This page was created by Aidan Stewart.
History of Settler Colonial Interaction in the Grassy Narrows
In the 1960s, the community faced relocation initiatives and attempts by the Canadian government to "modernize" indigenous life on the reserve. This was part of a larger pattern of settler colonialism seeking to dispossess indigenous peoples of their ancestral lands and forcibly assimilate them into mainstream Canadian society. The forced relocation disrupted traditional livelihoods and social structures, leaving the community vulnerable to environmental exploitation.
The Grassy Narrows people also faced economic challenges, as the government imposed hunting and fishing regulations and controls, rendering them dependent on the introduced economy that the colonists ultimately had control over. This degraded the fishing and hunting culture that the community had built over decades.
The community's vulnerability to environmental exploitation was starkly illustrated when they encountered a devastating environmental challenge in the form of mercury poisoning. The Wabigoon River was contaminated with mercury from a paper and pulp plant, causing devastating effects on the community. Despite early studies showing a relationship between mercury poisoning and the Grassy Narrows, the government did not take immediate action.
The narrative of the Grassy Narrows community illuminates the intricate relationship between colonization, slow violence, and the eventual mercury poisoning crisis. The community's history is a clear example of the corrupt nature of slow violence perpetuated by settler colonialism, which has had a lasting impact on the community's socio-economic fabric and cultural standing.