Couples

Lysanne O’Bomsawin
January 19, 2011
Odanak

"He teaches me and I teach him."

Lysanne O’Bomsawin, Waban-Aki

Do you enter a family member's home without knocking? Do you use your brother's car without asking him and does he borrow your shovel without your permission? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may be of Indigenous origin. Not all cultural shocks occur on a large scale. They’re not necessarily fuelled by prejudice, racism or difference in beliefs. In an intercultural couple, they occur on a daily basis. They can be seen in small gestures, different ways of conceiving intimacy or property, for example. Everyone has to do their part to avoid shocks. "Honey, have you seen the shovel?"