How Colonization led to Intergenerational Trauma?
Have you ever heard this term used in any duration of your life? Intergenerational trauma is defined as the effects of colonization and the assimilation policy on Indigenous people in Canada across generations (Baskin, 2007). This term is a clear representation that colonization is still ongoing in today’s society. Intergenerational trauma is a result of colonization. The trauma from residential schools, the Indian Act, and the Sixties Scoop led the community to suffer from one generation to the next. We need to understand that Indigenous homelessness is directly linked to historical trauma (Indigenous Peoples, 2017). For example, the children put into residential schools were left with no option but to face the consequence of destroying their family relationships due to the oppressive system. These children were not offered the opportunity to learn the importance of healthy parenting from their parents (Gaetz & O’Grady, 2013). Also, they were not provided the chance to learn from the staff at the schools. The staff did not equip the children with the resources that would have allowed them to thrive as parents.
As a non-Indigenous person, I am able to understand intergenerational trauma from the standpoint of an immigrant that escaped a civil war. My grandparents and parents lived through war, but I was able to immigrate to Canada in search of a better life. I lost a huge part of my identity when I moved to Canada. I share my story under this section to allow everyone to gain a better understanding of the term. However, for people who do not have lived experiences, an educational background, or still do not understand the term, I have linked a video that explains the concept in depth.