Christianity, based on Judeo-Christian beliefs
and values, had significant impact on Indigenous cultures in general, and
on Indigenous religious beliefs and values in particular.
Furthermore, the fur trade activities initiated by European people
adversely affected traditional economic and political systems. For
example, the introduction of guns and horses to the Cree people helped to
step up production of fur, which was in great demand, but led to the
demise of fur-bearing animals, which were important food sources.
The effect of the gun was felt severely by the Plains Indians, who by the
late 1880s had seen the disappearance of the buffalo (on which their
culture had depended for many centuries). The extirpation of the buffalo
resulted from over-hunting, especially by the incoming European settlers.
The Plains Indians’ buffalo-oriented way of life had enabled them to
maintain a stable population over generations. The disappearance of the
buffalo coincided with the decline of their population.
and answers 2025
In Canada, the word "Native" is commonly used to refer to Aboriginal or
Indigenous people, as distinguished from people whose forebears came to
Canada from abroad as settlers, traders, or immigrants.
Ordinarily, the word "native" is used to denote a person's birthplace; for
example, a native of Vancouver, a native of Scotland, or a native of Rome.
In some countries that were under colonial rule, the word was used in a
derogatory way for Indigenous people. For example, in the Republic of
South Africa during the era of apartheid (racial segregation), "native" was
used to identify black South Africans as distinct from (and inferior to)
white South Africans, who referred to themselves as "Europeans"
The Concept of Identity in the Social Sciences
In the social sciences, the term “identity” is used loosely to refer to social
roles, personal traits, or images that people have adopted for
themselves.
Erik Erikson -
With respect to an individual person, “identity” may refer to someone’s
character, or mental or moral attitudes.
“Identity crisis,” can be very serious for a person who moves between
cultures. Irreconcilable clashes between old and new values may occur,
making this difficult. They may try to find themselves by re-examining the
original cultural ways and beliefs, instead of adopting the culture and
values of the new society without question.
The person may then make a positive identification with Indigenous
cultural values, without rejecting outright the values of the new or
dominant culture in which he or she must now function. As a result, the
individual may gain inner freedom and the ability to deal with the negative
images attached to his or her culture by those who belong to the
dominant society.
Unfortunately, the dominant society may label this person’s cultural ideals
as lesser than its own, in many instances causing feelings of inferiority or
self-hatred in the person who is trying to integrate. By this logic, people
who are not members of the dominant culture may be labelled by the
dominant culture as possessing less desirable characteristics than
members of the dominant society. Members of the dominant culture may
,actually believe that they are superior to Indigenous people, and may
demonstrate this belief through their conduct. This prejudice may result in
the alienation of an individual both from his or her Indigenous culture and
from the culture of the dominant society. An Indigenous person may
escape from the confusion and pain caused by alienation by consciously
affirming a positive “Indigenous identity,” and finding solidarity with other
Indigenous people who are proud of their culture and history.
Previous
Play
Next
Rewind 10 seconds
Move forward 10 seconds
Unmute
0:00
/
0:15
Full screen
Brainpower
Read More
The Concept of “Indian”
In 1492, Christopher Columbus, mistook the Bahamas as the East Indies.
Indigenous people from this region were perceived as being
compassionate, generous, and peaceful.
Convinced that he had reached the East Indies, Columbus referred to
those he encountered as “Indians.”
European explorers, traders, and colonizers used the term “Indian” (or
“Red Indian”) to identify the Indigenous inhabitants of the Western
Hemisphere.
However, the enduring impact of the attempted colonization of Indigenous
peoples has been that the inclusive term has been forced on them, to the
extent that some Indigenous peoples use the term for self-identification.
Clearly, the term is controversial and has been a subject of intense
discussion.
Ethnographers, including Slobodin, have attempted to explore the
question “What is an Indian?” by considering the nature of Indian
groupings in the United States and Canada. Slobodin points out that
, Five hundred years ago there were no American Indians, Canadian Indians,
or in the British term, Red Indians. There were members of the
species Homo sapiens inhabiting the Western Hemisphere in a number of
populations, some quite fixed and sessile [sedentary], others fluid,
shifting, and semi-nomadic or truly nomadic.
According to Slobodin, the acceptance by Canadian Indigenous peoples of
identifiers such as “Indian” or “Eskimo” is fairly recent.
Indians or Eskimos did not formerly refer to themselves by these terms. If
Indigenous people belonged to a homogeneous group and shared basic
cultural values, customs, traditions, and language, they often identified
themselves as “The People.” Where they did not belong to a homogenous
group, they were likely to use a toponym (place name) or make references
to a location.
For the most part people referred to themselves, in terms of community,
as people of X Town, or the people camped in Y, or sometimes, Z’s people
—Z being a political leader.
The arrival of European explorers and settlers marked the beginning of
cultural upheaval and population decline among the Indigenous peoples of
North and South America.
The most serious period of cultural upheaval and assimilation began with
the arrival of European fur traders and missionaries in the seventeenth
century.
The introduction of iron tools to replace the indigenous bone and deer-
horn tools brought about a revolution in economic life, and disrupted the
traditional balance of power between women and men.
Similarly, the imposition of Christianity, based on Judeo-Christian beliefs
and values, had significant impact on Indigenous cultures in general, and
on Indigenous religious beliefs and values in particular.
Furthermore, the fur trade activities initiated by European people
adversely affected traditional economic and political systems. For
example, the introduction of guns and horses to the Cree people helped to
step up production of fur, which was in great demand, but led to the
demise of fur-bearing animals, which were important food sources.
The effect of the gun was felt severely by the Plains Indians, who by the
late 1880s had seen the disappearance of the buffalo (on which their
culture had depended for many centuries). The extirpation of the buffalo
resulted from over-hunting, especially by the incoming European settlers.
The Plains Indians’ buffalo-oriented way of life had enabled them to
maintain a stable population over generations. The disappearance of the
buffalo coincided with the decline of their population.
