Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth realms for the past 70 years, has passed away at 96 years old. With her passing, her son becomes King Charles III.
According to the royal family, all four of her children and her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry traveled to Balmoral to be at her side.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022
Elizabeth's reign was the longest of any British monarch in history. Some in the indigenous community expressed their condolences in heartfelt messages.
Mary Simon, Canada’s first Inuit Governor General, released a statement about the Queen’s death, in which she shared about Elizabeth's relationship with Canada.
Her reign encompassed the mandates of 12 Canadian prime ministers and 13 governors general. On 22 occasions, she undertook official visits to Canada, where she professed her love for our county again and again. She was a steadfast presence during some of the most tumultuous times of our lives, and most recently gave comfort to so many during the pandemic. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer deepest condolences to the members of the Royal Family, who grieve the loss of a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Yet, while countless people across the U.K. and the world are mourning her death, the Queen's seven decades as head of the Commonwealth drubbed up considerable controversy.
It will be interesting to see the conversations in the coming days. The Queen is an important figure to many Indigenous communities and inarguably the monarchy is a colonial identity. What countries will take this opportunity to distance themselves?
— Dani Paradis (@DaniParadis) September 8, 2022
This is, indeed, a sad day for the royal family and the monarchy, but not everyone is finding themselves in such a mournful state. To many, the Queen's legacy in Great Britain and the Commonwealth is synonymous with colonialism, violence, scandal and corruption. That includes many people across Indian Country, who are openly sharing their reflections on forced assimilation and intergenerational trauma.
Ryan Buffalo, a citizen of Samson Cree Nation isn't among those warmly acknowledging Elizabeth's reign.
I think that the monarchy is outdated. It seems like it doesn’t have any benefit to any Indigenous person in Canada or the Americas in general,” Buffalo said. “Yes [it's] unfortunate that she passed away but I can’t feel that much sympathy for her because she is a rich old white lady and there’s so much history here that involves Indigenous trauma. I am thinking about our international agreements and how her death is going to affect them. In Canada we have difficulty enforcing the agreements at the different levels of government.
Read on for reactions from those within the Indigenous community…
For those saying we should be magnanimous about the passing of the queen, a reminder that the queen inserted herself into the lives of Indigenous people here multiple times. She wasn't a bystander to the effects of colonisation and colonialism, she was an architect of it.
— Prof Sandy O'Sullivan (Wiradjuri – they/them) (@IndigenousX) September 8, 2022
Only Indigenous Queens Reign Supreme 👑 #Decolonise pic.twitter.com/jsHroRXaWz
— Elizabeth Wymarra (@woollogirl) September 8, 2022
As a person with Indigenous and Settler-European identities I find the death of Queen Elizabeth to be rife with complicated emotions. She was the figurehead of the family whose legacy was assimilating my family and loved ones through violent, colonial, and genocidal efforts.
— Doctor Gnome (@phd_jessie) September 8, 2022
The death of Queen Elizabeth II is extremely traumatizing for many
Black, Indigenous & racialized peoples across the globe.The British monarchy represents a legacy of imperialism, colonialism, enslavement, racism, genocide & White supremacy world-wide.
— Selam Debs (she/her) (@selamdebs) September 8, 2022
As we learn about Queen Elizabeth's death at 86, I am struck by the tragedy in life expectancy due to COVID in our Native American communities in the U.S.: Life expectancy fell from 71.8 to 65.2 in just 2 years!! How can this happen? Enough is enough!!https://t.co/AEkighEJid
— Elena Martinez (@ElenaMa43981624) September 8, 2022
Indigenous and Native people’s reaction to Queen Elizabeth II passing is the same reaction we have if we heard Christopher Columbus or Hitler passed. Her role in the genocide of Indigenous children is reprehensible. #AbolishTheMonarchyhttps://t.co/LIcJ2pasar
— 🍂A Wise🍂 (@wiseaudra) September 8, 2022
Do not criticize colonized peoples & their response to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The reality is that she contributed to colonization, loss of land, death of Indigenous peoples & more. We are still living in these realities & experiences. They don’t go away bc she passed.
— Liv Rondeau (@LivNRondeau) September 8, 2022
As you can see from these posts, many of the reactions to Queen Elizabeth's death were very raw and impassioned, and it's not hard to see why.
What was your initial reaction to the Queen's passing?
