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Despite the fact that there is limited research and understanding regarding Aboriginal youth gangs in Canada, membership in these gangs is rapidly increasing, particularly within the cities of Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and Edmonton. In this article, we discuss the genesis and status of Aboriginal youth gangs in Canada. We describe the developmental stages of youth gangs, in general and highlight individual, family, and community circumstances that, in particular, make Aboriginal youth susceptible to gang membership.
The incursion of Aboriginal youth gangs into Canadian society is a relatively new phenomenon; hence, literature related to Aboriginal youth gangs is sparse. Accordingly, Grekul and LaBoucane-Benson (2008) described the lack of research surrounding Aboriginal gangs as a "glaring omission" (p. 61). Where literature does exist, it spotlights the rapid proliferation of these gangs. Chettleburgh (2008) described the unfettered growth of Aboriginal youth gangs as a cultural genocide attracting poor and disfranchised Aboriginal youth by the thousands (p. A21). Within the cities of Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and Edmonton, the number of Aboriginal youth gangs in existence is particularly alarming (Bernhardt, 2006; "Why Haven't Aboriginal...," 2010); Kelley (2010a) described Winnipeg as the Canadian epicenter for Aboriginal youth gangs. Former chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, Lawrence Joseph cautioned that if Aboriginal gang issues continue to go unchallenged, the problem will worsen exponentially (Cherry, 2005).
The purpose of this article is to describe the genesis and status of Aboriginal youth gangs in Canada and to identify circumstances that fuel the proliferation of Aboriginal youth gangs. We also describe the development stages of youth gangs, in general, and highlightthe individual, family, and community circumstances that, in particular, make Aboriginal youth susceptible to gang membership.
Before delving into the specifics of Aboriginal youth gangs, the terminol- ogy used within this article needs clarification. Within the literature related to gangs, the term youth gang is often used interchangeably with street gang or simply gang. Herein, we predominantly use the term youth gang when referring to these largely synonymous terms.
Having identified dominant terminology, providing a universal definition of youth gang is a more complex task. One informal description of a youth gang is a collection of teenagers who dress similarly, hang out together, and cause trouble within a local area. In...