Indigenous peoples

土著人

Canada’s indigenous peoples are claiming new rights and resources

加拿大土著人民正在要求新的权利和资源

But native populations are still poorer and less well-educated

但当地居民仍然比较贫穷，受教育程度也较低

Jul 27th 2019

“EDUCATION IS THE New Buffalo”, a sculpture formed from words in indigenous languages, is a focal point of Calgary’s new public library. Its message is that, just as bison once sustained indigenous people in North America, so education will secure their cultural survival. Such messages of support for Canada’s “First Nations” are everywhere. Public events often begin with an acknowledgment of the people on whose “traditional territory” it is taking place. Under a revision of the citizenship oath proposed by the government in May, new Canadians would recognise “the aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples”.

“教育是新的水牛”，这个由土著语言文字组成的雕塑，是卡尔加里新公共图书馆的焦点。它传达的信息是，就像北美野牛曾经供养着北美土著人一样，教育将确保他们的文化得以幸存。这种支持加拿大“土著居民”的信息随处可见。公共活动往往始于对其“传统领地”上的人们的认可。根据政府在5月提出的公民宣誓修正案，新加拿大人将承认“土著居民、因纽特人和米提人的原住民和条约权利”。

词汇

Focal/焦点的，在焦点上的

Bison/美洲野牛

First Nations/【the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, not including the Inuit or Metis |原住民，土著居民（不包括因纽特人或米提人）但是本文现在的修正案承认了】

Aboriginal/土著的；原始的

 

Indigenous groups have become more assertive, courts more sympathetic and the government more responsive. This has benefited many. Used to thinking of the country as based on English-and French-speaking nations, Canadians are starting to say it has a “triangular foundation”, says John Ralston Saul, an author. But progress is patchy.

土著群体变得更加自信，法院更加同情他们，政府也更加积极响应。这使许多人受益。作家约翰•拉尔斯顿•索尔(John Ralston Saul)表示，习惯了认为加拿大是一个以英语和法语为主要语言的国家，加拿大人开始说它有一个“三角基础（法语，英语，土著语）”。但进展并不完美。

词汇

Assertive/坚定自信的；坚决主张的

 

In the census of 2016, 1.7m Canadians, or nearly 5%, described themselves as indigenous. Their number is growing faster than that of Canada’s population as a whole. Their living conditions are, on average, worse. Nearly 30% of First Nations people are poor, meaning their after-tax income is less than 50% of the median income, adjusted for family size. In 2016, 31% of First Nations people and 46% of Inuit did not have secondary-school qualifications, compared with 8% of the non-indigenous. The 52% of native people who now live in cities are mostly better off than those on reserves.

在2016年的人口普查中，170万加拿大人(近5%)称自己是原住民。它们的数量增长速度超过了加拿大总人口的增长速度。平均而言，他们的生活条件更差。土著居民近30%的人是穷人，这意味着他们的税后收入低于按家庭规模调整后的收入中值的50%。2016年，31%的原住民和46%的因纽特人没有中学学历，而非原住民中这一比例为8%。现在生活在城市的52%的当地人比那些生活在自然保护区的人生活得更好。

词汇

Census/人口普查

 

The gaps come from centuries-long discrimination. A pass system, in force from 1885 to the 1930s, required members of First Nations to get a permit to leave their reserves. Residential schools removed children from parents and discouraged them from speaking their language. Perhaps 150,000 children went through the schools, and many were mistreated. The last one closed only in 1996.

这种差距来自几个世纪以来的歧视。1885年至20世纪30年代实行的通行证制度要求土著居民成员必须获得离开其保护区的许可证。寄宿学校把孩子从父母身边接走，不鼓励他们说自己的语言。大约有15万名儿童就读于这些学校，其中许多人受到虐待。最后一家直到1996年才关闭。

 

As a candidate, Mr Trudeau said it would be a “sacred responsibility” to improve relations with indigenous groups. Their position was already improving. In 1973 the Supreme Court acknowledged that they had valid land claims that pre-dated European settlement. This led to the first “modern treaties”, which give them ownership of an area nearly the size of Manitoba, and a say over land use in 40% of Canada’s territory. Much of the rest is covered by earlier treaties, still in force. These may not override property rights but do give indigenous people influence. This has led to what Ken Coates of the University of Saskatchewan calls “a full culture of consultation” across the country.

作为候选人，特鲁多表示，改善与土著群体的关系将是一项“神圣的责任”。他们的处境已经在改善。1973年，最高法院承认他们拥有早于欧洲殖民时期的有效土地所有权。这导致了第一个“现代条约”的诞生，该条约赋予他们一个几乎和马尼托巴省一样大的土地所有权，并对加拿大40%的领土拥有土地使用权。其余的大部分都是由仍然有效的早期条约涵盖的。这些可能不会凌驾于财产权之上，但确实赋予了土著人民影响力。这导致了萨斯喀彻温大学的肯•科茨所说的全国范围内的“全面咨询文化”。

词汇

Override/优先于；权力高于；覆盖

 

Many have used it to improve their fortunes. In Vancouver three groups joined forces with a developer to purchase 14m square feet (1.3m square metres) of public land at a discount to the market price. They plan to put up housing and commercial buildings.

许多人用它来增加他们的财富。在温哥华，三家集团联手一家开发商，以低于市场价的价格购买了1400万平方英尺(130万平方米)的公共土地。他们计划建造住房和商业大楼。

 

Although indigenous groups make headlines when they oppose projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline, many are keen on the revenue and jobs such projects can bring. One group wants to buy a majority stake in that pipeline and put the profits into a sovereign-wealth fund.

尽管土著群体在反对跨山管道等项目时成为头条新闻，但许多人热衷于此类项目能带来的收入和就业机会。其中一家集团想要购买这条管道的多数股权，并将利润投入主权财富基金。

sovereign-wealth fund /主权财富基金

 

Plenty miss out. At the Rapid Lake reserve, a settlement of Algonquins in Quebec 270km north of Ottawa, almost the only source of income for the 300-400 people who live there is social assistance.

但依旧有许多情况被人们遗漏。在拉皮德湖保护区(Rapid Lake reserve)，阿尔冈昆斯(Algonquins)聚居地位于渥太华以北270公里的魁北克省(Quebec)， 300至400名居民的唯一收入来源几乎是社会救助。

 

Mr Harper apologised for the horrors of the residential-school system. A truth and reconciliation commission heard testimony from thousands of witnesses. The Trudeau government is striving to raise living standards. The number of indigenous reserves where drinking water was deemed unsafe dropped from 105 in November 2015 to 58 by July of this year.

哈珀先生为住宿学校体制的恐怖而道歉。真相与和解委员会听取了数千名证人的证词。特鲁多政府正在努力提高生活水平。饮用水被认为不安全的土著保护区数量从2015年11月的105个下降到今年7月的58个。

词汇

Reconciliation/和解；调和

Testimony/  证词，证言；

 

Indigenous leaders think progress has been too slow. “You can’t talk about reconciliation where basic human rights and equity are not achieved,” says Tanya Talaga, an indigenous journalist. The first Canadians are still too often the last.

土著领导人认为改善计划进展太慢。土著记者塔尼亚•塔拉加(Tanya Talaga)表示:“在没有实现基本人权和平等的情况下，你不能谈论和解。”最早的加拿大人依旧往往是最得不到照顾的。