The last article I wrote wasn’t something I’d planned on…my focus was going to be on housing conditions on reserve, and the reasons for those conditions (an article I still need to do).  However, when I started putting that article together, I realised that a lot of people really do think that natives get free houses.  That being on the Band Housing list means someone builds you a house and hands it over to you and now it’s all yours to own.

wut.

I mean, you consider that for even a few moments and it seems totally ridiculous, right?  But no.  It’s such a common and firmly held belief, that some dude actually claimed in the comments right after the HuffPo version of that article…that all natives north of 40 do get free houses.

Christ.

The point of this post is: I don’t always remember or know about the myths that Canadians believe in about us. 

That’s where you come in, I hope.

I’ve put together a series of articles that specifically address certain issues and myths.  I call them Primers because they are introductions to complex topics.  My writing has been mostly organic…I deal with shit as it arises.  But I can’t help but feel I’m missing some obvious myths.

So I’d like you to tell me some of the stupid beliefs you’ve come across.  What have you found that settlers believe about indigenous peoples (Canada specific mostly because I do my best work when I can draw on Canadian history/law etc)?  A lot of these myths will be similar to what people in the US think too.  And if you’re not indigenous…have you been taught certain things that you are now questioning? 

What myths about indigenous peoples are you aware of?  What are some other myths that could be debunked?