Human relationship Assignment

Streets and aboriginal people



According to the statistics, about 25% of the homeless in Victoria are aboriginal people. That rate is very high considering that aboriginal people represent roughly 3.8% of the Canadian population. “While Canada routinely ranks in the top ten of the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI) - a quality of life indicator based on income, education and life expectancy – applying the same criteria to Canada’s aboriginal population reveals some striking figures. Registered Indians living on reserves are ranked approximately 68th, somewhere between Bosnia and Venezuela…”

“Aboriginal infant mortality rates have seen improvements over the years, but the bigger picture remains bleak. Incidences of mental illness, alcoholism and foetal alcohol syndrome, suicide, family violence, injuries, diabetes, tuberculosis, HIV infection, obesity and hypertension are often several times higher than those in the non-aboriginal population. For instance, suicide rates among aboriginal people are around three times higher than the average, while Status Indians in BC can expect to live 7.5 years less than other British Columbians.”

“Aboriginal people migrate to the city for a variety of reasons. Often, they seek new opportunities like education, a job, or a chance to improve their lives. Some women leave home to escape abuse. However, the city does not always live up to its promise of a better life. Many aboriginal people are disadvantaged when compared with their non-Aboriginal labour market competitors. In general they have less education, are less likely to have job experience, and are more likely to be poor.”
-Scott Fogden http://www.mapleleafweb.com/old/features/native/social-issues/index.html

John mentioned that it is very difficult to work on homelessness without avoiding the usual clichés. He critiqued the fact that some of my characters looked drunk, and that alcoholism and homelessness have been overly documented in photo history. I had no intentions to “exploit” those people’s addiction, or to perpetuate stereotypes, but I found it tricky not to -- inadvertently.

While photographing, I focused on companionship and mutual aid between people, and tried to catch their interactions, their laughs, their looks, etc. In none of those pictures can we actually see the bottles of alcohol that were being shared. But yet they were drunk and I cannot deny it. I’m trying to think of a way to speak to the social issues that plague the homeless and/or aboriginal people of Canada, while preserving their dignity.

Aboriginal dances

My friend asked me why didn’t I report on First-Nations “positive” actions, such as the contribution to the cultural scene? Although aboriginal people do indeed perform traditional drums and dances frequently in the city, and although I did document those events several times, I often feel somewhat uncomfortable in doing so. The fact that most of the time the performers are hired by government institutions to perform rites of Shamanism during political events celebrating Canada's History (there too, adorned with costumes of plastic pearls and feathers) dilutes the essence of these rituals, and adds an ironic and bitter taste. I acknowledge that First-Nations people need to develop some kind of industry in order to emancipate themselves, but the demonstration of their folklore seems so feigned in most circumstances that I don’t know how to document it without being naïve or sarcastic.

Though, I lately reported the Duncan International Aboriginal Art and Film Festival, and it was an amazing cross-cultural experience. I negotiated a free access to the event in exchange for the photos taken. Most of the movies presented showed the struggle of First-Nations People across the world and denounced the effects of colonization, globalization and global warming. It was inspiring to meet artists from all over the world who are concerned about different issues and are active in their community. Most dance performances were intense, original, amusing and well executed.