Colonization Effect and Risks for Two-Spirited People Research Paper

Colonization Effect and the Risks for Two-Spirited People
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Colonization Effect and the Risks for Two-Spirited People
Introduction
Colonization has affected Indigenous People in many ways, including loss of tradition and assimilation into societal views that heteropatriarchal ways are superior to that of any other. Before colonization, the Indigenous culture, for the most part was accepting- in some ways even encouraging of the Two-Spirited lifestyle often holding special roles within their communities that encompassed their ability to perform duties of both male and female roles. In the western culture, where it is modelled that heterosexual relationships and marriage are superior, Two-Spirited people undoubtedly struggle to find their place in the culture (Larivee, 2019). Society is prone to discriminate against anything or anyone that does not fit into their picture-perfect view of what is superior and unfortunately, being an Aboriginal people does not fit into that category nor does being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). Jeremy Dutcher is quoted in the story “A Walk in Two Worlds” written by Michael Ott (Ryerson School of Journalism), he said: “The place where two discriminations meet is a bad place to live.” This statement is bold and eye opening, spoken by someone who identifies as Two-Spirited, it really brings light to how it feels when someone faces discrimination from two sides, This can cause detrimental effects, such as shaming, homophobia, exploitation, systematic invisibility on people who identify into both categories as they are facing double the discrimination from two different standpoints. Because of this, Two- Spirited people often face greater risks of violence, racism and a lost sense of belonging causing detrimental effects to their mental health and putting them at higher risk for suicide, substance abuse and vulnerability.
Low Self- Esteem, Lack of Self Love and Mental Health. There are various negative effects of the trauma caused by colonization, the high violence rates and the sense of not having a place to fit in. The effects are even worse on the mental health of someone who identifies and two-spirited. It is worth noting that these effects cause high chances of attempting suicide and substance abuse to cope. In addition, the lack of empathy for the lifestyle from the medical professionals makes it hard to reach out and ask for help. Low self-esteem is one of the most common impacts of colonization on the victims. Colonization implies that a group of individuals or a country is controlled and manipulated by another group, in most cases a super power. The super power also imposes rules and regulations on the colonized group. Failure to adhere to these rules and regulations has severe effects as one is punished or even killed (Arsenault, 2020). Further, the colonized individuals are subjected to traumatic experiences such as having to watch their loved ones being tortured or killed. Colonization is also often associated with various forms of mistreatments. Some of the most common include forced labor and slavery. In the past, slaves were subjected to various inhumane conditions and experiences. For instance, some were used for sexual satisfaction by their masters. Such individuals undergo psychological torture due to the trauma resulting from being sexually abused. Further, some were subjected to hard, forced labor. Such forced labor is a violation of their rights, and this makes the victims feel undermined. They also feel mistreated and treated as less human beings. As a result, their self-esteem falls. In this regard, men are the most affected by trauma because they witness their families getting mistreated and they have no way of helping them. As a result, their ego and esteem fall. The experience is particularly worse for individuals who have identified as two-spirited. Such individuals feel condemned by the society in cases where they are not accepted. They also feel that they are targeted because of their sexual orientation. Consequently, they lose the sense of self-worth and thus lose their self-esteem. Such individuals are easily hurt because they always feel target and in some cases lose trust in humanity. Individuals who are two-spirited also tend to lose self-love. In societies where the trend is not acceptable, such people feel that they are not loved or appreciated. As such, they fail to experience and understand the feeling associated with loving self. Many of them tend to take pity on themselves and consider themselves as outcasts (Pictou, 2020). Lack of self-love also makes them to fail to appreciate any love and concern that is directed to them since they develop trust issues regarding loving and being loved. The same is applicable to victims of colonization. Individuals who are colonized feel that they are colonized because they are not loved or respected. They also consider themselves as unlovable, and consider the colonialists’ actions as a form of hatred. As such, they even lose the aspect of self-love since they feel that there is nothing that can be loved about them. Their concept of self-love is blurred by colonialism and lack of acceptance by the society. Further, colonization is associated with a high rate of violence, and this sub...