Canada Travel Guide

Beyond this volatile scenario there have been dramatic improvements secured since World War II that have led to a revival of interest in their own culture for many aboriginal people. Ceremonies, like the summer powwow celebrations, and art forms that have been almost forgotten, are being revived through research and reconstruction. There are aboriginal theatre groups that reinterpret the legends for modern audiences, aboriginal authors and poets who are publishing works that present unique and indigenous viewpoints; and aboriginal painters and sculptors who are using a mix of traditional and modern techniques to produce vivid and exciting works of art. A public television channel for indigenous people - the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) - has been on the air since 1999. However, the resultant optimism has been tempered by the threat of possible violence as Canada's First Nations seek redress from cultural oppression - as Coon Come declared, "Behaving like good little Indians never got us anywhere. There is a social time bomb that is ticking away in the many Indian communities throughout Canada."