151R Reappropriation

Following the Moose's Trail . . . Artistic Journeying and Cultural ReappropriationCultural reappropriation involves acquiring the knowledge and skills that ceased to be passed down through generations.For individuals and communities alike, this process is driven by a sense of cultural loss or the erosion of traditional identity references.It serves as a response to the blending of cultures, where they intermingle and influence each other.Whatever cultural reappropriation may be, it must be distinguished from cultural appropriation.Although the latter is inseparable from the reappropriation of a cultural heritage, it also denotes a contested practice involving the usurpation of a cultural identity.In other words, an individual or even a group with a shared quest claims the cultural identity of another culture.Among minority groups, such as the First Peoples of Canada, the preservation of traditions and cultural appreciation give rise to initiatives promoting knowledge transmission.This entails reaching out to "tradition bearers" who have inherited teachings from their predecessors and who, through the transmission of heritage, provide a form of "cultural security" to members of their community.This revitalization may rely on the support of related communities where language and traditions remain vibrant.These cultural reappropriation efforts contribute to the process of decolonization and affirmation in which Canada's First Peoples are engaged.The 19 th century in Canada marked an era of territorial dispossession and state control over the fate of Quebec's 11 Indigenous Nations.Due to demographic changes, such as the gradual loss of military ally status, colonization, and the exploitation of forest resources on Indigenous lands, former allies were condemned to become wards of the state.This dispossession is evident through the establishment of the first reserves, which were parcels of land set aside for Indigenous use but under federal jurisdiction and administered by a band council and an Indian Affairs agent.It is also reflected in the adoption of the Indian Act in 1876, which aimed to govern all aspects of the lives of the original inhabitants, even to the point of defining the criteria of national belonging based on blood quantum.The Canadian government pursued an assimilation policy intended to turn Indigenous Peoples into "ordinary citizens", which was perceived, from a 19 th -century ideological perspective, as a near-messianic mission.The rigid benches of residen-

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