Rethinking Aboriginal stereotypes

PhD candidate describes lingering effects of colonialism in Aboriginal communities

Chelsea Moore Staff

Social stigmas and domestic violence — and Aboriginal gangs — continue to impact women in Aboriginal communities, according to Nahanni Fontaine.

Fontaine, a doctoral student in the department of native studies, presented some of her research on Aboriginal women living in Manitoba and Ontario. Her March 8 presentation, entitled, “‘Old Ladies,’ ‘Bitches’ and ‘Hos’: deconstructing the female Aboriginal gang member,” dicussed the extent to which Aboriginal women are devalued in our society, both within the media and by academics.

“Simply put, Aboriginal gangs are not what the dominant white society socially constructs them to be — a malignant and deviant thorn inside of the so-called outstanding productive, middle-class Christian civilization,” said Fontaine.

Fontaine interviewed 19 Métis and First Nations women, ages 13 to 44, both on and off reserves in Manitoba and Ontario.

What she found was that power relations among sexes in Aboriginal communities have shifted, with women being worse off.

“As life-givers and primary care-takers, women were respected and had a significant role in the decision-making processes of the community,” said Fontaine in regard to traditional Aboriginal culture. “Social relations were of an equal nature and did not involve notions that one sex was superior to the other.”

“Unfortunately as a result of the introduction of Christianity and forced Christian marriages, the incorporation into a wage-economy, residential schools, and the introduction of alcohol, Aboriginal men’s and women’s roles have significantly changed,” said Fontaine.

The term “old ladies,” according to the participants of Fontaine’s research, refers to women who have, “some semblance of a committed and loving relationship” with male gang members.

What the participants reported was that being an “old lady” gave them more recognition in their communities; however, it also limited their freedom to go to parties, do drugs, and hang out with other female friends.

If “old ladies” are being abused, it is their responsibility not to mention it to others and to prevent others from getting involved in the situation.

The rationale behind this is rooted in traditional Aboriginal healing, according to Fontaine, where the approach is to “heal the family,” not just one person.

“If my man is beating me, and I leave, he’s still not healed, my family is not going to be healed,” said Fontaine.

Even though some Aboriginal males are gang members, they are still considered family within the Aboriginal community, according to Fontaine.

Fontaine also said that Aboriginal women who do not have boyfriends who are affiliated with gangs and are labelled “bitches and hos.” These women, regardless of whether they are prostitutes, are looked down upon, and most “old ladies” try to steer clear of them.

One participant of the study, she said, reported that, “If you hang out with a bunch of hos, then you’re going to be looked at as a ho. I try to stay away from all girls, because they make you look bad, they bring you down, they want to go scam and shit.”

According to Fontaine, Aboriginal people in Canada “still live in a neo-colonial context,” and the quality of water in their communities — made public by the evacuation of Kashechewan, Ontario, earlier this year — is evidence of this.

“It would be unacceptable to have water like that in our cities, unacceptable, and yet we have it in our communities, we have mould in our communities.”

And, she noted, Aboriginal communities both on- and off-reserve still face distinct challenges.

“Aboriginal gangs are the product of our colonized and oppressed space within Canada,” said Fontaine, “a space [that] brought with it inequity, racism, dislocation, marginalization, and cultural and spiritual alienation.”

“It is a space of physical and cultural genocide that continues to exist in and at this very moment,” added Fontaine.