Skip to main content
Trans Mountain Pipeline and Columbian Exchange
The Trans Mountain Pipeline
Looking at Montaigne's work, Of Cannibals, and at exerts from Columbus's journals, we see themes that have carried through the centuries into our own modern time that are hard to overlook. Just by watching the news this morning, I saw strikingly similar ideology. The article linked above this paragraph discusses a recent even in Canada. There, the building of a pipeline that is intended to be built on indigenous people's land, has been halted in what is considered a success for the First Nations. The pipeline was originally only approved by some of the indigenous tribes, and others were only consulted regarding it. Legally, Canada only has to have a meaningful consultation with the First Nations, so this event has also led to a push for the standard to be raised from consultation to consent. Although the construction has been halted, those heading the Trans Mountain Pipeline intend for it to be installed in the future.
Questions:
What similarities are there between modern day thought process of the North American lands and the indigenous people who own them, and Columbus's thought process? Are there any points from Montaigne's essay, Of Cannibals, that you feel are applicable to discussing this event in Canada?
Aside from blatant disregard for indigenous people in favor of making money, the Trans Mountain Pipeline situation mirrors accounts of Columbus's travels because a few native communities are presumed to represent all native communities, or the needs of some are prioritized over the needs of others because this way is more convenient.
ReplyDeleteAccording to "Negotiations of Conquest," the Spaniards initially "negotiated with and through the native rulers, as they would have done with any monarch" (115) until the number of natives drastically decreased. Any negotiation performed after the Spaniards usurped substantial power was merely formality, and the same applies to the negotiations done originally in Ottawa.
Khelsilem, from the Squamish Nation, says, "Through all the work that we did to participate, a lot of our concerns were not addressed, a lot of our questions weren't answered, and the final report didn't actually reflect anything that we had told them." Additionally, only the communities who had appealed the Trans Mountain expansion in court were consulted.
I was very shocked to hear that only a "meaningful consultation" is necessary in order for the Canadian government to pursue their goals, rather than informed consent from all parties involved. This fact serves as a reminder that our current relations with other nations and peoples is not far from how it was in colonial times. Montaigne's essay urges against this type of treatment of First Nations and other Native groups, and argues that these people are, in fact, people, rather than savage, non-human organisms. That Montaigne would be displeased with the state of affairs today is deeply disturbing, and demonstrates that his essay can still be applied to many different situations.
ReplyDeleteI think that the companies must have consent from the people before engaging in this, but sadly the voices of these indigenous people are lost. The push of large companies trying to get these indigenous people to get out of there way is similar to that outlined in Montaigne's Of Cannibals. In this piece, Montaigne discussed how the Europeans tried to imbue the Natives with their own ideas and policies, believing their own beliefs to be superior. Likewise, we see these companies treating a bunch of smaller tribal communities as one body, similar to the Canadian establishment of Government. I think that cultural relativism and ethnocentrism are strong ideas in both pieces. The Companies see their own beliefs as superior, and therefore ignore the beliefs of whatever company stands in its way.
ReplyDelete