Please refer to my previous blog HERE to see why this blog was written!

Extinction. I usually refer extinction to animals or organisms that are no longer here, not human beings.

I went to an Aboriginal healing circle about two years ago here in London ON. Someone who was relatives with my Uncle Max (imu RIP) said: “Natives were supposed to be extinct by the year 2000.”

Remembering this quote and the association to animals made me think of a lecture I sat in on about Aboriginal Rights and Animal Rights. Well, there were many other topics discussed but these two stood out for me.

The reason they stood out was because the lecturer talked about Aboriginal Rights before Animal Rights. It made me think: why are the two so closely being talked about? I am sure the lecturer meant no harm in doing so. The lecturer had about two slides dedicated to Aboriginal Rights; there were significantly more slides dedicated to Animal Rights.

I don’t know if I was just being sensitive, but I felt like less of a person when more slides and time were dedicated to Animal Rights than Aboriginal Rights (why not dedicate the same amount of time to both?). I thought to myself to send an email to the lecturer about my feelings but decided not to. I thought that to talk about Aboriginal Rights, wasn’t his speciality. But neither were Animal Rights. Thinking about this lecture again today, confuses me.

As an young Aboriginal, will I begin to feel less confused with who I am a as a person, and less confused about my background and what should be said about it today?