tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/inuit-12365/articlesInuit – The Conversation2023-11-20T22:30:42Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2095752023-11-20T22:30:42Z2023-11-20T22:30:42ZHow culturally appropriate diets can be a pathway to food security in the Canadian Arctic<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-culturally-appropriate-diets-can-be-a-pathway-to-food-security-in-the-canadian-arctic" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sites/agri-food/Canada%27s%20Food%20Price%20Report%202023_Digital.pdf">As food prices soar</a> it is clear that food security is becoming an ever-growing concern for Canadians. However, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2023001/article/00013-eng.pdf?st=P1pILBO8">not everyone faces these rising costs equally</a>.</p>
<p>In Inuit Nunangat — the homeland of Inuit across Northern Canada — the situation is alarming. In one of the world’s wealthiest nations, a stark <a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ITK_Food-Security-Strategy-Report_English_PDF-Version.pdf">76 per cent of the Inuit population faced food insecurity</a> in 2017, a statistic that has likely grown even worse in the current food price landscape.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/food-insecurity-in-canada-is-the-worst-its-ever-been-heres-how-we-can-solve-it-216399">Food insecurity in Canada is the worst it's ever been — here's how we can solve it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The pervasive issue of food insecurity among Inuit, which is closely <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020000117">linked to detrimental nutritional and mental health outcomes</a>, stands out as one of the most enduring and critical public health crises confronting a population within Canada. </p>
<p>But solutions exist that include culturally appropriate food systems to ensure access to affordable, nutritious, safe and preferred foods. Additionally, new research avenues tailored to unique health determinants in the North can inform Inuit-specific actions to prevent disease development linked to diet and food insecurity. </p>
<p>The interdisciplinary program <a href="https://sentinellenord.ulaval.ca/en/home">Sentinel North</a> at Université Laval has recently integrated the collective knowledge of its research teams to offer a novel perspective on the links between food security, diet and metabolic health. Integrating the knowledge of different disciplines is crucial to address the multifaceted issue of food insecurity in the North.</p>
<h2>Challenges of food security in the Arctic</h2>
<p>Food security in the Arctic is multifaceted and is associated with the access, availability, safety and quality of both country food — food that is harvested, hunted, fished, and gathered from the land, rivers, lakes and the sea — and store-bought foods.</p>
<p>At the heart of this complexity are economic dynamics that place strain on Arctic communities. Monetary poverty, amplified by the high cost of living in the Arctic, is <a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ITK_Inuit-Nunangat-Food-Security-Strategy_English.pdf">one of the main drivers of food insecurity among Inuit</a>. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2018.08.006">median individual income for Inuit (15 years and older) in northern Canada</a> is two-thirds that of Canadians as a whole. Meanwhile, the prices for store-bought foods, and other goods and services, can range from double to several times higher than in other parts of the country because of transportation costs. </p>
<p>Compounding these economic constraints are the <a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ITK_Food-Security-Strategy-Report_English_PDF-Version.pdf">relentless forces of climate change, which are fundamentally transforming subsistence food systems across the North</a>. </p>
<p>As sea ice recedes, permafrost thaws and extreme weather events increase, accessing traditional hunting and fishing grounds becomes increasingly challenging. Additionally, the abundance and distribution of species, which communities have relied on for generations, are shifting. </p>
<p>But it’s not just climate change that’s a concern.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-red-alert-for-the-future-arctic-89122">A red alert for the future Arctic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Arctic, despite its remote location, is not isolated from global pollutants. Contaminants from distant regions make their way to the Arctic, carried by atmospheric and oceanic currents. Among these are the <a href="https://theconversation.com/canada-takes-first-step-to-regulate-toxic-forever-chemicals-but-is-it-enough-207288">“forever chemicals,”</a> a group of persistent compounds that resist environmental degradation and accumulate in the wildlife that communities rely on for sustenance. </p>
<p>While the nutritional and cultural benefits of country foods remain significant, the exposure to these environmental contaminants presents a profound concern for the health and well-being of the Inuit.</p>
<p>These environmental transformations jeopardize both the integrity of the food supply chain and the very traditions that are foundational to the cultural identity of Arctic Indigenous peoples.</p>
<h2>The importance of country food</h2>
<p>Country foods significantly contribute to the nutrition, health and food security of Inuit communities. </p>
<p>The traditional Inuit diet is notable for its richness in omega-3 fatty acids, largely due to the high consumption of fish and marine-source foods. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2022.2120344">Recent research</a> has linked fish oil consumption with the proliferation of <em>Akkermansia muciniphila</em> — a gut bacterium heralded for its potential in combating metabolic ailments including obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.</p>
<p>In addition to marine resources, the Arctic offers a bounty of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2019.04.002">berries, rich in health-promoting polyphenols</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119545958">Polyphenols act as antioxidants</a>, crucial for neutralizing molecules that can damage cells, promote aging and contribute to various diseases. </p>
<p>Recent research on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-017-4520-z">polyphenolic extracts</a> from cloudberries, alpine bearberries and lingonberries has shown promising outcomes in managing insulin resistance and regulating insulin levels in animal studies. Such findings suggest that regular consumption of these Arctic berries might serve as a culturally appropriate strategy to combat inflammation and associated metabolic disorders.</p>
<p>Beyond being rich sources of essential nutrients, <a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ITK_Food-Security-Strategy-Report_English_PDF-Version.pdf">country foods are deeply woven into the fabric of Inuit life, enhancing mental and emotional well-being, fostering community bonds and fortifying cultural heritage</a>. The process of gathering, preparing and sharing country foods is also intertwined with physical activity, mental health and well-being. </p>
<p>Yet, in spite of country food’s integral role, multiple factors — from the enduring impacts of colonization and climate change to socioeconomic challenges, and concerns over environmental contaminants — <a href="https://nrbhss.ca/sites/default/files/health_surveys/Food_Security_report_en.pdf">have accelerated a shift towards a reliance on market foods</a>.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-022-00724-7">western dietary patterns gain ground</a> in the Canadian Arctic, <a href="https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/4395401">health issues such as obesity, diabetes and cardiometabolic disease are on the rise</a>. Developing tailored approaches which consider Inuit lifestyles, genetics and unique dietary traditions are essential to building specialized strategies for mitigating and preventing these rising health concerns. </p>
<h2>Culturally adapted food systems</h2>
<p>In response to the pressing challenge of food insecurity, northern Indigenous communities across Canada have implemented various food programs. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12872">Community food programs that address acute food insecurity are common</a>. But to ensure resilience, the entire food system needs to be revisited — government policies, programs and monetary investments. </p>
<p>Programs that foster youth knowledge and skills in harvest, that improve community food storage and infrastructure and that allows country food to be provided in an institutional setting are only some examples. For example, a stipend from the city will give nearly 50 daycare children in Iqaluit two meals a day for a year, meals that include country food.</p>
<p>These initiatives not only bolster food security but also champion food sovereignty through community-led and community-driven efforts.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/arctic-ocean-climate-change-is-flooding-the-remote-north-with-light-and-new-species-150157">Arctic Ocean: climate change is flooding the remote north with light – and new species</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The journey to resolve food insecurity is complex, with no one-size-fits-all solution. Initiatives that integrate local knowledge and skills with evidence-based research have the potential to forge a sustainable path forward. Mobilizing such research to inform and shape policy is critical, ensuring that the strides made are not just temporary fixes but part of a comprehensive strategy for lasting food security.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209575/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tiff-Annie Kenny receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the New Frontiers in Research Fund (CIHR), the Northern Contaminants Program, ArcticNet, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS), Génome Canada, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pascale Ropars does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Food insecurity is an issue felt particularly acutely by Inuit across Northern Canada. Culturally appropriate food systems may be the solution.Pascale Ropars, Researcher, Sentinel North, Université LavalTiff-Annie Kenny, Assistant professor, Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université LavalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2069762023-06-26T21:49:51Z2023-06-26T21:49:51ZHow Indigenous economic development corporations can support a just, low-carbon energy transition<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533567/original/file-20230622-20-n9o95.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C2977%2C1913&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Indigenous communities can be involved in renewable energy projects in a number of ways. The benefits of revenues to communities can be important to improving their self-determination and economic reconciliation.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are over 50,000 Indigenous businesses in Canada today. According to the 2020 census, the Indigenous economy generated a gross domestic product of <a href="https://www.ccab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EDCs-Leading-Transformation-2022.pdf">$48.9 billion dollars</a>. A growing number of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities are establishing economic development corporations (EDCs), of which many are involved in the renewable energy sector. </p>
<p>Indigenous EDCs exist <a href="https://www.ccab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EDCs-Leading-Transformation-2022.pdf">across a range of industries</a> such as retail, forestry, fisheries, energy, mining, construction and hospitality. They have the potential to be <a href="https://www.ccab.com/research/publications/aedcs/community-and-commerce-2015/">major drivers for economic growth in Indigenous communities</a>. </p>
<p>The role of Indigenous EDCs in the renewable energy sector has so far been unclear. Canada’s energy industry is responsible for <a href="https://unfccc.int/documents/461919">80 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions</a>. Increasing renewable energy production is an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101442">important part of reducing emissions</a>. </p>
<p>Today, Indigenous communities are involved in <a href="https://indigenouscleanenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ICE-Accelerating-Transition-Data-Report-web.pdf">hundreds of large renewable energy projects and thousands of small ones</a>. </p>
<h2>Renewable energy</h2>
<p>With support from community members and the band council, an Indigenous community can establish an EDC as a separate for-profit business entity to engage in commercial opportunities on its behalf. As a business, the EDC may enter into partnerships and joint ventures, including owning renewable energy projects.
Unlike other businesses, the community’s members are the only shareholder. That means the EDC is responsible to the community and its board of directors.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Rows of solar panels in a solar farm. Snow capped mountains in the backgrond." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533790/original/file-20230623-19-jq63y9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Indigenous EDCs exist across a range of sectors, including renewables, and can be major drivers for economic growth for communities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103121">Our research</a> offers new findings about the role of Indigenous EDCs in supporting the development of renewable energy projects and how this links to socioeconomic benefits for communities. </p>
<p>In partnership with the <a href="https://www.ccab.com/">Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business</a>, we surveyed and interviewed eight representatives of First Nation EDCs with active renewable energy projects. Through online desk research and the survey and interview results, we were able to provide an overview of First Nation communities and EDC involvement in the renewable energy sector. </p>
<p>Indigenous communities can be involved in renewable energy projects in a number of ways. The benefits of revenues can be important to improving communities’ self-determination and <a href="https://vancouvereconomic.com/economic-reconciliation">economic reconciliation</a>. </p>
<h2>Benefits of ownership</h2>
<p>In most projects, either the band council or the EDC can be involved in the project’s contractual arrangements. These arrangements correlate to the amount of Indigenous ownership in a project. For example, communities can be equity owners in projects, either as full or partial owners, in which they receive revenues and some control over project decision-making. </p>
<p>When a community has little to no ownership in a project, the governance agreement between the Indigenous community and company developing it is usually a resource revenue or <a href="https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1645561183367/1645561204248">impact and benefit agreement</a>. These types of agreements typically offer less control and economic benefits compared to when a community has meaningful or full ownership shares in a project.</p>
<p>Scholars, and some of our research participants, argue that ownership brings greater benefits to communities than revenue sharing or impact and benefit agreements that <a href="https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3807&context=scholarly_works">tend to be weaker and short-lived</a>. </p>
<p>Although all types of governance and ownership structures will likely provide some form of economic benefits, Indigenous ownership in a renewable energy project offers more control over decision-making and community pride.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black car drives past a wind farm. Snow capped mountains are in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533568/original/file-20230622-5246-5rjzt7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A wind farm near Pincher Creek, Alta. Indigenous ownership in a renewable energy project offers more control over decision-making and community pride.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Financial risks</h2>
<p>According to our analysis, there are at least 294 Indigenous EDCs operating in Canada. In our study, we learned that up to 26 EDCs are involved in 47 solar, wind, biomass and hydroelectric projects that range in size from 0.5 to 230 megawatts. We also found that Indigenous EDCs more often tend to be involved in ownership of projects, such as partnerships and joint ventures, whereas the Band Council is more often involved in political governance structures such as resource-sharing agreements.</p>
<p>Despite the stronger benefits of ownership, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101897">our findings show</a> Indigenous communities own few large renewable energy projects. Our interviews confirmed that not every community strives for whole ownership in renewable energy projects. Communities were concerned about the amount of money they’d need to borrow to finance the projects. </p>
<p>Some interviewees pointed out that the financial risk of greater project ownership may be too high for their community to take on. Some Indigenous and business leaders have called for an <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2023/02/25/meeting-canadas-clean-energy-targets-must-include-indigenous-partnerships.html?rf">Indigenous loans guarantee program</a> to ensure their communities can access the capital needed to partner in clean energy infrastructure projects. </p>
<p>Ownership denotes control over a project, which would align with the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People</a> and Indigenous rights to self-determination.</p>
<p>Indigenous EDCs are emerging as important players in renewable energy deployment, as they are involved in ownership of an increasing number of renewable energy projects of a range of sizes. With the right support, more EDCs could be involved in the development of renewable energy projects. This could strengthen Indigenous self-determination and give communities the ability to benefit from and control resource developments on their lands. </p>
<p><em>Katarina Savic from the consultancy firm Mokwateh co-authored this article and led the research project.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206976/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina E. Hoicka has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the New Frontiers in Research Fund, Smart Prosperity Institute, Canada Research Chairs Program, Natural Resources Canada, MITACS and the McConnell Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Foss works for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business which connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, businesses and communities.</span></em></p>Indigenous economic development corporations can generate income for communities and support the transition to clean energy.Christina E. Hoicka, Associate Professor of Geography and Civil Engineering, University of VictoriaMatthew Foss, Vice President Research and Public Policy, Canadian Council for Aboriginal BusinessLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2044512023-05-10T20:34:18Z2023-05-10T20:34:18ZIndigenous women in Northern Canada creating sustainable livelihoods through tourism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523470/original/file-20230428-20-u48dtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C262%2C6038%2C3757&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sheila Flaherty, the Nunavut director of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada in Iqaluit, Nvt. Sustainable tourism connects people to the planet and their culture while providing them with livelihoods.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In summer 2022, the <a href="https://www.northernwe.ca/">Northern WE in Tourism study</a> invited Indigenous women entrepreneurs from northern Newfoundland and Labrador, northern Québec, Nunavut, the Yukon and Northwest Territories to collaborate on an Indigenous-led and ally-supported research project. </p>
<p>In our conversations with Indigenous women entrepreneurs and the organizations that provide support to them, we learned that to create sustainable livelihoods, there should be “<a href="https://ucalgary.ca/news/nothing-about-us-without-us-1">nothing about us without us</a>.” </p>
<p>Using <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0254612">Two-Eyed Seeing</a> to guide our journey, we focused one eye on Indigenous knowledge and the other on Western perspectives to find common ground and pathways to sustainable livelihoods. </p>
<p>Developed by Mi'kmaw Elder Albert Marshall in 2004, Two-Eyed Seeing is a practice that provides a way of bringing Indigenous and Western worldviews together.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Indigenous women perform at a powpow." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523490/original/file-20230429-22-sgr9u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523490/original/file-20230429-22-sgr9u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523490/original/file-20230429-22-sgr9u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523490/original/file-20230429-22-sgr9u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523490/original/file-20230429-22-sgr9u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523490/original/file-20230429-22-sgr9u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523490/original/file-20230429-22-sgr9u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Anything that sustainably connects people to the planet and their culture by providing sustenance through entrepreneurship is tourism.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada) Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over shared stories of lived experiences and examples of best practices, participants discussed the barriers faced by Indigenous women entrepreneurs in the North and their colonial origins.</p>
<h2>History of colonization</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/the-indian-act">Indian Act</a> devastated the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. Government programs normalized public views of Indigenous people as inferior, advancing assimilation efforts to resolve Canada’s so-called “<a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racial-segregation-of-indigenous-peoples-in-canada">Indian Problem</a>.”</p>
<p>With the government classifying Indigenous people as male persons with Indian blood, it further disenfranchised Indigenous women. If an Indigenous woman married outside her community, <a href="https://theconversation.com/disenfranchising-indigenous-women-the-legacy-of-coverture-in-canada-195278">she lost her status</a>. Her children were also denied their right to status, setting the foundation for intergenerational vulnerability and cultural alienation.</p>
<p>Today, Indigenous women are <a href="https://www.nwac.ca/assets-knowledge-centre/Fact_Sheet_Violence_Against_Aboriginal_Women_2022-05-06-192019_swwk.pdf">3.5 times more likely to experience violence</a> than their non-Indigenous counterparts.</p>
<p>Almost <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/">1,200 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls</a> were identified by law enforcement between 1980 and 2012. The victim count grows to this day. Other compounding factors Indigenous women are faced with include racism, sexual identity, poverty and isolation. </p>
<p>The creation of <a href="https://nctr.ca/about/history-of-the-trc/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-of-canada/">Residential Schools</a> attended by <a href="https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/evenement-event/sys-pensionnats-residential-school-sys">at least 150,000 Indigenous children</a>, and the <a href="https://www.afn.ca/canadian-human-rights-tribunal/">Sixties Scoop</a> which saw tens of thousands of First Nations, Métis and Inuit children separated from their families, decimated Indigenous communities.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/every-child-matters-one-year-after-the-unmarked-graves-of-215-indigenous-children-were-found-in-kamloops-183778">'Every child matters': One year after the unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children were found in Kamloops</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>What does this have to do with sustainable livelihoods or this study? Everything.</p>
<h2>Indigenous tourism</h2>
<p>Anything that sustainably connects people to the planet and their culture by providing sustenance through entrepreneurship is tourism. This includes more conventional things like tours and visitor accommodations. It also includes less conventional things like authentic crafts, music and dance, food and healing, ceremony and storytelling.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman sitting at a work desk doing beadwork." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524448/original/file-20230504-23-zt4vq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524448/original/file-20230504-23-zt4vq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524448/original/file-20230504-23-zt4vq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524448/original/file-20230504-23-zt4vq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524448/original/file-20230504-23-zt4vq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524448/original/file-20230504-23-zt4vq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524448/original/file-20230504-23-zt4vq0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An Indigenous woman doing traditional beadwork. Tourism provides a gateway to entrepreneurship for Indigenous women.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada) Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Inuvialuk fashion designer and social media influencer, <a href="https://www.nwtarts.com/artist-profile/taalrumiq-christina-king">Taalrumiq</a>, explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We lost so much of our culture, our language, and our identity due to colonization, so it’s important to create pieces that celebrate us, to remember where we come from, who we come from, and what we are capable of.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Today, tourism training aligned with the Canadian education system and financial programs and the policies that govern them are predominantly developed by non-Indigenous people. </p>
<p>Non-Indigenous organizations determine who qualifies for training and <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/programs/research/2021-building-better-financial-futures-challenge/improving-financial-literacy.html">financial support</a>. These conventional systems are not designed to factor the lived realities of Indigenous women into their operations. </p>
<p>The complex challenges facing Indigenous women in Canada’s North cannot be resolved in isolation or at the discretion of the entities that created them. </p>
<p>Often lacking Western educational requirements, business experience or associated skill sets, Indigenous women experience <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/july-2017/make-entrepreneurship-accessible-to-indigenous-women">significant bias</a> in accessing support. Geographic location, infrastructure deficits and poverty compound barriers.</p>
<p>Taalrumiq was born in an Indian hospital and is part of the <a href="https://www.slice.ca/i-attended-a-residential-school-in-canada/">last generation of Residential School children from her community</a>. The hardship of leaving home to attend a Western institution was too much for many of her peers who dropped out of school. Taalrumiq also said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The generations before us went through so much and worked so hard for us to have this space, make our voices heard, fight for justice — and we owe it to our children and future generations to continue this work. There is still much to be done.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Effecting systemic change is the ultimate goal of reconciliation. And tourism provides a gateway to entrepreneurship for Indigenous women, serving as a catalyst capable of influencing societal behaviour on a broader scale.</p>
<h2>Understanding success</h2>
<p>It’s time to refocus our lens.</p>
<p>Success requires healing and understanding the impact of intergenerational trauma. Viewing success through this lens places value on equity, the concept of continuity of culture and Indigenous integration and stewardship of their lands.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Tents below the northern lights." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524443/original/file-20230504-25-iwdaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524443/original/file-20230504-25-iwdaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524443/original/file-20230504-25-iwdaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524443/original/file-20230504-25-iwdaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524443/original/file-20230504-25-iwdaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524443/original/file-20230504-25-iwdaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524443/original/file-20230504-25-iwdaqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The northern lights seen above the Torngat Mountains in northern Newfoundland and Labrador.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada) Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As Indigenous business owner <a href="https://www.hgtv.ca/joella-hogan-yukon-soaps-company/">Joella Hogan</a> put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I really try to lead my business with the values and teachings that I have been taught. Our Elders give us these teachings so we can be strong Northern Tutchone people and live our lives in a good way. I try to uphold these values in my daily life and in my relationships with people and with the land. For my business, everything comes back to this.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Connecting women to sustainable livelihoods strengthens the probability of achieving the <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">United Nations Sustainable Development Goals</a> that prioritize equity and inclusion. The <a href="https://justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/what-quoi.html">UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a> provides a road map to advance the declaration and address injustices against Indigenous people.</p>
<p>As Murray Sinclair, former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, <a href="https://quakerservice.ca/news/canadian-friends-service-committee-welcomes-the-report-of-the-truth-and-reconciliation-commission/">said</a>: “We have described for you a mountain. We have shown you the path to the top. We call upon you to do the climbing.” </p>
<p>It is time for Indigenous-led and ally-supported solutions to create pathways to well-being by dismantling the barriers that exclude Indigenous women from building sustainable livelihoods through tourism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204451/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sonya Graci consults to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. The Northern WE in Tourism study is funded by the Government of Canada under the Future Skills program in partnership with the Diversity Institute at
Toronto Metropolitan University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Yvette Rasmussen works for the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. The Northern WE in Tourism study receives funding from the Future Skills program. </span></em></p>Indigenous women are using sustainable tourism to overcome generational challenges and as an entrepreneurial means of generating income.Sonya Graci, Associate Professor, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityYvette Rasmussen, Project Manager of the Northern WE in Tourism studyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1992922023-02-07T21:10:32Z2023-02-07T21:10:32ZFirst Voices: New Grade 11 English courses can support reconciliation and resurgence by centring Indigenous literature<p>Last week, trustees from the Toronto District School Board voted in favour of replacing <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tdsb-indigenous-course-credit-1.6734437">the mandatory Grade 11 English course with</a> a course about <a href="https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/secondary-first-nations-metis-and-inuit-studies/courses/nbe3u/introduction">understanding contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit Voices</a> called First Voices.</p>
<p>This comes as welcome news. Since Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its final report in 2015 <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf">and called for reconciliation education</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/ontario-indigenous-curriculum-writing-cancellation-1.4739691">the Ontario government has been lagging</a> on prioritizing this. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/research/Professor_Jennifer_Brant_Shares_her_Work.html">As an Indigenous scholar who belongs to the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation, and teaches courses on Indigenous literatures</a>, I am delighted students will be exposed to texts that are unapologetically Indigenous and carry readers forward on a powerful journey of both reconciliation and resurgence. </p>
<p>I also know that for these new courses to be successful, <a href="https://theconversation.com/reckoning-with-the-truths-of-unmarked-graves-of-indigenous-children-education-systems-must-take-action-166151">commitments to funding and resourcing teacher training and professional development</a> are a must. </p>
<p>So are commitments to redressing a deep history of <a href="https://theconversation.com/reckoning-with-the-history-of-public-schooling-and-settler-colonialism-190386">structural and colonial violence in education throughout all levels of schooling</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hkXaCffTYkk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CityTV news video on TDSB vote.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>About First Voices</h2>
<p>First Voices is among courses that have been developed to respond to the TRC’s call urging ministries of education to develop and implement K-12 curricula on Indigenous history and the legacy of the residential school system in Canada (Call No. 63). </p>
<p>Several <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tdsb-indigenous-course-credit-1.6734437">Ontario school boards</a> have already rolled out First Voices. The course replaces the mandatory Grade 11 English course and the study of texts written by authors such as <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-goodbye-great-gatsby-hello-rita-joe-thunder-bays-schools-bring/">William Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald</a> for the works of Indigenous authors such as Tanya Talaga, Lee Maracle, Katherena Vermette, Cherie Dimaline and Richard Wagamese. </p>
<p>The beautiful storyline presented in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/katherena-vermette-1.4033273">Katherena Vermette’s <em>The Break</em></a>, and the timeless work of <a href="https://canadianscholars.ca/book/ravensong-a-novel-03eb2330-04fc-4364-b05a-e2508aeb5660/">Lee Maracle’s</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/books/ravensong-1.4025998"><em>Ravensong</em></a> are the very texts that will support students on their journey toward truth and reconciliation. </p>
<p>So will engaging with the contemporary realities eloquently expressed in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/books/son-of-a-trickster-by-eden-robinson-1.3975938">Eden Robinson’s Son of a Trickster</a>. This book connects past-present-future continuums in a literary genre that literature scholar <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-heath-justice-404793">Daniel Heath Justice</a> refers to as <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-stories-about-alternate-worlds-can-help-us-imagine-a-better-future-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-7-165933">Wonderworks</a>. </p>
<h2>Much investment and work needed</h2>
<p>It’s critical to understand that Call 63 is not just about developing new courses but “building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy and mutual respect” and “identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.” </p>
<p>This suggests the need for a multi-tiered approach that includes Indigenous community consultations and professional learning opportunities. </p>
<p>With the federal government’s failure to launch a national strategy to implement reconciliation education, quality Indigenous education and effective responses to the national calls for Call 63 rest within the social and political will of each province. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a-kMSpMfdRA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">English and film studies professor Keavy Martin discusses Indigenous literatures.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The 2020 and 2021 Yellowhead Institute Accountability Reports on Canada’s progress towards satisfying the TRC’s Calls to Action document superficial commitments to truth and reconciliation. As I expressed in an interview for the 2020 report, the effective rollout of newly developed Indigenous courses requires a <a href="https://yellowheadinstitute.org/calls-to-action-accountability-a-2020-status-update-on-reconciliation/">“structured and effective network that seamlessly connects education for reconciliation in teacher education programs, with ministries of education and school boards</a>.” </p>
<p>Among those who will teach the First Voices course are teachers who recently completed an Indigenous literatures course I <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/ctl/emphasis-indigenous-education-and-decolonization">developed and teach at the University of Toronto</a>. </p>
<p>In this graduate course, teachers read some of the texts that will be taught in First Voices. They learn about the <a href="https://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/1029-9781772126006-troubling-truth-and-reconciliation-in-canadian-education">importance of teaching through frameworks</a> that centre cultural identity and community narratives of strength, and what Indigenous literary scholar Gerald Vizenor <a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803210837/">refers to as survivance</a>.
Survivance is about more than survival: It encompasses an active sense of presence merging both survival and resistance.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-communities-come-together-virtually-during-coronavirus-despite-barriers-and-inequities-138601">Indigenous communities come together virtually during coronavirus despite barriers and inequities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Designing more courses</h2>
<p>As increasing numbers of school boards institute mandatory Indigenous courses, it is vital to ensure they are carefully designed.</p>
<p>They must also be delivered in ways that attend to anti-racist teaching practices
that acknowledge varied experiences of racism in a settler colonial society,
and be concerned with liberatory thinking, reflection and action as well as <a href="https://opentextbc.ca/indigenizationcurriculumdevelopers/chapter/creating-cultural-safety">cultural safety</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-critical-race-theory-should-inform-schools-185169">Why critical race theory should inform schools</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Indigenous cultural safety can be described as environments where individuals feel respected, safe and free to express their cultural identities without shame and discrimination. </p>
<p>With this context in mind, the new courses have the power to disrupt settler colonial narratives and promote cultural safety within classroom environments.</p>
<p>Teaching through an <a href="https://blogs.uoregon.edu/uoteachingcommunity/about/anti-oppressive-pedagogy-study-circle/anticolonialism-pedagogy/">anti-colonial</a> lens that counters colonialism and supports ethical dialogue requires Indigenous cultural safety and ethical commitments to be at the heart of the new First Voices course. </p>
<h2>Redressing violence</h2>
<p>While the First Voices course is an important step, we need to see this kind of commitment threaded throughout primary, junior and intermediate courses as well.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reckoning-with-the-history-of-public-schooling-and-settler-colonialism-190386">Reckoning with the history of public schooling and settler colonialism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>By the time students get to Grade 11, they have already been exposed to years of <a href="https://theconversation.com/national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-universities-and-schools-must-acknowledge-how-colonial-education-has-reproduced-anti-indigenous-racism-123315">colonial discourse</a> and insensitive content about Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p>This is true even of <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/06/26/two-indigenous-scholars-read-a-history-textbook-chapter-on-residential-schools-this-is-what-they-would-change.html">recently updated textbooks that cover the residential school system in Canada</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0AttZD8LVqA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">BlackCoffeePoet video ‘Indigenous Literatures Matter: A Talk With Daniel Heath Justice.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Change in cultural climate</h2>
<p>When I first developed a love for Indigenous literatures as a graduate student and was inspired to develop and teach my first Indigenous women’s literature course over 10 years ago, such courses were unpopular. I recall many students being unaware of the human rights abuses that were a core theme threading the texts we read.</p>
<p>A strong focus of my course was on racialized, sexualized <a href="https://opentextbooks.uregina.ca/femicide/chapter/17-indigenous-womens-literature-the-power-and-truth-of-our-words/">and gender-based violence against Indigenous women, girls, trans and Two Spirit peoples.</a> </p>
<p>I encouraged students to <a href="https://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/1029-9781772126006-troubling-truth-and-reconciliation-in-canadian-education">engage in reflective practice, and make important societal connections.</a>. </p>
<p>Today when I teach these courses, students are more familiar with the genocidal history of this land. For this reason, I take a teaching approach that calls them to action. </p>
<p>I encourage students to understand the stories by Indigenous authors through noticing <a href="https://canlit.ca/article/storying-resurgence/">strength and community resurgence</a> and connecting the texts to what is happening in their communities outside the classroom. I also encourage students to allow their reading to inform how they hold social structures accountable for injustices, and to resist seeing the texts through a “deficit” lens.</p>
<h2>Indigenous-authored texts</h2>
<p>Ten years ago, I could not find Indigenous-authored texts in most bookstores and certainly did not see them reflected in K-12 curricula or post-secondary syllabi. </p>
<p>Today, I can walk into a bookstore, the <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDHTaylor/status/1475091765006946304">gift store at an airport</a> or the local drug store or supermarket and immediately see beautiful artwork adorning the covers of Indigenous-authored texts. </p>
<p>Through an ethical and anti-racist engagement with First Voices, I am confident students will make necessary connections to the world around us as the contemporary realities threaded throughout the novels support students in developing their own sense of justice, of belonging and connections to this land.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199292/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Brant receives funding from SSHRC and the Spencer Foundation.</span></em></p>For Indigenous literature courses to be successful, Indigenous cultural safety must be centred, and commitment to teacher professional development is a must.Jennifer Brant, Assistant Professor in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1967722022-12-22T21:00:30Z2022-12-22T21:00:30ZIndigenous conservation funding must reflect Canada’s true debt to First Nations, Inuit and Métis<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502494/original/file-20221222-17-utjk34.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=98%2C281%2C7869%2C5013&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Protesters interrupt a speech by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — demanding that the government stop invading Indigenous land — during the opening ceremony of COP15, the UN conference on biodiversity, in Montréal, on Dec. 6, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) wrapped up in Montréal on Sunday. The ratification of the <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-30x30-conservation-goal-divides-and-inspires-at-cop15/">so-called 30x30 proposal to protect 30 per cent of the Earth’s territories by 2030 was a central focus during the 12 days of negotiations at the international summit.</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.hacfornatureandpeople.org/home">Canada is an enthusiastic supporter of the global 30x30 plan</a>, which is championed by a host of nations and international environmental NGOs like <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/magazine/magazine-articles/30x30-wyss-foundation-interview/">The Nature Conservancy</a> and the <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?329190/Forests-food-and-land-can-deliver-30-of-solutions-needed-to-tackle-climate-crisis-by-2030">World Wildlife Fund</a>. </p>
<p>However, in order to achieve its national targets, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/2022/06/25/indigenous-conservation-canadas-way-of-the-future-guilbeault-says.html">Canada is relying heavily on Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs)</a> — all under the guise of “federally-supported Indigenous-led conservation”. </p>
<p>As a Red River Métis person and a researcher on freshwater fish futures and Indigenous sovereignty, I believe that these top-down targets and public-private partnerships could do more harm than good to First Nations, Inuit and Métis here, who deserve honest and true recognition of our sovereignty across Canada.</p>
<h2>Funding with strings attached</h2>
<p>In a report titled <em><a href="https://www.icce-caec.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PA234-ICE_Report_2018_Mar_22_web.pdf">We Rise Together,</a></em> the Indigenous Circle of Experts define IPCAs as “lands and waters where Indigenous governments have the primary role in protecting and conserving ecosystems through Indigenous laws, governance and knowledge systems.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dR1EeEB2t2I?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">IPCAs are lands and waters where Indigenous governments protect and conserve ecosystems through Indigenous laws, governance and knowledge systems.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to the report, IPCAs can be governed under a spectrum of approaches ranging from one that fully affirms the sovereignty of First Nations, Inuit and Métis as sole rights-holders of a territory to so-called partnership approaches that include hybrid, crown-Indigenous or industry-Indigenous partnerships.</p>
<p>At COP15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/12/07/news/ottawa-1-billion-indigenous-led-developing-country-conservation">$800 million in funding for four Indigenous-led conservation projects over seven years</a> to signal Canada’s commitment to Indigenous-led conservation. This is in addition to <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2021/08/government-of-canada-announces-340-million-to-support-indigenous-led-conservation.html">$340 million in funding for Indigenous-led conservation announced in 2021</a>. </p>
<p>This federally sanctioned Indigenous-led conservation work — championed to help Canada meet its 30x30 targets — <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/sustainable-development/strategic-environmental-assessment/public-statements/nature-legacy-canada.html">relies heavily on partnerships between Indigenous nations, industry and environmental NGOs</a>. </p>
<h2>Behind the scenes</h2>
<p>Canada’s combined funding of $1.14 billion for Indigenous-led conservation — and its vocal support of the 30x30 plan — seems progressive, until we look at the federal government’s other investments.</p>
<p>The federal government has simultaneously invested billions in resource extractive industries in Canada, including the <a href="https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/ottawa-buys-trans-mountain-pipeline-for-4-5-billion-but-can-it-sell-it">$4.5 billion</a> spent to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2018. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1001625897106006017"}"></div></p>
<p>Internationally, $188 billion of Canada’s <a href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/maps-tools-and-publications/publications/minerals-mining-publications/canadian-mining-assets/19323">$273 billion</a> in mining assets support extensive resource extraction abroad, including mining in <a href="https://readpassage.com/canadian-mining-companies-are-devastating-the-global-south/">Indigenous lands in the Global South</a>. </p>
<p>Canada also works closely with industry to <a href="https://redpaper.yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/red-paper-report-final.pdf">criminalize Indigenous land defenders</a> who are fighting resource extractive projects across the country. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://cashback.yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Cash-Back-A-Yellowhead-Institute-Red-Paper.pdf">Cash Back report</a> published by the Yellowhead Institute, an Indigenous-led research and education centre, revealed Alberta’s $200 billion debt to the First Nations in the province. This shows that the federal and provincial debt owed to First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada far outpaces the pittance offered to support their land protection and to remunerate Indigenous land protectors. </p>
<h2>Conservation at a cost</h2>
<p>Canada’s heavy reliance on officially-supported Indigenous-led conservation to meet its targets further complicates things as these targets could <a href="https://www.mappingforrights.org/MFR-resources/mapstory/cbddrive/300_million_at_risk_from_cbd_drive">significantly impact human rights</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cHaJOuvmD94?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Maasai leaders in Tanzania fight eviction from their lands. Conservation targets can impact human rights by increasing threats of Indigenous and local dispossession and further impoverishment.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of the world’s most marginalized communities, including Indigenous and local communities in Africa and Asia, face threats of dispossession, lack of access to their rightful natural resources and further impoverishment.</p>
<p>Canada’s reliance on IPCAs to meet its 30 per cent targets, could risk aiding <a href="https://www.theelephant.info/op-eds/2022/09/16/stealthy-surreptitious-second-coming-of-western-colonialism-to-africa/#.Y59FLz0Ccic.twitter">land grabs</a> and <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/01/western-nonprofits-african-rights-land/">human rights violations</a> in the Global South. </p>
<p>On the eve of COP15, a consortium of non-governmental organizations representing Indigenous Peoples in the Global South <a href="https://assets.survivalinternational.org/documents/2409/Statement_30__EN.pdf">issued a damning plea about the 30x30 plan</a>, urging policymakers not to fetishize a quantified protected area approach. They pointed out that this would come at the cost of addressing the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss, including colonial capitalist extraction and overconsumption. </p>
<h2>Tackling the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss</h2>
<p>IPCAs in Canada are a potential antidote to the traditional fortress conservation or protected area model employed by eurocolonial parties here in the past. According to these models, biodiversity protection can be achieved only by creating protected areas where <a href="https://sesmad.dartmouth.edu/theories/85">ecosystems can function in isolation from human disturbance</a>, thus resulting in the <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/45497/indigenous-people-biodiversity-fortress-conservation-power-shift/">eviction of forest-dwelling communities and Indigenous Peoples</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1157195611634053126"}"></div></p>
<p>This being said, we must ensure that these IPCAs are not weaponized by states and environmental groups to silence the concerns about the 30x30 plan from Indigenous communities in the Global South <a href="https://www.forestpeoples.org/en/post-2020-biodiversity-targets-30-percent-misses-the-mark">who are not necessarily guaranteed the same legal protections</a> that the federally-supported Indigenous-led conservation in Canada pledges. </p>
<p>At a time when public-private partnerships are facing scathing scrutiny in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lrt-inquiry-final-report-ottawa-problems-recommendations-1.6668152">Canada</a> and <a href="https://bankwatch.org/blog/united-nations-report-highlights-risks-and-failures-of-public-private-partnerships">internationally</a>, the conservation approaches and policies offered to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities by the government also need to be scrutinized. </p>
<p>These approaches and policies should fully acknowledge the sovereignty of Indigenous communities without pressure to exchange autonomy for limited funding and partnership support.</p>
<p>Canada is built on lands and waters procured through <a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/cjpmefoundation/pages/40/attachments/original/1453675214/003_-_The_Dispossession_of_Aboriginal_Peoples_of_Canada_v.1.pdf?1453675214">dispossession and displacement of First Nations, Inuit and Métis</a>. The government must, therefore, compensate our communities for the losses incurred across every stretch of this country. </p>
<p>We deserve better than 30x30. We deserve our land back. We deserve honest and true recognition of First Nations, Inuit and Métis sovereignty across Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196772/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zoe Todd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In order to meet its 2030 biodiversity targets, Canada is heavily relying on Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, which could do more harm than good for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.Zoe Todd, Associate Professor, Department of Indigenous Studies, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1952782022-12-08T19:57:22Z2022-12-08T19:57:22ZDisenfranchising Indigenous women: The legacy of coverture in Canada<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499056/original/file-20221205-16-cple79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C40%2C5415%2C3558&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Legal principles of coverture written into the Indian Act continue to negatively impact the rights of Indigenous women.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/disenfranchising-indigenous-women--the-legacy-of-coverture-in-canada" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The recent controversy surrounding <a href="https://twitter.com/METLAkikwe/status/1581005693926375430">Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond’s claims of being Indigenous</a> has once again shone a spotlight on the issue of “<a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/infocus/pretendians-and-what-to-do-with-people-who-falsely-say-theyre-indigenous-put-infocus/">pretendians</a>” — people who have obtained privileged positions through false claims of indigeneity. </p>
<p>It also points to the way Indigenous women’s identities have been determined by men throughout most of Canada’s history. </p>
<p>In response to the CBC report that cast doubt on <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/mary-ellen-turpel-lafond-indigenous-cree-claims">Turpel-Lafond’s claims</a>, male-dominated organizations such as the <a href="https://www.ubcic.bc.ca/ubcic_stands_with_aki_kwe_dr_mary_ellen_turpel_lafond">Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs</a>, the <a href="https://ca.news.yahoo.com/sask-vice-chief-retracts-statement-001030504.html">Federation of Sovereign Indian Nations</a>, the <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewLafond/status/1580625731943428097">Saskatoon Tribal Council</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Snuneymuxw/status/1581024921261867008">Snuneymuxw First Nation</a> came out in support of Turpel-Lafond. </p>
<p>However, the response from Indigenous women has been vastly different. Many prominent Indigenous women do not support Turpel-Lafond’s claim. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498564/original/file-20221201-6191-r22ual.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is a prominent scholar and former judge. A CBC investigative report raised questions about her Cree ancestry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Women like <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/cindy-blackstock-birth-certificate-mary-ellen-turpel-lafond-1.6661752">Cindy Blackstock</a>, who has worked with the community claimed by Turpel-Lafond. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/vice-chief-retracts-statement-supported-mary-ellen-turpel-lafond-ancestry-claims-1.6663444">Vice-Chief Aly Bear</a> from the Federation of Sovereign Indian Nations retracted her support after evidence came to light. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/mary-ellen-turpel-lafond-1.6615953">Native Studies professor Kim Tallbear</a> said she no longer believes Turpel-Lafond is Indigenous. And the Indigenous Women’s Collective is calling for the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/indigenous-collective-wants-universities-revoke-turpel-lafond-honorary-degrees-1.6637426">revocation of her honorary degrees</a>. </p>
<p>To understand these differing responses we need to go back to the gender discrimination of the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-act">Indian Act</a>.</p>
<h2>What is coverture?</h2>
<p>Since its implementation in 1876, the act created a system where Indian men were the focal point for determining Indian status. The justification for placing Indigenous men in this role was the British <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/coverture">doctrine of coverture</a>.</p>
<p>Much has been said about the legal fictions that formed the foundation of colonialism, like the <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/doctrine-of-discovery-is-a-legal-fiction-but-revoking-it-wont-herald-immediate-changes-experts-say/">doctrine of discovery</a> and <a href="https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/articles/the-doctrine-of-discovery-and-terra-nullius">terra nullius</a>. However, coverture and the resulting entrenchment of patriarchy within Indigenous communities does not get as much attention.</p>
<p>With coverture, a married woman is not viewed as a separate legal entity from her husband. This doctrine, developed in England, was brought to Canada with colonization and was used to prevent women from being <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/persons-case">recognized as persons</a>, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/law-and-history-review/article/abs/married-womens-property-law-in-nineteenthcentury-canada/4DD51B94F0367BC0A2AA28F103DCC971">holding property</a>, <a href="https://www.bsbcriminallaw.com/blog/2020/04/can-my-wife-or-husband-testify-against-me-at-trial/#:%7E:text=Spouses%20could%20not%20testify%20against%20their%20partner%2C%20even,competent%20and%20compellable%20to%20testify%20against%20their%20partner.">testifying against her husband</a>, <a href="https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/women/women-win-the-vote">voting</a> or <a href="https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/snapshot-of-indian-act-denial-of-status-for-indigenous-women">passing on Indian status</a> to their spouses or children. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman wearing a white dress signing a contract." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498565/original/file-20221201-20-9hfczn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coverture was a legal doctrine in English common law which held that a married woman had no legal identity separate from her husband.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Coverture in the Indian Act</h2>
<p>While <a href="https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2808&context=ohlj">coverture ended in England in the 19th century</a>, and was gradually eroded in mainstream Canadian society, it remained embedded in the status provisions of the Indian Act. </p>
<p>When the Indian Act was first passed in 1876, <a href="https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/indian_status/">people who qualified for Indian status</a> were those who were:</p>
<ol>
<li>An Indian male. </li>
<li>Children of an Indian male.</li>
<li>A woman married to an Indian male. </li>
</ol>
<p>This meant that a European woman who married an Indian man could gain Indian status, as would any children she bore while married to him. However, an Indian woman who married a European man lost her status and she and her children were viewed as white. This change in status meant many Indigenous women were forced off reserves and away from their communities.</p>
<p>The inability of Indigenous women to keep their status after marriage only ended after decades of legal struggles by women like <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sandra-lovelace-nicholas">Sandra Lovelace Nicholas</a>, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jeannette-vivian-lavell">Jeannette Corbiere Lavell</a>, <a href="https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bedard-case">Yvonne Bedard</a> and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mcivor-case">Sharon McIvor</a>. </p>
<p>The passing of <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bill-c-31">Bill C-31 in 1985</a> enabled Indigenous women to regain their Indian status and keep it upon marriage to a non-Indigenous man. But they were still not able to pass <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mcivor-case">full status on to their children</a> the way that Indigenous men could. </p>
<p>Today, their descendants are still being <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/descheneaux-ruling-indian-act-february-1.3701080">discriminated against</a>. Unlike Indigenous men, Indigenous women have never been able to pass Indian status to their spouses.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman wearing glasses and a red scarf with long grey hair." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498584/original/file-20221201-6346-ddfaii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In 2017, Lynn Gehl, who is Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe, won a case before the Federal Court of Appeal after struggling for years to be registered under the Indian Act.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Struggle for equality</h2>
<p>While Indigenous women were fighting for equality in status under the Indian Act, advancements towards self-governance were being made with the inclusion of <a href="http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/constitution_act_1982_section_35/">Aboriginal rights in the Constitution</a>. However, male-dominated organizations such as the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/assembly-of-first-nations">National Indian Brotherhood</a>, the precursor to the Assembly of First Nations, took the lead in constitutional amendments, to the <a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1191/index.do">exclusion of Indigenous women</a>. </p>
<p>Discrimination continued through backlash and fear that Indian women who might want to return home would place strain on limited resources. Many First Nations <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/kahnawake-six-nations-membership-bill-s3-1.5264898">established criteria</a> that prevented the women and their descendants from becoming full members in their communities, entitled to the same benefits and privileges that Indigenous men and their descendants have always had. </p>
<p>This has led to disadvantage and extreme hardship, <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/">as outlined in the report</a> of the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of people wearing red and holding photos of women." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498566/original/file-20221201-24-5ca973.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People gather on Parliament Hill for the National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls on Oct. 4, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Indigenous women and their supporters have <a href="https://rabble.ca/feminism/ending-sex-discrimination-indian-act-through-61a-all-way/">proposed changes</a> to the Indian Act that would neutralize the legacy of coverture by making all Indians equal. These changes did not receive sufficient support to be implemented. There has been no national campaign to allow spouses of Indigenous people to gain status under the Indian Act. </p>
<p>These types of issues, which are central to the advancement of self-government should be decided by nations with the full participation of Indigenous women. Instead, self-governance work often progresses without addressing the history of gender discrimination.</p>
<p>Discussions about the source of Indigenous identity must take place with the full involvement of Indigenous women. The history of coverture and unresolved gender discrimination must be considered when considering false claims of indigeneity. In academia, those making the false claims <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23262696-jean-teillet-report-on-indigenous-identity-fraud">tend to be female</a>, and it is Indigenous women who they are displacing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195278/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cheryl Simon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Few Canadians know about the doctrine of coverture and how it stripped Indigenous women of their agency.Cheryl Simon, Assistant Professor in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1943242022-12-04T12:36:29Z2022-12-04T12:36:29ZIndigenous spiritual teaching in schools can foster reconciliation and inclusion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497685/original/file-20221128-14-ge8yuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C8444%2C5304&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Indigenous spiritual activities have become more common in Canadian public schools in recent years.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/indigenous-spiritual-teaching-in-schools-can-foster-reconciliation-and-inclusion" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-people-education">Indigenous education</a> has become an area of <a href="https://peopleforeducation.ca/report/what-matters-in-indigenous-education/">growing concern</a> for public schools across Canada. We are living in an era of reconciliation where <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220921/dq220921a-eng.htm">Indigenous populations are growing</a> and interest in confronting our shared histories continues to develop. Part of that involves focusing on how primary and secondary schools are addressing the Indigenous experience in Canada.</p>
<p>The way primary and secondary schools have engaged in Indigenous education has varied from province to province and across divisional jurisdictions. Some have focused <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-indigenous-school-curriculum-1.6335385">on how history and social studies can incorporate Indigenous experiences</a>. A smaller number of schools have <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2022/08/project-creates-stem-learning-experiences-for-indigenous-students.html">ventured to develop mathematics and science curricula with Indigenous foci</a>.</p>
<p>There are many different subjects that can benefit from the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives. Yet there appears to be one topic that is common across most school initiatives in Canada — that of spirituality.</p>
<h2>Indigenous spirituality in schools</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.edcan.ca/articles/bringing-spiritual-teachings-into-education/">Indigenous spiritual activities have become more common in Canadian public schools in recent years</a>. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) final report and Calls to Action highlighted the need for improved school programming. In order to understand many aspects of the Indigenous experience, understanding the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/09/12/indigenous-culture-teachings-traditions-on-curriculum-at-north-end-winnipeg-school.html">spiritual dimensions of those experiences and their associated ceremonies are necessary</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Teacher reading to school children wearing uniforms in a classroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497710/original/file-20221128-16-ahv7rd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The TRC’s final report highlighted the need to improve teaching about Indigenous Peoples in Canadian schools.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The TRC’s Calls to Action on “<a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524504501233/1557513602139">education for reconciliation</a>” were rightly understood as change that <a href="https://blog.teacherspayteachers.com/how-to-amplify-indigenous-voices-in-the-classroom/">required collaboration with Indigenous Peoples</a>. In this collaborative ethos, something emerged regardless of the discipline or subject being discussed — <a href="https://empoweringthespirit.ca/cultures-of-belonging/">the spiritual orientations of Indigenous Peoples</a>. </p>
<p>Ceremonial observances like smudging, and inclusion of Indigenous spiritual leaders and Elders, became <a href="https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/iid/elders.html">necessary components of any educational initiative in which Indigenous perspectives are prioritized</a>. The imperative here is clear: Indigenous perspectives in school curricula are best understood within the context of their respective Indigenous worldviews. </p>
<p>Say, for example, a school wanted to adjust its social studies teaching about family relationships in traditional community settings. Organizing principles espoused by Indigenous Peoples would be a necessary part of the curriculum. <a href="http://lss.yukonschools.ca/uploads/4/5/5/0/45508033/clans.pdf">Students learn about kinship systems such as clans, hereditary leadership and Elders’ roles</a>. And as they enter into these areas of experience, the spiritual elements and traditional understandings become important to consider.</p>
<h2>School-based initiatives</h2>
<p>One of the more publicized examples of Indigenous spirituality in public school programming comes from the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/anishinaabe-culture-school-minecraft-manitoba-1.5903746">Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) in Winnipeg</a>. The LRSD aimed to develop a <a href="https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/about-minecraft">Minecraft world</a> that would reflect the traditional Anishinaabe territories of Southern Manitoba for use in schools.</p>
<p>In the 2019-20 school year, the LRSD invited Indigenous students, staff and community members (including respected Elders) to confer on the development of the Minecraft world. The eventual product was <a href="https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/lessons/manito-ahbee-aki">Manito Ahbee Aki (Anishinaabemowin for “the place where the Creator sits”)</a> which allows students to explore the traditional perspectives of the territories. The product continues to be a great resource for students.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A child playing Minecraft on a computer." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497688/original/file-20221128-16-z7q4u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Schools have used games like Minecraft to teach students about Indigenous culture and spirituality.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The factual aspects of the project, such as geographical and linguistic considerations, were important. In addition, the spiritual dimensions of such things as the <a href="https://www.nwpolytech.ca/services/indigenous/sacred_teachings.html">Seven Sacred Teachings</a> and the role of Indigenous Knowledge Keepers as in-game characters were central to this development. When the final product was unveiled, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0QcDvRrKzE">it was done at a traditional feast led by local Indigenous Elders who led pipe ceremonies</a>.</p>
<p>The LRSD Minecraft example is one of <a href="https://www.canadianliving.com/life-and-relationships/family/article/new-minecraft-world-brings-sacred-teachings-to-life-for-the-new-generation">many school-based initiatives across Canada incorporating Indigenous spirituality</a>. From customs like <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kamloops-school-district-powwow-1.6467784">powwows</a> to ceremonial activities involving <a href="https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/iid/publications/pdf/smudging_guidelines.pdf">smudging</a>, Indigenous spirituality has become an important part of public schooling in much of Canada. It is seen as, among other things, an important aspect of <a href="https://www.edcan.ca/articles/truth-reconciliation-classroom/">the reconciliation journey</a>.</p>
<p>Although the progress achieved by schools has been welcomed by many, and even viewed as an organic part of school activities, this progress isn’t without its challenges.</p>
<p>Indigenous school staff and community members who have tried to initiate activities that involve Indigenous spirituality have faced push-back from school administrators, the larger community and <a href="https://www.jccf.ca/bc-public-school-smudging-case-returns-to-court/">even the laws and policies that govern school operations</a>.</p>
<p>Change is not always easy. But it is the efforts of brave advocates for Indigenous education that have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/inner-city-report-winnipeg-reconciliation-1.3892536">helped create spaces in our schools where Indigenous students may learn and grow</a> in a way that honours their identities. Our Canadian social fabric is all the better for it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194324/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frank Deer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Spirituality is a vital part of Indigenous identities. Incorporating spiritual education can create space in schools where Indigenous students can learn and grow.Frank Deer, Professor, Associate Dean, and Canada Research Chair, Faculty of Education, University of ManitobaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1910382022-09-29T16:49:14Z2022-09-29T16:49:14ZUNDRIP 15 years on: Genuine truth and reconciliation requires legislative reform<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486666/original/file-20220927-25-7mqf23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C44%2C5892%2C3772&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An Indigenous flag flies in front of Parliament during the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30, 2021. To live up to the intentions of UNDRIP, Canada must work with Indigenous communities to change harmful laws.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/undrip-15-years-on--genuine-truth-and-reconciliation-requires-legislative-reform" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>On Sept. 30 Canada marks the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html">National Day for Truth and Reconciliation</a> for the second time since the federal government made it a statutory holiday. As Canada struggles to come to terms with colonialism and its ongoing legacies, we must also talk about what needs to be done to bring about meaningful change in the future. </p>
<p>This September also marked the anniversary of the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html/">UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a>. Fifteen years ago, the UN General Assembly adopted the declaration that serves as the global minimum standard “for the survival, dignity and well-being” of all Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p>After <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2007/09/06/canada_ripped_for_opposing_un_declaration.html">initial resistance</a>, Canada is now positioned to be a <a href="https://www.declarationcoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/EMRIP-14th-sess-UN-Decl-on-Rts-of-IPs-Act-Coalition-statement-Jun-23-21-1.pdf">world leader in putting these standards into practice</a>. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, much work still needs to be done to meet the minimum standards of the UN Declaration and to live up to its <a href="https://centre.irpp.org/research-studies/unfinished-business-implementation-of-the-un-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-in-canada/">spirit and intent</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OQ3Imsz9U_U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples | Assembly of First Nations.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Canada’s Declaration Act</h2>
<p>Last year, Parliament <a href="https://www.laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/u-2.2/page-1.html">passed legislation</a> to “provide a framework for the Government of Canada’s implementation of the Declaration.” A key component of the legislation directs the government to work with Indigenous Peoples “to prepare and implement an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration.” </p>
<p>The new Declaration Act states that the action plan must include “measures to address injustices, combat prejudice and eliminate all forms of violence, racism and discrimination, including systemic racism and discrimination” as well as “measures related to monitoring, oversight, recourse or remedy.”</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reparations-to-indigenous-peoples-are-critical-after-popes-apology-for-residential-schools-187823">Reparations to Indigenous Peoples are critical after Pope's apology for residential schools</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If done right, the action plan could be a <a href="http://kukukwes.com/2021/05/28/opinion-canadian-implementation-of-the-undrip-would-benefit-all-treaty-people-in-atlantic-canada/">historic opportunity to address the human rights</a> needs of Indigenous Peoples in a concerted way and with solutions identified by Indigenous Peoples themselves. An action plan that is truly comprehensive in scope, developed in genuine partnership with Indigenous Peoples and that holds government accountable would be a momentous step forward.</p>
<h2>Urgent need for law reform</h2>
<p>Critically, however, the action plan is not the only requirement of the Declaration Act. It also requires the federal government to “<a href="https://www.laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/u-2.2/page-1.html#:%7E:text=Measures%20for%20Consistency%20of%20Laws%20and%20Achieving%20the%20Objectives%20of%20the%20Declaration">take all measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the Declaration</a>” and do so “in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples.” </p>
<p>This consistency provision of the Declaration Act is every bit as important as the action plan. But with less than a year left to meet the deadline for an action plan, there is concern that urgently needed reforms to laws, policies and regulations are being overshadowed and neglected.</p>
<p>The vast majority of Canada’s laws were written without the participation of Indigenous Peoples and with little regard for their rights. In fact, many laws, such as the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/i-5/">Indian Act</a>, were specifically designed to dispossess Indigenous Peoples, curtail their rights and criminalize their cultures and traditions. Murray Sinclair, the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and former senator, has talked about the “<a href="https://openparliament.ca/committees/canadian-heritage/42-1/75/murray-sinclair-10/">war of law</a>” that Canada has waged against Indigenous Peoples.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman holds a sign during a protest that reads: respect indigenous sovereignty" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486417/original/file-20220926-15030-wmt6uy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canadian governments have waged a ‘war of law’ against Indigenous Peoples.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Earlier this year <a href="https://justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/report-rapport/2022/p4.html">the government of Canada announced plans</a> to review a number of laws with potentially far-reaching consequences for the rights of Indigenous Peoples. This includes legislation on safe drinking water, how lands are added to First Nations reserves and the language used in a standardized clause (known as a “non-derogation clause”) meant to avoid conflict between federal law and inherent title, rights and treaties. </p>
<h2>Indigenous collaboration essential</h2>
<p>Our immediate concern is not with any of the reforms being discussed, but with the process. Even with the best intentions, poorly designed processes can easily derail legal reform. It is not clear why the federal government chose to prioritize these particular legal issues over others. There is also little clarity on the role that Indigenous Peoples will play in deciding what reforms will be proposed to Parliament.</p>
<p>Additionally, comments from departments and agencies raise serious concerns about how the government understands the consistency requirement. For example, the federal Impact Assessment Agency asserts that the Impact Assessment Act — a critical flashpoint for conflict over use of lands and territories — already aligns with the Declaration and therefore “<a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-assessment-agency/programs/participation-indigenous-peoples/implementing-united-nations-declaration-rights-indigenous-peoples.html">does not need to be changed.</a>” No indication is given about how they reached this conclusion.</p>
<p>The UN Declaration requires that governments only adopt legislative measures impacting the rights of Indigenous Peoples when free, prior and informed consent has been granted. <a href="https://quakerservice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Backgrounder-on-self-determination-and-FPIC.pdf">These are an essential requirement</a> to ensure the rights of Indigenous Peoples and prevent further human rights violations. </p>
<p>As the Declaration states, meaningful participation and consent are the minimum standards required of all governments. As we mark 15 years of the UN Declaration, the federal government must live up to its principles.</p>
<p><em>Cheryl Knockwood, Chair of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191038/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheryl Lightfoot receives funding from SSHRC
Sheryl Lightfoot and Cheryl Knockwood are active with the Canadian Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, <a href="http://www.declarationcoalition.ca">www.declarationcoalition.ca</a></span></em></p>To fully implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Canada must engage in genuine and inclusive law reform.Sheryl Lightfoot, Canada Research Chair in Global Indigenous Rights and Politics and Associate Professor in Political Science, Public Policy and Indigenous Studies, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1870042022-09-12T20:27:32Z2022-09-12T20:27:32ZThe book that changed me: Hugh Brody’s The Other Side of Eden showed what hunter-gatherer societies can teach us today<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480999/original/file-20220825-24-lkjkvb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C138%2C2355%2C1458&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Inuit hunters:</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kevin Frayer/AP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many years before I encountered Hugh Brody’s writing, I read Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1894). This was the first book I remember that significantly influenced my life. I read it many times, and still regularly re-read Kipling. The Jungle Book is a colonial version of the “wild child” story: it explores the withdrawal of human care, and acceptance into a different world of nurture and home set amongst danger, enmity and death.</p>
<p>The child raised by wolves finds himself appalled and confused by the insistent hierarchies of colonial Indian human society, instead negotiating his unique place with the non-human inhabitants of the jungle.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483113/original/file-20220907-14-9imv53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Michael Adams.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Isabella Wild.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I was born in India, and the Jungle Book rubbed shoulders on the bookshelf with worn copies of Salim Ali’s The Book of Indian Birds (1941), E.P. Gee’s Wildlife of India (1964), and Jim Corbett’s Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944) and the poetically beautiful My India (1952). </p>
<p>The wildlife guides were the factual complements to the poetry and drama of Kipling’s and Corbett’s stories. Wild societies where humans and animals share space. Journeys in the remote landscapes of colonial India. The deep knowledge and wisdom of local hunters. </p>
<p>These stories were signposts on a circuitous pathway eventually leading to a PhD in geography, investigating the relationships between Aboriginal people and conservation agencies in Australia.</p>
<p>The year I submitted that thesis, anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Hugh Brody published <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/129787.The_Other_Side_of_Eden?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ms7iKtBddD&rank=1">The Other Side of Eden, subtitled Hunters, farmers and the shaping of the world</a> (2001).</p>
<p>I was back from months of fieldwork in Cape York, living with people who, when they could, lived from the land. Brody worked for decades in Canada’s far north, documenting Inuit and Indian perceptions of their lands and the impacts of colonial relations.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480993/original/file-20220825-22-46v46k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Reading The Other Side of Eden did three things – it gave me a radical new way to understand the position and history of Indigenous peoples, and specifically hunter-gatherers, in the world today. It reminded me of the debt I have for the generosity, friendship and gifts of wisdom from my Aboriginal co-workers. And it reinforced the power of story.</p>
<p>The Other Side of Eden takes readers deep into the world of Arctic peoples. Brody uses immensely detailed ethnographic observation of hunting practice, arctic travel, language, child-rearing and many other elements of culture to demonstrate the wrongness of conventional views about such peoples. </p>
<p>Despite the massive expansion of agricultural peoples all over the world, hunter-gatherer societies have persisted, in areas considered marginal to the dominant societies. It is these hunters who are intimately tied to place, unlike the restless farmers always seeking growth as their populations increase.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-book-that-changed-me-how-h-h-finlaysons-the-red-centre-helped-me-see-country-and-what-we-have-done-to-it-177151">The book that changed me: how H.H. Finlayson’s The Red Centre helped me see country – and what we have done to it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Care and respect</h2>
<p>“All humans have been evolving for the same length of time”, writes Brody, so it is not a question of hunters being further back on some linear trajectory of development: it is a choice. Brody writes,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the hunter-gatherer mind is humanity’s most sophisticated combination of detailed knowledge and intuition.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Hunter-gatherers “oppose hierarchy and challenge the need to control both other people and the land itself”. He continues, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>the egalitarian individualism of hunter-gatherer societies, arguably their greatest achievement and their most compelling lesson for other peoples, relies on many kinds of respect.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Brody makes a strong case for the difference between respect and control: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Rather than seeking to change the world, hunter-gatherers know it. They also care for it, showing respect and caring for its wellbeing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>All these communities have rules about the treatment of animals, plants and the land itself – specific, overt rules about which animals or plants can be taken at which time and in which place and in which way. </p>
<p>These processes of respect can be interpreted functionally (for example by not disturbing an animal during the breeding period), but Brody emphasises that they are also about relationships: if people do the right things “the creatures and plants they eat will feel welcome and know they are respected”.</p>
<p>Describing a hunting companion, Brody says: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>He often travelled alone, over great distances, hunting day after day. Everything he killed he treated with care and respect. No kill was careless, nothing was wasted; everything was known, understood.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Like Brody, I was a white man from the south (<em>qallunaat</em> in his case, <em>migaloo</em> in mine), and also like Brody, I worked on land claims. While Aboriginal people shared much specific knowledge about their Country necessary for that work, they also, through metaphor, emotion and example, worked to help me understand the limitations of my worldview and the beauty and intricacy of theirs. </p>
<h2>‘Heart teachings’</h2>
<p>In my writing I did not engage with this – what I think of as “heart teachings” – for many years, instead dutifully conforming to the “objectivity” and “evidence” demanded of academics.</p>
<p>But I did engage with it in my teaching. I combined Brody’s title with the title of my thesis, and wrote a subject called Redefining Eden: Indigenous Peoples and the Environment. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482940/original/file-20220906-14-cd3fh8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Academic Vanessa Cavanagh, an Aboriginal woman with Bundjalung and Wonnarua ancestry, addresses students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this subject, Aboriginal guest lecturers described continuities of customary harvest practice and caring for Country from the deep past, as well as their experience of contemporary conservation and environmental management. More than 1,000 undergraduates completed that subject, I received numerous comments about how the subject influenced them, and my Indigenous teaching partners and I received several teaching awards.</p>
<p>Brody is a wonderful writer, and one of the great strengths of The Other Side of Eden is the skilled and poetic weaving together of field notes and personal anecdotes – lived ethnographic experience – with scholarship, and that’s what we did in our teaching.</p>
<p>Many Aboriginal co-teachers shared stories of their lives, giving a window into a world few are privileged enough to experience. Those stories grounded and made real the theoretical material we investigated.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-this-grandmother-tree-connects-me-to-country-i-cried-when-i-saw-her-burned-129782">Friday essay: this grandmother tree connects me to Country. I cried when I saw her burned</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Most hunter-gatherer societies have experienced catastrophic, world-ending impacts from colonial oppressors, and have persisted through those changes. As broader society recognises and begins to face new forms of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/04/ipcc-report-now-or-never-if-world-stave-off-climate-disaster">world-ending</a>, what are the lessons from Indigenous and hunting societies?</p>
<p>There are clues in Brody’s work: “The hunter-gatherer seeks a relationship with all parts of the world that will be in both personal and material balance”, and </p>
<blockquote>
<p>the balance of need with resources; the reliance on a blend of the dreamer’s intuition with the naturalist’s love of detailed knowledge; and the commitment to respectful relationships between people [and others].</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Brody also acknowledges that “we” can’t just take these lessons (like we took everything else) – it is about making space for Indigenous lives and territories, making restitution for ongoing colonial impacts.</p>
<p>Like Edward Said’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Orientalism&qid=">Orientalism</a> (1978) and Linda Tuhiwai-Smith’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/225063.Decolonizing_Methodologies?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=adEl5CJEIt&rank=1">Decolonising Methodologies</a> (1999), The Other Side of Eden is paradigm-shifting.</p>
<p>Brody argues for a more balanced view of humanity. Hunting peoples do not seek to change their worlds to the extent that farmers do; they seek ways to make Country productive for all its inhabitants, human and otherwise. </p>
<p>All over the world, the territories of Indigenous peoples continue to map onto the regions of richest and most persistent biodiversity and intact ecosystems. That is not a coincidence, and Brody gives readers the tools to understand why.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187004/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Adams is Honorary Principal Fellow in Human Geography at the University of Wollongong. He has received funding from several sources for research on Indigenous environmental relationships.</span></em></p>All over the world, the territories of Indigenous peoples map onto regions of the richest and most persistent biodiversity. A book about hunter-gatherer Arctic peoples shows why.Michael Adams, Honorary Principal Fellow, Human Geography, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1875862022-08-25T16:44:44Z2022-08-25T16:44:44ZRecognizing the transformational potential of Indigenous-led conservation economies<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480379/original/file-20220822-77356-dslylr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C0%2C1495%2C1003&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Indigenous-led conservation economies have immense reconciliatory potential and need to be respectfully supported and engaged.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Sergey Pesterev/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the last decade, Canada has seen an increase in the number of initiatives to <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/conservation/sustainability/circular-economy/circular-economy-initiatives.html">green or circularize the economy</a> through sustainable development, as well as those that support and enhance <a href="https://www.ilinationhood.ca/">Indigenous environmental leadership</a>. </p>
<p>Both projects are desperately needed given our rapid progress towards <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/30/capitalism-is-killing-the-planet-its-time-to-stop-buying-into-our-own-destruction">capitalist-driven climate catastrophe</a>. Although there is interest in creating new economic systems, Canada is failing to recognize the transformational potential of Indigenous-led conservation economies. </p>
<p>These economies have immense reconciliatory potential and need to be respectfully supported and engaged with in order to create new shared and equitable economic systems.</p>
<p>Environmental management is not just ecological. All social and economic drivers require respect for earth, water and animals in order to halt degradation and enhance environmental and human health. </p>
<h2>Canada’s commitments</h2>
<p>In September 2015, Canada along with every other United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/agenda-2030.html">Agenda for Sustainable Development</a>. Seventeen action categories were identified with the purpose of “leaving no one behind” and with the goal of bringing everyone in Canada up to a level of economic stability connected to overall environmental health. </p>
<p>In November 2021, <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2021/11/the-government-of-canada-increases-nature-protection-ambition-to-address-dual-crises-of-biodiversity-loss-and-climate-change.html">Canada then established a target</a> to protect 30 per cent of the country’s lands and oceans by 2030. </p>
<p>Alongside this announcement was a recognition of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA). They have been dubbed “<a href="https://iccaconsortium.org">territories of life</a>” functioning as ecosystem networks in traditional territories. They are Indigenous-led and represent a long-term commitment to conservation that elevates Indigenous rights and responsibilities. </p>
<p>These IPCAs have also become generative sites for Indigenous economies, with the potential to influence real change in economic development practices.</p>
<p>The processes and activities which contribute to Indigenous-led conservation can be referred to as environmental stewardship practices. Indigenous people generally take a holistic approach <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/pc/R62-548-2018-eng.pdf">to the stewardship and management of their territories</a> which has resulted in harmony with the land and sustained biodiversity conservation. </p>
<p>Understanding how stewardship produces values beyond monetary ones, can create vital learning opportunities for alternatives to conventional development. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A lake is layered in mist with a mountain in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480399/original/file-20220822-77356-s8s0s6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480399/original/file-20220822-77356-s8s0s6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480399/original/file-20220822-77356-s8s0s6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480399/original/file-20220822-77356-s8s0s6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480399/original/file-20220822-77356-s8s0s6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480399/original/file-20220822-77356-s8s0s6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480399/original/file-20220822-77356-s8s0s6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A photo of Kluane Lake in Yukon.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alenka Skvarc/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>New enterprises and environmental management</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ilinationhood.ca/guardians">Guardians</a> and <a href="https://coastalfirstnations.ca/our-stewardship/coastal-guardian-watchmen/">Watchmen</a> enterprises are two forms of Indigenous environmental stewardship. In both cases, cultural values are respected and utilized to create new enterprises and environmental management systems. </p>
<p>In Kitasoo Xai’Xais on the central coast in British Colombia, community leadership has created a robust tourism program through the <a href="https://spiritbear.com/">Spirit Bear Lodge</a> and <a href="https://coastalfirstnations.ca/our-stewardship/coastal-stewardship-network/">Coastal Stewardship Network</a>. There, community members are employed to steward their traditional territories, becoming guides for tourists and sharing their knowledge and experiences within their unique coastal region. </p>
<p>These reciprocal economies are not based on the creation of private wealth. First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities across Turtle Island are pursuing sustainable development by <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/1-megawatt-solar-farm-coming-inuvik-1.6552147">investing in clean energy transitions</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03060-x">working as scientists to support ecosystem research</a>, <a href="https://conservation-reconciliation.ca/">creating regional conservation partnerships</a> and <a href="https://redpaper.yellowheadinstitute.org/">advocating for our shared habitats</a> through collective movements.</p>
<h2>Diversifying our understanding of economies</h2>
<p>Amidst louder calls for Indigenous Peoples’ <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/i6190e/i6190e.pdf">free, prior and informed consent</a> — which means Indigenous people need to give or withhold consent to a project that may affect them or their territories — on land-intensive development proposals, decolonial movements <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-the-land-back-movement">like #LandBack</a> and various projects to diversify our understanding of economies have taken root.</p>
<p>A recent article by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12534">geographers Lindsay Naylor and Nathan Thayer</a> investigates how power operates when considering decolonial and anti-racist solutions as a necessary evolution of diversifying our economies. </p>
<p>In the article they explore how the <a href="http://www.communitypartnering.info/diverse25.html">diverse economies framework</a> “neglects the theft and occupation of land that unfolded over the previous centuries of colonialism, which fundamentally changed people’s relationships to the land.” </p>
<p>In settler-led economic development systems, conservation is considered an external feature to be managed by capital investment projects and philanthropic activities. They propose flipping the script and paying close attention to the voices and actions of Indigenous Peoples who can offer some much-needed guidance. </p>
<p>The authors of a recently published Yellowhead Institute paper, <a href="https://cashback.yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Cash-Back-A-Yellowhead-Institute-Red-Paper.pdf"><em>Cash Back</em></a>, write:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The multiplicity of Indigenous economies is not a future prospect: it is already here … At their core, what makes them Indigenous economies is that they do not exploit that which they depend upon to live, including people. And they protect a world that is not prepared to value people’s time, homelands and harvests solely in cash.”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Small houses line a waters edge." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480420/original/file-20220822-76732-za6ht2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480420/original/file-20220822-76732-za6ht2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480420/original/file-20220822-76732-za6ht2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480420/original/file-20220822-76732-za6ht2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480420/original/file-20220822-76732-za6ht2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480420/original/file-20220822-76732-za6ht2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480420/original/file-20220822-76732-za6ht2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A hunting and fishing camp in Deception Bay, Nunavik.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Damon On Road)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Moving forward</h2>
<p>New conservation-based economic developments in the <a href="https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/about-notre-sujet/blue-economy-economie-bleue/engagement-paper-document-mobilisation/heard-entendu-eng.html">blue economy</a>, the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/project-finance-for-permanence-key-outcomes-and-lessons-learned">project finance for permanence</a> — which gives permanent and full funding to conservation areas — and <a href="https://caroliniancanada.ca/cib">regional conservation finance actions</a> are excellent examples of how Indigenous knowledge and voices are beginning to influence the way national development policies are informed. </p>
<p>These plans and programs involve diverse perspectives on how to pursue economic development which can be thought of as “parallel rows,” knowledge systems stemming from distinct settler and Indigenous knowledge systems. </p>
<p>This parallel row idea comes from the <a href="https://humanrights.ca/story/peace-friendship-and-respect">Two Row Wampum treaty</a> which represents the peaceful and respectful coexistence of two distinct nations. </p>
<p>The brilliance of this term lies in its ability to propose a joint system where both Indigenous and settler perspectives are self-directed and complementary in collaboration without having to be integrated together. A resurgence of Indigenous autonomy and culture is a key feature of this strategy. </p>
<p>We may all learn from Indigenous Peoples’ continuous collective efforts to shift away from settler-based models of accumulation and toward maintaining and developing healthy economies of abundance.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187586/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ryan Planche receives funding from a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship and the Smart Prosperity Institute.</span></em></p>Indigenous-led conservation economies have immense reconciliatory potential and need to be respectfully supported and engaged in order to create a new shared and equitable economic system.Ryan Planche, PhD Student, Geography, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1882772022-08-17T17:17:45Z2022-08-17T17:17:45ZWhat the declining caribou populations — and total hunting ban — mean for Inuit communities in Labrador<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479701/original/file-20220817-13-ls4gr0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C2%2C1345%2C663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">George River Caribou outside of Nain, Nunatsiavut, Labrador.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(David Borish)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/what-the-declining-caribou-populations-—-and-total-hunting-ban-—-mean-for-inuit-communities-in-labrador" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Inuit in the Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut regions of Labrador have shared a deep and enduring connection with caribou for many generations. But more recently — in the wake of dramatic caribou population declines — the communities who depend on them are being faced with a variety of cultural, emotional and health challenges. </p>
<p>Between the 1950s and ‘90s, the population of the <a href="https://www.northerncaribou.ca/herds/eastern-migratory/george-river/">George River Caribou Herd</a> grew from about <a href="https://www.mqup.ca/return-of-caribou-to-ungava--the-products-9780773532335.php">15,000 to around 800,000</a>. However, between the 1990s and 2010s, this same herd declined by more than <a href="https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2018/flr/0921n03/">99 per cent</a>. </p>
<p>Like <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/74870">many communities</a> across the circumpolar North, Inuit have lived through previous caribou population cycles, but the exact causes for the recent declines in Labrador are not fully understood. </p>
<p>In response to these sharp declines, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador enacted a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OZ_KHfmeoo">total hunting ban</a> on caribou in 2013, which remains in place today. Indigenous communities in Labrador have not been legally allowed to hunt caribou for almost a decade.</p>
<p>In order to preserve the relationships between Inuit and caribou, a multi-year documentary film and research initiative began to gather the knowledge of people throughout Labrador. It’s called <a href="https://www.inuitvoicesherd.com/"><em>HERD: Inuit Voices on Caribou</em></a> (or the HERD project). </p>
<p>This Inuit-led project brings together <a href="https://www.inuitvoicesherd.com/about">representatives</a> from the Nunatsiavut Government, the NunatuKavut Community Council, the Torngat Wildlife Plants and Fisheries Secretariat, Inuit community members and university-based researchers across Canada.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v9hPKZrHJIU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for <em>HERD: Inuit Voices on Caribou</em>.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The HERD project</h2>
<p>Between 2016 and 2022, we filmed over 80 Inuit from across 11 distinct communities in Labrador — hearing from a diversity of genders, identities, ages and connections to caribou. Through this work we produced several documentary films, one of which is available to view on <a href="https://gem.cbc.ca/media/absolutely-canadian/s22e22?cmp=sch-herd">CBC Gem</a>. </p>
<p>The film is a portrait of the interconnections that exist between Inuit and caribou, a glimpse of the loss felt by communities and a testament of cultural endurance in the context of ecological uncertainty. </p>
<p>As co-creation experts, health-researchers and filmmakers who have worked intimately on this initiative, we have been privileged to hear Inuit stories on caribou and want to ensure their experiences are recognized, and their voices HERD. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man on a skidoo" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477756/original/file-20220804-22-oy8wwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477756/original/file-20220804-22-oy8wwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477756/original/file-20220804-22-oy8wwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477756/original/file-20220804-22-oy8wwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477756/original/file-20220804-22-oy8wwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477756/original/file-20220804-22-oy8wwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477756/original/file-20220804-22-oy8wwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Torsten Jacque of Postville, Nunatsiavut.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(David Borish)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Caribou were a vital source of food, and were eaten by many people on a weekly or even daily basis. “The best meat in the world,” said Patrick Davis from Cartwright, NunatuKavut, a sentiment shared by many across Labrador.</p>
<p>But caribou are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102268">much more than just a food source</a>: “It’s almost like the caribou was the reason, and everything else happened after,” described Joey Angnatok from Nain, Nunatsiavut. These animals connect people to their communities, to the land, and to each other through collective experiences, where place-based knowledge and age-old practices are learned and shared. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Caribou ranges in Labrador" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477750/original/file-20220804-5530-qadce3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Caribou ranges and communities that took part in the HERD project.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shawn Rivoire)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A hunting ban with unintended consequences</h2>
<p>The caribou population declines, in combination with the total hunting ban, are resulting in major challenges for Inuit across Labrador. </p>
<p>Inuit described how the lack of interactions with caribou have been affecting the ways they see themselves on a personal and community level. “We’re just going to lose who we are as a culture and as a people,” Ocean Lane from Makkovik, Nunatsiavut, explained. </p>
<p>These disruptions to culture and identity have led to complex <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/753060/figure/fig01">emotional responses</a>, including strong feelings of sadness, distress, anxiety, fear, frustration, pain and an overall lack of morale. “It just tears me down to think that we don’t even know how long we’re gonna have to wait to get to harvest another caribou,” said Woodrow Lethbridge from Cartwright, NunatuKavut. </p>
<p>And, crucially, Inuit expressed sadness that cultural knowledge and practices were not being passed down to younger generations. “We’re losing language. We’re losing traditional ways, and the loss of a food, a cultural food, is just as high of an importance as language, as craft and art,” said Judy Voisey from Happy Valley-Goose Bay. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An Inuit woman with her daughter." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477751/original/file-20220804-16-8y51b4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Andrea Andersen and her daughter in Makkovik, Nunatsiavut.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(David Borish)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The future of Inuit-caribou relations</h2>
<p>The stories and experiences that were shared through the HERD project emphasize how caribou conservation is not only an ecological process, but is fundamentally connected to culture, mental health, food security and other dimensions of Inuit well-being. The lack of Inuit-caribou interactions poses a major challenge for preserving cultural knowledge and practices. </p>
<p>To support both the health of the herds and communities who rely on them, future caribou-related policies must respect Inuit connections and values. Inuit have already been leading innovative initiatives to maintain cultural skills and knowledge related to caribou, including the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TorngatSecretariat/videos/646303146820741">Tuttusiugiannik</a> project that facilitates youth and Elders to going out on the land and learning about caribou together. </p>
<p>Additional support for Inuit and other <a href="https://nunatukavut.ca/site/uploads/2019/05/upcart-strategy-2017-11-07-eng-signed-sm.pdf">Indigenous-led strategies</a> for conservation and community well-being must be prioritized. </p>
<p>To learn more about Inuit experiences with caribou declines, visit the <a href="https://www.inuitvoicesherd.com/">HERD website</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188277/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Borish works for the Labrador Campus of Memorial University and the Torngat Wildlife Plants and Fisheries Secretariat. He received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ashlee Cunsolo receives funding from CIHR, SSHRC, and ArcticNet.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Inez Shiwak receives funding from the Torngat Wildlife, Plants and Fisheries Secretariat. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Snook receives funding from the Torngat Wildlife, Plants, and Fisheries Secretariat and ECCC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sherilee Harper receives research grant funds from CIHR, SSHRC, and ArcticNet.</span></em></p>Support for Inuit and other Indigenous-led strategies for conservation and community well-being must be prioritized.David Borish, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Memorial University of NewfoundlandAshlee Cunsolo, Founding Dean, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Labrador Campus, Memorial University of NewfoundlandInez Shiwak, Community Research PartnerJamie Snook, Adjunct Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie UniversitySherilee Harper, Canada Research Chair in Climate Change and Health, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1851062022-08-04T19:13:13Z2022-08-04T19:13:13ZLibraries in the U.S. and Canada are changing how they refer to Indigenous Peoples<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476754/original/file-20220729-13615-c92z10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C134%2C6000%2C3781&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Changes to search terms, through guidance from Indigenous communities and library experts, can align systems with everyday language, but can't invalidate the terms people use to refer to themselves.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The two largest agencies responsible for the language we use to discover books in libraries in North America — the Library of Congress in the United States, and Library and Archives Canada — are changing how they refer to Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p>Recently, <a href="https://connect.ala.org/core/discussion/sac-2022-annual-meeting-lc-ptcp-report">the Library of Congress announced</a> that by September 2022 a project would be underway to revise terms that refer to Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/transparency/briefing/2019-transition-material/Pages/ph-canadian-subject-headings-indigenous-peoples.aspx">Beginning in 2019</a>, Library and Archives Canada made changes within Canadian subject headings, starting with replacing outdated terminology with “Indigenous peoples” and “First Nations,” and adding terms that specify Métis and other specific nations and peoples. </p>
<p>It is important to acknowledge what these library changes can and cannot do, and the need for consultation with and guidance from Indigenous communities and Indigenous library workers. This is a departure from business as usual for maintaining these systems. </p>
<h2>Library indexing</h2>
<p>Both Library of Congress and Library and Archives Canada manage the term lists used in public and academic libraries throughout both countries. </p>
<p>When a book is published, library workers use lists of approved terms to indicate the subject or topic of the book. These terms determine how the book can be found in a library search and may even be printed on the copyright page of the book itself. The catalogue record then gets copied to each library that holds a copy of the book.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/libraries-can-have-3-d-printers-but-they-are-still-about-books-120728">Libraries can have 3-D printers but they are still about books</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Outdated terminology such as “Indians of North America” has remained in these term lists despite changing use in society and no longer matches the language used in the books themselves. The management of these terms lists last made international news when politicians interfered in a change from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-bias-hiding-in-your-library-111951">“illegal aliens” to “undocumented immigrants</a>.”</p>
<h2>Revisions to systems</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A poster is seen on a door of a man that says READ." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476761/original/file-20220729-13352-1i30jd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Older language to refer to Indigenous Peoples is being updated by libraries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(htomren/Flickr)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The heading “Indians of North America” has been part of these lists since the Library of Congress Subject Headings were first standardized and shared with libraries <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Library-of-Congress">more than a century ago</a>. </p>
<p>Library researchers and librarians hope revisions to existing systems will reduce some of the friction of using the library for Indigenous and decolonizing research.
This friction relates both to materials being categorized strangely, and how the use of older terms like “Indians of North America” could negatively affect some members of Indigenous communities, even while there <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1185964">are a diversity of views that exist in Indigenous communities about identity labels</a>. </p>
<h2>1,000 terms under review</h2>
<p>Since 2015, the Manitoba Archival Information Network has <a href="https://main.lib.umanitoba.ca/indigenous-subject-headings">shared a list of more than 1,000 terms relating to Indigenous Peoples</a> with suggestions for more accurate and respectful language. Many of the recommended changes use the term “Indigenous peoples,” which exists in the term lists already. </p>
<p>Right now, adding a geographic term to the end, as in “Indigenous peoples — Asia” is a permitted heading, except in the case of the Americas. At present, terms like “Indigenous peoples — United States” and “First Nations (North America)” redirect to <a href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85065184.html">“Indians of North America</a>.” </p>
<p>The same is the case for terms that redirect to <a href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85065540.html">“Indians of South America.”</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.marc21.ca/CSH/index-e.html">Library and Archives Canada continues to roll out changes</a> like a shift from “Canadian poetry (English)–Inuit authors” to “Inuit poetry (English).”</p>
<h2>Indigenous knowledge organization</h2>
<p>Beyond revamping misleading terminology, library science scholars and Indigenous knowledge holders (like <a href="https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/46601">Sandy Littletree, with colleagues</a>) are examining how to advance Indigenous knowledge organization <a href="https://twitter.com/sljournal/status/1504856430825910273">practices in library systems</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://hdl.handle.net/2429/81795">Research conducted by my team of librarians and students</a> shows that authors prefer their books to be labelled in Indigenous-centered approaches or reconciliation approaches. For example, <a href="https://xwi7xwa.library.ubc.ca/collections/indigenous-knowledge-organization/">Xwi7xwa Library</a>
is a branch of University of British Columbia’s academic library entirely dedicated to Indigenous materials. Indexing is adapted from a system developed by Kahnawake librarian Brian Deer in the ‘70s for the National Indian Brotherhood, now the Assembly of First Nations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A row of books with Indigenous and related themes on a shelf is seen with their indexing numbers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476759/original/file-20220729-18-jfj12d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476759/original/file-20220729-18-jfj12d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476759/original/file-20220729-18-jfj12d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476759/original/file-20220729-18-jfj12d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476759/original/file-20220729-18-jfj12d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476759/original/file-20220729-18-jfj12d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476759/original/file-20220729-18-jfj12d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Books seen in the Xwi7xwa Library.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(htomren/Flickr)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The the Greater Victoria Public Library has introduced locally <a href="https://govinfoday.ca/index.php/dcid/dcid2019/paper/viewFile/45/29">developed interim Indigenous subject headings</a> that use more current terminology.</p>
<h2>Interviews with authors</h2>
<p>Over the past two years, <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82196">my team and I interviewed</a> 38 authors whose books were labelled in libraries with terms like “Indians of North America.” </p>
<p>Those authors told us these terms didn’t match the language in their books, nor what is acceptable in their professional communities. They shared how these terms created difficulty in findings works by or about Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p>They explained how people using library search functions would have to use terms they disagreed with and wouldn’t use in their classes and writing. Ambiguous terms like “Indian cooking” and “Indian activism” create confusion as to whether an item pertains to Indigenous Peoples in North America or India.</p>
<p>As authors in our study suggested, the continued use of these terms imposes a colonial worldview on books that are often resisting, challenging or exposing the harms of colonialism.</p>
<h2>Slow to change</h2>
<p>Library systems tend to be slow to change because they prioritize consistency. Yet the Canadian and American systems undergo constant revision to add new terms and, less often, to replace old terms. </p>
<p>Since there are more than 1,000 terms relating to Indigenous Peoples in library lists, revisions to this topic will be monumental. <a href="https://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/saco/cpsoed/cpsoeditorial.html">In a typical month</a>, around 200 new headings are added to the Library of Congress Subject Headings, across all topics. </p>
<p>Terminology for Indigenous Peoples from this continent varies as communities themselves are numerous and diverse. At the same time, terms like “Indians” <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-act">persist in law in Canada</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indian-Reorganization-Act">the United States</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People seen on chairs in front of a teepee and Parliament Hill." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476763/original/file-20220729-15-7m69ws.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476763/original/file-20220729-15-7m69ws.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476763/original/file-20220729-15-7m69ws.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476763/original/file-20220729-15-7m69ws.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476763/original/file-20220729-15-7m69ws.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476763/original/file-20220729-15-7m69ws.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476763/original/file-20220729-15-7m69ws.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People seen in August 2021 on Parliament Hill were part of a protest calling for changes to the ‘Indian Act’ in Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Colonial borders</h2>
<p>Changes of these terms, through consultation with and guidance from Indigenous communities and Indigenous library workers, can bring our library systems into alignment with <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-covid-19-is-changing-the-english-language-146171">language used in common conversation</a> and academic research. </p>
<p>They cannot invalidate the terms that people use to refer to themselves. A library term list is for shared, government-supported systems to enable discovery and access and does not determine self-expression. </p>
<p>Even in that context, changing terms for Indigenous Peoples is unlikely to change the awkwardness of how these lists currently use Canadian and American colonial borders. For the time being, works about Coast Salish botany or art, for example, may still end up labelled redundantly with “Indigenous peoples — British Columbia” and “Indigenous peoples — Washington (State).”</p>
<p>Continued research will be needed as libraries consider how to update their practices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185106/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julia Bullard receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>Beyond revamping misleading terminology, some library science scholars and Indigenous knowledge holders are looking at how to index library materials in ways that reflect Indigenous knowledge.Julia Bullard, Assistant Professor in Information Studies, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1797382022-06-28T14:26:15Z2022-06-28T14:26:15ZIndigenous-led supportive housing can be transformative<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467562/original/file-20220607-15990-d56ztz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C0%2C2021%2C1526&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mural by Beau Dick for British Columbia's first Culturally Supportive House. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Look to any urban centre in Canada and you will find First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) peoples disproportionately experiencing homelessness. </p>
<p>FNMI people make up an alarming <a href="https://endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca/wp-content/uploads/202111-Interim-Street-Census-Report.pdf">66 per cent of the homeless population in Winnipeg</a>, <a href="https://www.vancitycommunityfoundation.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/HC2020_FinalReport.pdf">33 per cent in Vancouver and Victoria</a> and <a href="https://ccmp-mpcc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Montreal_Homelessness_2020_EN-2.pdf">16 per cent in Montreal</a> and <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f2342b2a374436dd8ee5dac/t/5f5fa0afb07e2e4a56cd062a/1600102688535/Copy+of+Final+Report_YYM.pdf">Toronto</a>.</p>
<p>This pervasive trend is symptomatic of Canada’s intensifying housing crisis, coupled with the insidious impacts of <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-in-the-past-colonialism-is-rooted-in-the-present-157395">past and present colonial policies</a>. There is also a lack of housing models that take into consideration FNMI cultural knowledge and the voices of FNMI people. </p>
<p>Looking to and learning from existing Indigenous-led and community-informed models may bring us one step closer to addressing this disparity. </p>
<h2>Shifting the Focus</h2>
<p>Current conversations around FNMI homelessness are dominated by pathways into homelessness, with minimal focus on pathways out — although these pathways do exist.</p>
<p>One example of an FNMI-led solution comes from the ancestral homelands of Coast Salish, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Kwakwaka'wakw Nations (known today as Vancouver Island).</p>
<p>In 2020, the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) opened British Columbia’s first Culturally Supportive Housing, which operates according to its <a href="https://housingresearch.ubc.ca/indigenizing-supportive-housing-dual-model-housing-care">Dual Model of Housing Care (DMHC)</a>. </p>
<p>In collaboration with the ACEH, one of the authors (Lauren Brown) undertook a comparative analysis that revealed how the DMHC is distinct from existing models. Her analysis showed that the DMHC goes beyond housing provision by providing pathways to healing that are deeply rooted in culture, land-based programming and family reunification. </p>
<p>Stories shared by the ACEH staff and FNMI Street Family (unhoused people) in Victoria revealed the value of the DMHC and the opportunities for scaling it. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A graph explaining the dual model of housing care" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467575/original/file-20220607-22-t90o7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467575/original/file-20220607-22-t90o7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467575/original/file-20220607-22-t90o7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467575/original/file-20220607-22-t90o7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467575/original/file-20220607-22-t90o7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467575/original/file-20220607-22-t90o7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467575/original/file-20220607-22-t90o7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The DMHC goes beyond traditional supportive housing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The DMHC’s two pillars — Culturally Supportive Housing and Decolonized Harm Reduction — have introduced a comprehensive way to directly address some of the barriers FNMI people face when accessing provincial housing. These include <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/">systemic discrimination and racism</a>; <a href="https://acehsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Vision-for-Our-Future-sessions-2016-comp.pdf">inflexibility of program policies; accessibility</a> and <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Housing/IndigenousPeoples/CSO/NWAC_Housing_Engagement_Final_Report_April_2019.pdf">the staff’s lack of cultural awareness and training</a>. </p>
<p>Culturally Supportive Housing offers Elder support, access to medicine keepers, ceremony, language, Indigenous medicine gardens, traditional foods and cultural activities, with love and no judgement. Decolonized Harm Reduction complements this programming with land-based camps, a family reunification program and an Indigenous alcohol harm reduction program — an Indigenized detox program is set to launch in late 2022. </p>
<p>Through these programs, pathways to healing and recovery have been attained for previously unhoused FNMI people.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="a man and a woman sit on a couch smiling at one another" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467304/original/file-20220606-15990-z1so8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467304/original/file-20220606-15990-z1so8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467304/original/file-20220606-15990-z1so8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467304/original/file-20220606-15990-z1so8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467304/original/file-20220606-15990-z1so8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467304/original/file-20220606-15990-z1so8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467304/original/file-20220606-15990-z1so8l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Elder Gloria Roze sharing her unconditional love and support.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Jack’s Transformation</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="a man stands by the water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467561/original/file-20220607-40960-et6p7r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467561/original/file-20220607-40960-et6p7r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467561/original/file-20220607-40960-et6p7r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467561/original/file-20220607-40960-et6p7r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467561/original/file-20220607-40960-et6p7r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467561/original/file-20220607-40960-et6p7r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467561/original/file-20220607-40960-et6p7r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jack, formerly unhoused for over 30 years, strengthening his spirit at a land-based healing camp.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Early in its development the ACEH met Jack, a First Nations man who had been experiencing homelessness in B.C. for more than 30 years. In 2020, Jack entered the ACEH’s Culturally Supportive Housing. </p>
<p>He shared with us that before coming to the ACEH: “I forgot who I was as a Native person … I’m a street person, I’m a bum, right?” His reflection revealed the influential relationship between cultural (dis)connection, self-identity and housing.</p>
<p>Once in Culturally Supportive Housing, Jack built a connection with Elder Gloria Roze, took up his artistic practice and stewarded a garden — he no longer felt the constant need to do whatever he could to get by. These survival-driven ways of thinking were soon replaced by healing thoughts and feeling at home.</p>
<p>Jack’s pivotal moment of clarity and transformation came at a land-based camp. It was in this healing environment — outside the confines of the city — where he received a sign to pursue treatment. It has now been two years and with support from ACEH, Jack has been living in independent housing ever since. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cqtXGDB2rZU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This video highlights the ACEH’s Culturally Supportive Housing model and Decolonized Harm Reduction practice.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Bringing FNMI people home</h2>
<p>For others like Jack across urban centres in Canada, Indigenous-led local adaptations of the DMHC can help open a pathway to healing and recovery — one that instils pride, purpose and belonging. And creating this pathway has become a matter of urgency. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1541187352297/1541187392851">FNMI children making up 52.2 per cent of those in foster care</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44567-6">rising incarceration rates among FNMI people</a> and existing barriers to housing, many will continue to be left without somewhere to live and thrive. </p>
<p>Scaling the DMHC model begins with accounting for <a href="https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/respecting-the-cultural-diversity-of-indigenous-peoples">FNMI diversity</a>. For each Indigenous community and organization, adaptation must consider local protocol, practice and social systems, it must honour the voices of FNMI Street Family and strengthen relations with those on whose territory the project will operate. It also involves addressing the federal funding shortfall for Indigenous housing providers so they can plan and build capacity and solutions.</p>
<p>The introduction of the DMHC has set healing in motion for FNMI people on Vancouver Island. Let Jack’s story be a source of inspiration and reminder that scaling this model is a worthwhile pursuit. And one so urgently needed.</p>
<p><em>Additional co-authors include Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society staff and leadership: Jack Henderson, Coreen Child, Gloria Roze, Monique Huber, Katie Dekker, Brielyn Ramsey, Wade Hunt, Nikki Wilkinson and Filip-Metro Anchidim Ani.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179738/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lauren Brown is a Ph.D. candidate in Community and Regional Planning at UBC and holds a Graduate Research Assistant position with the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society (ACEH). This research was funded by the CMHC-SSHRC funded Balanced Supply of Housing Node based at UBC’s Housing Research Collaborative. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi works for the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) Society.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julia O'Quinn works for the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) Society.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness opened British Columbia’s first culturally supportive housing on Vancouver island — a model that can be replicated across Canada.Lauren Brown, PhD Candidate in Community and Regional Planning, University of British ColumbiaAboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness, Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, Executive Director, Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness SocietyJulia O'Quinn, Equity Programming and Research Manager, Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness SocietyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1850932022-06-15T21:03:47Z2022-06-15T21:03:47ZBuilding bridges between scientific and Indigenous knowledge<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469006/original/file-20220615-15-du1m1k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C8%2C2991%2C1886&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Men participate in a demonstration of rope making for dog teams, May 12, 2022, in Inukjuak, Que. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Editor’s note: This story is part of a series that includes live interviews with some of Canada’s top social sciences and humanities academics. It is co-sponsored by The Conversation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Check back later for the video recording of the interview.</em></p>
<p>More than 20 years ago, I participated in the founding of the <a href="https://reseaudialog.ca">Indigenous Peoples’ Research and Knowledge Network (DIALOG)</a>. Its mandate is to develop an ethical, constructive and sustainable dialogue between the academic world and the Indigenous world.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/results-resultats/prizes-prix/2021/connection_levesque-eng.aspx?wbdisable=true">This year the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) awarded us the Connection 2021 Award</a> on behalf of the network’s management team, recognizing the importance of DIALOG’s mission and its major contribution to reconciliation between Québec/Canadian society and Indigenous societies.</p>
<p>As a forum for sharing, meeting and learning, DIALOG connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic researchers, knowledge keepers, leaders, Indigenous intellectuals and students who are engaged in updating and renewing scientific and Indigenous research practices and knowledge.</p>
<p>The secret of DIALOG is that we did not try to bring Indigenous people to the university. We went to see them, in their homes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A hand holding a flower of a plant" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468787/original/file-20220614-24-r12wce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468787/original/file-20220614-24-r12wce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468787/original/file-20220614-24-r12wce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468787/original/file-20220614-24-r12wce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468787/original/file-20220614-24-r12wce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468787/original/file-20220614-24-r12wce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468787/original/file-20220614-24-r12wce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Naskapi community of Kawawachikamach.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(DIALOG)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Renewing relationships</h2>
<p>DIALOG is characterized by its broad understanding of the driving role of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.03.011">co-construction in advancing and mobilizing knowledge</a>. Its mode of operation is centred on openness to multiple forms of knowledge, and its existence is rooted in long-term work and international outreach.</p>
<p>DIALOG’s mission has always been to renew the relationship between the university and the Indigenous world. It puts justice at the heart of its actions, as well as a desire to contribute to improving the living conditions of Indigenous people and the recognition of their rights, including the right to self-determination. The relationship between the university and the Indigenous people has for too long been one-sided, related exclusively to knowledge, and bringing about few benefits to Indigenous communities.</p>
<p>By building this space of reconciliation in which Indigenous voices, languages and knowledge can be expressed in their own way, DIALOG has recognized the existence and foundations of Indigenous knowledge systems and documented the contribution of Indigenous cultures to the common heritage of humanity.</p>
<h2>Fieldwork</h2>
<p>I am fortunate to be part of the first generation of Québec anthropologists who wanted, from very early on, not only to learn about Indigenous realities but also to get to know these people by working closely with them. I began working with Indigenous communities some 50 years ago, so I “grew up” working with them. </p>
<p>Being present in Indigenous communities and territories was an essential part of our training. I’m not talking about visits of a week or two, but years of sharing community life, staying with families that welcomed us and learning about the multiple dimensions of local cultures. I will have spent almost seven years living in Indigenous communities.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468786/original/file-20220614-13-bjpzkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468786/original/file-20220614-13-bjpzkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468786/original/file-20220614-13-bjpzkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468786/original/file-20220614-13-bjpzkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468786/original/file-20220614-13-bjpzkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468786/original/file-20220614-13-bjpzkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468786/original/file-20220614-13-bjpzkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kinawit cultural site, Val-d'Or.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(DIALOG)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The main difference between the time I began working as an anthropologist and today lies in the voice of Indigenous people, themselves. The words of Indigenous politicians have been relayed by the media for many years. However, today, other words are being heard, from young people, women and Elders — the words of citizens, carried by people of all ages and all genders who care about identity, education, culture.</p>
<p>Today, we rightly insist on the importance of researchers favouring the co-production of knowledge. Research is done with Indigenous people, not on Indigenous people.</p>
<h2>Respect, equity and sharing</h2>
<p>The values of respect, equity, sharing, reciprocity and trust animate the network members, whoever they may be, according to their respective trajectories and their specific contributions to knowledge. Together, these researchers explore diverse paths of knowledge and draw on Indigenous epistemologies and ontologies to provide new responses to the community challenges their populations are facing.</p>
<p>DIALOG also focuses on the potential for innovation and social transformation within the organizations that work toward the well-being of Indigenous people, whether living on-reserve, off-reserve or in urban areas, where the Indigenous population is growing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A crowd of protesters wearing orange shirts" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468500/original/file-20220613-14-ecqcbg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468500/original/file-20220613-14-ecqcbg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468500/original/file-20220613-14-ecqcbg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468500/original/file-20220613-14-ecqcbg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468500/original/file-20220613-14-ecqcbg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468500/original/file-20220613-14-ecqcbg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468500/original/file-20220613-14-ecqcbg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">March for the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, on Sept. 30, 2021, in Montréal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Building bridges</h2>
<p>From this perspective, the <a href="https://reseaudialog.ca/la-coconstruction-des-connaissances-en-contexte-autochtone-modalites-contraintes-perspectives/">knowledge co-construction process</a>, which is the source of the bridges that need to be built between scientific and Indigenous knowledge, must be a collective work rooted in relationships, not a predetermined direction dictated by an impersonal, distant, dominant science.</p>
<p>The first characteristic of co-construction in social research is to recognize the essential role proximity plays in uniting people to work towards new ways of understanding and decolonization.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468788/original/file-20220614-12-v59wi2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468788/original/file-20220614-12-v59wi2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468788/original/file-20220614-12-v59wi2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468788/original/file-20220614-12-v59wi2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468788/original/file-20220614-12-v59wi2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468788/original/file-20220614-12-v59wi2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468788/original/file-20220614-12-v59wi2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kinawit cultural site, Val-d'Or.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(DIALOG)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The second characteristic is to consider skills and expertise, which are often complementary.</p>
<p>Finally, there can be no co-construction of knowledge without the participation of everyone in the regeneration of cultural and pedagogical legacies, ways of thinking, learning and transmitting, and the social markers that underlie collective life. Indigenous value systems and actions have been badly shaken by colonialism, yet their guiding principles and very essence have transcended time and generations.</p>
<p>I am now a <em>kokom</em> who wishes to learn more about humans in general and Indigenous cultures in particular. I feel privileged to be able to pursue research projects that are as interesting as ever, to work every day with people who inspire me and to continue to spend a great deal of time in Indigenous communities, which is essential to my life as a woman and an anthropologist.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185093/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>During her long career, Carole Lévesque has received funding from a number of organizations including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Québec, government agencies, paragovernmental organizations, Aboriginal organizations and philanthropic organizations.</span></em></p>The DIALOG network forms a bridge between scientific and Indigenous knowledge. It renews the relationship between the university and the Indigenous world, which has for too long been one-sided.Carole Lévesque, Professeure titulaire, INRS, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1743202022-06-02T15:06:02Z2022-06-02T15:06:02Z‘End the genocide’: Little action on MMIWG calls for justice in the 3 years since the national inquiry concluded<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439256/original/file-20220103-104494-7ddl5p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5982%2C4266&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Lorelei Williams, whose cousin Tanya Holyk was murdered by serial killer Robert Pickton and aunt Belinda Williams went missing in 1978, wears a t-shirt bearing their photographs at a National Inquiry event in Vancouver in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck </span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/-end-the-genocide---little-action-on-mmiwg-calls-for-justice-in-the-3-years-since-the-national-inquiry-concluded" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>In 2008, Tashina Cheyenne General was murdered. This horrific crime was made even worse by the fact that <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/ev8ve4/these-communities-are-banning-alleged-criminals-to-protect-themselves">Tashina was pregnant</a>. </p>
<p>Tashina was the granddaughter of Norma Jacobs, one of the contributors to this article. Norma is Wolf clan of the Cayuga Nation, from Six Nations and is a member of the <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/meet-nfac/">National Family Advisory Circle for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)</a>.</p>
<p>Norma recalls: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It was a great loss to our family as we were excited about a new life to be born, sadly we never got to greet my great-grandson, and we lost two precious lives.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Norma and her family — and many others — have to deal with this reality every day. But they also have to deal with the federal government’s glacial pace when it comes to acting against what <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-mmiwg-genocide-1.5161681">it recognizes as an ongoing genocide</a>.</p>
<p>As settler academics, we (David and Andrea) have a responsibility to work with settler and Indigenous communities to promote awareness of the lack of federal government movement on the MMIWG <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Calls_for_Justice.pdf">National Inquiry calls for justice</a>.</p>
<h2>Three years after the final report</h2>
<p>June 3 marks three years since the national inquiry <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/">delivered its final report</a> and one year since <a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1590523702000/1590523850562">the national action plan was released</a>.</p>
<p>The initial report concluded that “Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or to go missing than members of any other demographic group in Canada — <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/mmiwg-inquiry-report-reaction-north-1.5160904">and 16 times more likely to be slain or to disappear than white women</a>.” But not much action has been taken. </p>
<p>The federal government <a href="https://mmiwg2splus-nationalactionplan.ca/">released its long-awaited action plan</a> last year, which addressed how it would implement the MMIWG calls for justice and “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/mmiwg-action-plan-nfsc-1.6050824">end the genocide</a>.” </p>
<p>While a step in the right direction, the plan was rightly critiqued by the Native Women’s Association of Canada for being “half a document” or “a plan without [an] implementation plan.” Timelines, budgets and responsibilities <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7924432/mmiwg-action-plan-falls-short">were not clearly laid out</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/joyce-echaquans-death-how-a-decolonizing-approach-could-help-tackle-racism-in-health-care-148517">Joyce Echaquan’s death: How a decolonizing approach could help tackle racism in health care</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In recent years, anti-Indigenous racism has been impossible to ignore, clearly evident every time a news story breaks — from <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-longer-the-disappeared-mourning-the-215-children-found-in-graves-at-kamloops-indian-residential-school-161782">Indigenous children’s bodies being found</a> at former Indian Residential School sites across the country to the May 2022 <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/national-survivors-organization-calls-on-police-to-conduct-thorough-investigation-into-rebecca-contois-murder/">murder of Rebecca Contois in Winnipeg</a>. </p>
<p>The racism and sexism witnessed is not isolated. Senator <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/justice-system-dispenses-only-injustice-for-indigenous-women-says-sen-kim-pate/">Kim Pate recently noted</a> Indigenous women are also subject to discrimination by police and the courts: “[The] justice system dispenses only injustice for Indigenous women.” </p>
<p>Indigenous women, while four per cent of the total Canadian population, make up 50 per cent of female inmates in penitentiaries. The Correctional Service of Canada recently announced that it’s in the process of hiring <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/corrections-canada-in-the-process-of-hiring-indigenous-commish-as-rates-surge-and-services-falter/">a deputy commissioner of Indigenous corrections to help advocate for inmates</a> — which was one of the inquiry’s calls for justice.</p>
<h2>A tentative hope</h2>
<p>The inquiry offered hope of bringing about concrete changes. And Norma’s experiences were positive, however the government’s failure to act contradicts its responsibilities.</p>
<p>As Norma describes it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I was impressed with the inquiry because they took the time to listen and to understand our stories of the pain and heartache of waiting for someone to do something. We shared our truths, and it brought families together and created a circle of healing. This really highlights the trust people put in the process and how we are responsible for that trust. In Indigenous traditions, when we are told a story, there is a responsibility on the listener for that story. We become accountable to the story and to the relationship. Our government invited these stories and is failing to act.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau eventually acknowledged that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-mmiwg-genocide-1.5161681">what was happening to Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people amounted to genocide</a>, and pledged the government’s help. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LrIfR6sisIc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accepts the findings that Canada’s treatment of MMIWG amounts to genocide.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Lack of action</h2>
<p>In May 2022, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/liberals-ask-for-patience-as-red-dress-marches-take-place-across-the-country/">admitted that after almost three years his government has fallen well short</a> of achieving its own goals. As he put it: “We’re failing as a country … To the extent that respectively falls in part on the federal government, we have to look at it through that lens.” </p>
<p>Miller reprised a familiar theme — that change will take a long time and that more patience is needed.</p>
<p>We believe this to be disingenuous, because the government can act and set a positive agenda. They must do more than simply make promises they cannot keep. </p>
<p>In the case of the <a href="http://www.trc.ca/">Truth and Reconciliation Commission</a>, the government established a detailed website, <a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524494530110/1557511412801">self-reporting on the progress of its commitment to achieving the 94 calls to action</a> — but as of May 2022, it has <a href="https://www.indigenouswatchdog.org/2022/04/26/how-many-of-the-trc-calls-to-action-are-complete-dont-ask-the-federal-government/">only accomplished seven of the 76 calls specifically related to the federal government</a> since 2015.</p>
<p>Trudeau’s government has failed to follow up on any of the calls to justice besides the proposed action plan, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/violence-against-indigenous-women-action-plan-covid-19-mmiwg-1.5563528">and the ongoing pandemic has made life more dangerous for Indigenous women and girls</a>.</p>
<p>For families who have been traumatized by the dangers of living in a settler state that seems to disregard the lives of Indigenous Peoples, government inaction can be insulting. Norma says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I’m angry and very disappointed at the lack of focus on the continued violations against our Indigenous women. I am truly disgusted by the inaction by the prime minister and those cabinet ministers … I am tired of hearing words that mean nothing.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1436418264675065858"}"></div></p>
<h2>Everyone can take action</h2>
<p>There are ways for settlers to put <a href="https://www.tvo.org/article/five-ways-you-can-put-the-calls-for-justice-from-the-mmiwg-report-into-action">the calls for justice into action</a>; they can also can rally together to pressure the government to do something. </p>
<p>We are tired of government excuses for inaction. The pandemic has exacerbated systemic racism and structural violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. And discriminatory laws at all levels of government have meant that Indigenous Peoples are grossly over-represented when it comes to <a href="http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/interrupted-childhoods">prison statistics, poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse and health inequalities</a> .</p>
<p>Continued chronic underfunding means that many Indigenous communities <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Executive_Summary.pdf">don’t have the resources to adequately address these problems</a>.</p>
<p>Action is urgently needed for the government to implement their proposed action plan. The families of the missing and murdered put their trust in a federal inquiry process, but have yet to receive that justice.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/9215/1/9780774817776.pdf">Paulette Regan, director of research for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has argued</a>, words are not enough. They must be “accompanied by concrete action at all levels of Canadian society,” and rooted “in a fundamental recognition of the human dignity and right to freedom of self-determining Indigenous Peoples.” </p>
<p>Those of us who are settlers are accountable for this: it’s our government. It’s time for the rest of us to show up as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174320/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David MacDonald receives funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea Breen receives funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Norma Jacobs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The government needs to implement its proposed action plan. The families of the missing and murdered put their trust in a federal inquiry process, but have yet to receive that justice.David MacDonald, Professor of Political Science, University of GuelphAndrea Breen, Associate Professor, Family Relations and Human Development, University of GuelphNorma Jacobs, Elder in Residence, Brantford Campus, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1823202022-05-05T13:47:15Z2022-05-05T13:47:15ZBill 96 will harm Indigenous people in Québec. We need more equitable language laws<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461349/original/file-20220504-15-euyt2q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C3487%2C2375&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Québec Premier François Legault defended Bill 96 saying he doesn't want the province to become Louisiana.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/bill-96-will-harm-indigenous-people-in-quebec--we-need-more-equitable-language-laws" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>One of the reasons I moved to Québec in 2015 was because of the <em>mélange</em> of languages in which many Quebecers — <a href="https://languagescompany.com/wp-content/uploads/14_1228-LUCIDE-Montreal-Report-V8_HRONLINE.pdf">especially in Montréal</a> — live and work. Some are able to change languages from sentence to sentence; others will switch in the middle of sentences or speak in an ever-changing <a href="https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/vc-rv/index.cfm?Lang=ENG&VIEW=D&GEOCODE=24&TOPIC_ID=4">medley of languages</a>.</p>
<p>The language dance happens most frequently between French and English, but other languages can be involved — such as Indigenous and immigrant languages. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/quebecs-bill-40-further-undermines-the-provinces-english-language-school-system-131595">Québec's Bill 40 further undermines the province's English-language school system</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The reality of multilingualism goes very far back in Québec: the perceived founder of French Québec, Samuel de Champlain, even knew “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/49790/champlains-dream-by-david-hackett-fischer/9780307397676">a smattering of [Indigenous] languages, not enough to speak directly on sensitive questions. Most of his communications had to happen through interpreters</a>.” However the mythic view of historical dominance held by some Quebecers is that “<a href="https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2022/01/04/a-propos-du-respect-de-notre-langue"><em>la langue française […] s’est implantée officiellement au Québec avec Samuel de Champlain en 1608</em></a>” or, the French language was officially established in Québec with Samuel de Champlain in 1608.</p>
<p>As the leader of a tiny, vulnerable French outpost, Champlain probably thought more about making alliances with Indigenous nations, which would allow the French colonists to survive, than he did about official languages. </p>
<p>Indigenous nations, and languages, have endured — as have the descendants of the original French settlers (including me), joined by British settlers and a mix of immigrants from all over the world, to create a diverse and complex society.</p>
<p>And all of this contributes to why Bill 96 is so problematic. The <a href="http://m.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-parlementaires/projets-loi/projet-loi-96-42-1.html">proposed bill</a>, “An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec,” will reduce the accessibility to health-care services in English, which will <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/first-nations-leaders-call-bill-96-cultural-genocide">drastically and negatively impact Indigenous people</a>. As a researcher and teacher of Inuit health, I find this deeply troubling.</p>
<h2>Indigenous experience in Québec</h2>
<p>Part of Québec’s complexity is ensuring equity for all its citizens. For Indigenous people in the province, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01500-8">equitable treatment can seem fleeting</a>. </p>
<p>In the health-care system, systemic discrimination against Indigenous people has been formally recognized. In 2019, the Québec-mandated Viens Commission concluded that “<a href="https://www.cerp.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/Fichiers_clients/Rapport/Final_report.pdf">it is clear that prejudice toward Indigenous Peoples remains widespread in the interaction between caregivers and patients</a>,” and recommended “cultural safeguard principles” be incorporated into health services and programs for Indigenous people. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Protesters walk wearing ribbon skirts, holding signs that read 'Justice pour Joyce'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461325/original/file-20220504-27-me06yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461325/original/file-20220504-27-me06yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461325/original/file-20220504-27-me06yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461325/original/file-20220504-27-me06yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461325/original/file-20220504-27-me06yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461325/original/file-20220504-27-me06yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461325/original/file-20220504-27-me06yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thousands of people take part in a rally in support of Joyce Echaquan in Trois-Rivières, Que., in June, 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In October 2021, coroner Géhane Kamel’s <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/joyce-echaquan-systemic-racism-quebec-government-1.6196038">top recommendation</a> in her report on the death of Joyce Echaquan was that the province needs to recognize that systemic racism exists and take concrete action to eliminate it. </p>
<p>To receive health care in a language that you speak is obviously a dimension of cultural safety. So it’s all the more disappointing that a recently released plan to reform the Québec health-care system <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-quebec-health-care-plan-fails-to-respond-to-indigenous-concerns">ignores systemic discrimination and cultural safety for patients</a>.</p>
<h2>The problem with Bill 96</h2>
<p>In an analysis of Bill 96, Montréal lawyer and advocate Eric Maldoff <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-its-essential-to-exempt-health-and-social-services-from-bill-96">says</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Even when the staff and institutions have the option to use another language, Bill 96 strongly directs them to avoid exercising it and specifies that a language other than French should not be used systematically, such as by establishing translation services. There is an option to use a language other than French in case of health, public safety and natural justice. However, it seems aimed at dealing with a health emergency of an individual.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nunavik Inuit in northern Québec have been identifying challenges within the health-care system for years. A report prepared by <a href="https://nrbhss.ca/sites/default/files/health_surveys/The_IQI_Model_of_Health_and_Well-Being_report_en.pdf">the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services</a> says: “Many [Inuit] do not understand medical terms and translation is sometimes inefficient, as many terms do not have an equivalent in Inuktitut. Consequently, many people struggle to understand their health problems and to follow medical advice.” </p>
<p>Ninety-eight per cent of Nunavik Inuit <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-656-x/89-656-x2016016-eng.htm">speak Inuktitut as their first language</a>. This should be celebrated, not hindered during the <a href="https://en.unesco.org/idil2022-2032">Decade of Indigenous Languages</a>, which Canada supports. Although many Indigenous people in Québec — including most Inuit — may have recognized rights to services in English, many, including myself, think Bill 96 will create greater impediments to accessible health care for Inuit and First Nations people. The bill will worsen health and health care, instead of improving it.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1514348290506203136"}"></div></p>
<h2>Multilingualism shouldn’t be a threat</h2>
<p>Bill 96 will also create new <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-quebecs-language-requirements-put-first-nations-students-at-a-disadvantage">challenges in education for Inuit and First Nations people</a> who use English. </p>
<p>Indigenous students will now have to complete an additional three French-language courses <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-rolls-back-proposal-forcing-english-cegep-students-into-three-french-language-classes-1.5877572">to receive a CÉGEP diploma</a> (typically required for university admission). In practice, most Inuit, and about half of First Nations students have been predominantly educated in English and will struggle with an additional French requirements.</p>
<p>Québec Premier François Legault recently <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/new-political-parties-would-turn-quebec-into-a-new-louisiana-legault">defended the draft Bill 96 by saying</a>: “If Québec is bilingual, unfortunately the attraction in North America to English will be so strong it will be a matter of time before we don’t speak French in Québec and we become Louisiana.”</p>
<p>Turning into Louisiana is a commonly deployed bogeyman in Québec, to imply that without restrictive measures on the use of other languages, French is endangered.</p>
<p>For most Québec residents, there is broad consensus that French should be protected. But many of us believe that multilingualism — including Indigenous languages — need not threaten French.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of a story originally published on May 5, 2022. It clarifies that many Indigenous people in Québec have recognized rights to services in English.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182320/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Budgell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For most Québec residents, there is broad consensus that French should be protected. But many of us believe that multilingualism need not threaten French.Richard Budgell, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine; Ph.D. student, History and Classical Studies, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1740272022-05-01T15:05:02Z2022-05-01T15:05:02ZFrom Ryerson to Toronto Metropolitan University: What can we learn from the renaming?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438522/original/file-20211220-13-symkzu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C17%2C5913%2C3942&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With the new name comes a model for other renaming processes in the realm of reconciliation.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/from-ryerson-to-toronto-metropolitan-university--what-can-we-learn-from-the-renaming" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Ryerson University has a new name: <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ryerson-name-change-toronto-metropolitan-university/">Toronto Metropolitan University</a>. </p>
<p>University president Mohamed Lachemi recommended the name from a list developed by a committee of professors, administrators, students and alumni. The name change process was motivated by the <em><a href="https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/next-chapter/Report/SSTF-report-and-recommendations-Aug_24_FINAL.pdf">Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win (Standing Strong) Task Force</a></em>.</p>
<p>The university’s renaming is a welcome step in helping reconcile <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-in-the-past-colonialism-is-rooted-in-the-present-157395">Canada’s long history of colonization, both past and present</a>. It signals a willingness to make amends for Canada’s mistreatment of Indigenous people, especially in educational settings. </p>
<p>Ryerson’s renaming has the potential to teach important lessons across society as we strive for a more equitable future given our inequitable past. </p>
<h2>Create a balanced history</h2>
<p><em>Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win</em> focused on the university’s complex relationship with its namesake, Egerton Ryerson. <a href="https://theconversation.com/egerton-ryerson-racist-philosophy-of-residential-schools-also-shaped-public-education-143039">His educational policies’ racist legacy</a> devastated Indigenous communities — he was an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57381522">architect for Ontario’s residential schools</a>. </p>
<p>Archivists dug through records. Historians were consulted. Scholars researched. Knowledge keepers provided wisdom. And by canvassing Ryerson community members past and present, the task force reached a delicate balance. </p>
<p>The authors detailed Egerton Ryerson’s troubling past. They bound him to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.4191090/why-some-ryerson-students-want-the-toronto-university-to-change-its-name-1.4191092">his influence in creating Ontario’s residential schools</a>. They even shared his offensive statements on Indigenous education aims.</p>
<p>But the authors also highlighted Egerton’s many accomplishments. This included <a href="https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/next-chapter/Report/Appendix-D_Life-and-legacy_Aug-26.pdf">Indigenous school fundraising</a> and helping petition the Crown to confirm the Mississaugas’ legal title to reserves.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-longer-the-disappeared-mourning-the-215-children-found-in-graves-at-kamloops-indian-residential-school-161782">No longer 'the disappeared': Mourning the 215 children found in graves at Kamloops Indian Residential School</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>After the buried bodies of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57325653">Indigenous children were found at former Indian residential schools</a>, Ryerson’s statue on campus became even more <a href="https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/next-chapter/Report/Appendix-B-What-we-learned-Aug-17.pdf">harmful, traumatizing and triggering to many staff, faculty and students</a>. His name adorning buildings, email signatures and sports teams likely did the same. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ryerson-name-change-toronto-metropolitan-university/">an interview with <em>The Globe and Mail</em></a>, president Lachemi said the new name reflects the wishes of community members:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It’s a name that fits us perfectly. We’re located in the heart of our country’s biggest and most diverse city, so the university represents all that it means to be metropolitan. We are a gathering place for people from all over the world, from all walks of life, with broad and diverse perspectives, lived experiences and aspirations.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Toronto Metropolitan University is expected to be in use soon but signage will take time. The blue and yellow colour will remain and Ryerson will still appear on official documents until the university’s governing legislation is amended — likely after the provincial election in June.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1518999145318653953"}"></div></p>
<h2>Acknowledge institutional inequality</h2>
<p>Many institutions have dubious pasts. Some even <a href="http://icdr.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Heidi-Bohaker-The-University-of-Toronto-and-Aboriginal-Residential-Schools-A-Silent-Partner-4MB.pdf">supported residential school atrocities, such as creating a discourse around assimilation</a>.</p>
<p>We must condemn Egerton Ryerson, but acknowledge that many Canadians benefit from systems similar to the ones he helped fashion, not just education. During the pandemic, the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/04/18/canadas-billionaires-have-grown-richer-during-the-pandemic-and-calls-for-a-wealth-tax-are-getting-louder.html">wealthiest Canadians have prospered</a>. In contrast, <a href="https://monitormag.ca/articles/canadian-billionaires-wealth-skyrocketing-amid-the-pandemic">low wage workers, often women and marginalized people, have continued to suffer</a>. The pandemic has accelerated lasting trends where <a href="https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/hot-topics/canInequality.aspx">seniors, people with disabilities, recent immigrants, marginalized and Indigenous people felt the most negative impacts of income inequality</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/enormous-amount-of-change-new-data-reveals-impact-of-covid-19-on-canadians-1.5343991">But the pandemic</a>, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/movement-slogan-rallying-cry-how-black-lives-matter-changed-america-n1252434">Black Lives Matter</a> and racial reckoning have also forced a kind of social reset, helping prompt the name change at Ryerson.</p>
<p><em>Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win</em> captured the sadness imperilling Ryerson’s community. The community grieved the legacy of a man they never met, but they are all too familiar with the punitive educational system he created. </p>
<p>We must repair public institutions that allow obscene financial and social inequality as well as personal devastation that can potentially cascade across generations. But first we must acknowledge our own role in allowing their perpetuation.</p>
<h2>Renaming is a start</h2>
<p>Although it could have been resisted and there was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ryerson-university-name-change-1.4191614">initial opposition by some groups</a>, Ryerson’s renaming speaks to how fundamental institutions like universities can listen to Indigenous people and their allies to drive welcome change.</p>
<p>From this, Ryerson’s renaming should not remain a symbolic act. And this achievement should not mean the battle is over. Instead, a name change means the fight has only just begun. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman takes a torch to the head of a statue" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459857/original/file-20220426-20-wutsm2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459857/original/file-20220426-20-wutsm2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459857/original/file-20220426-20-wutsm2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459857/original/file-20220426-20-wutsm2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459857/original/file-20220426-20-wutsm2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459857/original/file-20220426-20-wutsm2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459857/original/file-20220426-20-wutsm2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A protester uses a torch in an attempt to remove the head of the Egerton Ryerson statue in Toronto on Sunday June 6, 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Scrubbing Egerton Ryerson’s name from the institution feels good. It is similar to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/statue-of-egerton-ryerson-brought-down-1.6055676">removing his statue from the university’s grounds</a>. But improving the worst parts of the educational policies he helped birth is better. This includes improving antiquated practices. </p>
<p>And Indigenous people must help lead this change. Their knowledge and culture should fully inhabit education. Some equitable education policies could include:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ryerson.ca/fcs-news-events/news/2019/08/what-it-means-to-indigenize-curriculum/">Indigenizing curriculum</a>.</li>
<li>Practising <a href="https://www.cue.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/images/Source%205%20-%20ladson-billings%20culturally%20relevant%20pedagogy%20-%20the%20remix.pdf">culturally relevant pedagogy</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1495088">Diversifying curriculum</a>.</li>
<li>Implementing <a href="https://policyresponse.ca/can-covid-19-help-us-build-a-more-inclusive-post-secondary-system/">inclusive education</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://on360.ca/policy-papers/how-to-end-streaming-in-ontario-schools/">De-streaming public education</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/hybrid-learning-in-ontario-schools-will-rob-children-of-quality-education-165135">Ensuring equitable learning</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Public education has caused unjustifiable suffering. Many educational settings are driven by <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/aiming-discipline-instead-punishment">punishment, not proactive discipline</a>. They homogenize, dehumanize and <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/11/when-testing-takes-over">test incessantly and excessively</a>.</p>
<p>Renaming public entities begins the process of repairing inequities — Ryerson is one example, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-renaming-dundas-street-1.6103260">Toronto’s Dundas Street</a> is another — but it cannot end them. Regressive institutional practices must be questioned.</p>
<p>Chronicling past atrocities, honouring those tragically lost, incorporating survivors’ voices and building equitable institutions is the only way to build a truly inclusive society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174027/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dino Sossi has studied at, and worked for, Ryerson University. </span></em></p>Incorporating lessons from Ryerson University’s renaming process could help Canadian institutions address colonization.Dino Sossi, Instructional Assistant, Technology and Media, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1812502022-04-25T21:48:51Z2022-04-25T21:48:51ZAs mining activity expands in northern Labrador, COVID-19’s ‘new normal’ difficult to accept for Nunatsiavut Inuit communities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459431/original/file-20220425-13-rlrnda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=662%2C311%2C2343%2C1618&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Final approach on the air charter into the Voisey’s Bay mine, a fly-in/fly-out nickel, copper and cobalt mine located near Nain, Nunatsiavut, in northern Labrador.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Matthew Pike)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, mining giant <a href="http://www.vale.com/canada/en/aboutvale/communities/voiseysbay/pages/default.aspx">Vale</a> <a href="https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/mining/voiseys-bay-put-on-care-and-maintenance-2172880">shut down its Voisey’s Bay mine for three months</a> to protect the health and well-being of its employees and the nearby Nunatsiavut Inuit communities. </p>
<p>With the arrival of the highly contagious Omicron COVID-19 variant and subvariants, health officials conceded that <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-nl-chief-medical-officer-says-most-people-will-get-covid-19-reports/">most people will likely to get COVID-19</a>. </p>
<p>The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has since provided guidance that residents will have to live with this <a href="https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/restrictions/planned-restrictions/">“new normal” and make personal choices based on their own situations.</a></p>
<p>As a Nunatsiavut beneficiary, a public health researcher and, until recently, a member of the Vale team managing COVID-19 in Voisey’s Bay, I believe more attention to impacts of living with this “new normal” in Nunatsiavut is critically necessary to protect the health and well-being of communities.</p>
<h2>Managing COVID-19 in Voisey’s Bay</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.vale.com/canada/en/aboutvale/communities/voiseysbay/pages/default.aspx">Voisey’s Bay</a> is a fly-in/fly-out nickel, copper and cobalt mine located near Nain, Nunatsiavut, the northernmost community in Newfoundland and Labrador with approximately <a href="https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?">1,100 (mostly Inuit) residents</a>. </p>
<p>With a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/voiseys-bay-expansion-reaction-1.4643150">$2 billion mine expansion</a> underway, there were approximately <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/voisey-s-bay-still-in-care-and-maintenance-mode-1.5536360">900 employees in Voisey’s Bay at the onset of COVID-19</a>. When it shut down, Vale sent home most employees with pay, and we immediately began the work to safely re-open the mine, which happened three months later.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person driving a snowmobile seen from behind, heading toward a red building in the distance." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459550/original/file-20220425-117417-68e7v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cold, winter evening in Hopedale, Nunatsiavut.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Matthew Pike)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Like <a href="https://www.nnsl.com/nunavut-news/agnico-eagle-launches-rapid-covid-19-testing-at-mine-site-laboratory/">other mines in Inuit Nunangat</a>, Voisey’s Bay invested in an on-site PCR testing laboratory and electronic contact tracing badges that can list close contacts in minutes. We implemented a mandatory mask and vaccination policy, increased the on-site medical team, increased isolation rooms and many other precautions you can implement while still operating a mine. In fact, Vale was <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/11/25/2341205/0/en/Voisey-s-Bay-Mine-awarded-Miner-of-the-Year.html">awarded Miner of the Year</a> for its management of COVID-19. </p>
<p>Managing COVID-19 in Voisey’s Bay was relatively simple until the arrival of the Omicron variant. </p>
<p>Our team worked tirelessly to keep Voisey’s Bay a COVID-zero site, but on Dec. 21, 2021, the <a href="https://ca.style.yahoo.com/hands-deck-n-l-public-100000785.html">first case was confirmed</a>. It became clear that COVID-19 was coming and we needed to prepare to manage it as effectively as possible. </p>
<p>Despite this, the mine went from having its first COVID-19 case in December to having over <a href="http://www.oksociety.com/ngvoiseys-bay-covid-update/">90 confirmed cases</a> with more than 70 close contacts in isolation in late March, <a href="https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/restrictions/planned-restrictions/">two weeks after</a> pandemic restrictions eased in Newfoundland and Labrador. </p>
<p>Should Vale shut down again? Send everyone home with pay again?</p>
<h2>Impact on employees, their families and communities</h2>
<p>An obvious impact of a mine shut-down on employees would be the likely loss of income, and income is arguably “<a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ITK_Social_Determinants_Report.pdf">the most important determinant of health</a>.” Since the mine expansion began in 2018, the <a href="https://miningdigital.com/supply-chain-and-operations/vale-announces-first-ore-voiseys-bay-mine-extension">number of Inuit workers has doubled</a>, increasing the dependence on and importance of Voisey’s Bay for Nunatsiavut Inuit. </p>
<p>As one of the largest and highest-paying employers in the region, shutting down will likely mean the overnight removal of some of the highest-paying jobs, a lost sense of purpose and financial hardship for employees and their families. Essentially the worst parts of the “bust” for the traditional “<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/boom-and-bust-cycle.asp">boom and bust</a>” economies. </p>
<p>While some employees said Vale has gone “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-31-labrador-morning/clip/15888824-dealing-with-isolation-labrador-away-the-music-of">above and beyond</a>” in managing COVID-19, a mining company is not, and should not, be responsible for the delivery of health care. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The sun low on the horizon above a snowy landscape" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459551/original/file-20220425-116752-orrhbn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Early morning flight from Nain to the Voisey’s Bay mine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Matthew Pike)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The reality for Nunatsiavut employees is they are forced to bear the burden of potentially bringing COVID-19 to their communities when they fly back from a two-week work shift at the mine. These are communities that are <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nain-labrador-covid-1.6303745">still not equipped</a> to <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-we-are-not-prepared-inuit-brace-for-coronavirus-to-reach-remote/">handle a serious case of the disease</a>. If someone requires advanced care, such as a ventilator, they will need to be flown south via air ambulance, a service that has been described recently as a “<a href="http://ntv.ca/lela-evans-highlights-more-chronic-problems-with-medevac-service-for-labrador/">chronic failure</a>.” </p>
<p>How can, and why should, Nunatsiavut accept a “new normal” when there <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/residential-schools-apology-lela-evans-1.6416220">never was equal access</a> to health care to begin with?</p>
<h2>Moving forward</h2>
<p>While the rest of Canada eases into a “new normal,” it will be difficult for communities and mining sites in Nunatsiavut to do the same. As <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/budget-mining-oil-1.6411747">Vale continues to expand</a> and <a href="https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/business/labrador-uranium-inc-looking-for-a-big-deposit-in-the-big-land-100649853/">new companies begin exploring</a> for new deposits, the increase of fly-in/fly-out workers coming to Nunatsiavut likely means that COVID-19 in Nunatsiavut is here to stay. </p>
<p>The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Government of Canada have long known that healthier Inuit communities can be <a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FINAL-ElectronicEN-Inuit-TB-Elimination-Framework.pdf">achieved through addressing the social determinants of health</a>. They also should be aware of the <a href="https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/itk_the-potential-impacts-of-covid-19-on-inuit-nunangat_english.pdf">increased risk Inuit face</a> during a pandemic due to, among other things, chronic housing shortages leading to overcrowding and the inability for many to self-isolate, pre-existing high rates of respiratory illnesses, high rates of tobacco use and an already fragile health-care system. </p>
<p>A clear indication that the message of accepting this “new normal” is not sitting well in Nunatsiavut came from <a href="https://www.assembly.nl.ca/Members/YourMember/EvansLela.aspx">Lela Evans</a>, the region’s representative in the provincial legislature. Evans recently said she would not accept Newfoundland and Labrador’s <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/residential-schools-apology-lela-evans-1.6416220">apology for its role in residential schools until there’s “real reconciliation</a>,” including access to quality health care. </p>
<p>Without investments into addressing the social determinants of health, including access to advanced health care, the “new normal” does not bode well for Nunatsiavut.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181250/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Pike previously worked for Vale (September 2018 - March 2021) as the Aboriginal Affairs Superintendent in Voisey's Bay and (Acting) Indigenous Relations Manager for their Canadian operations. Throughout his studies, he received funding from The University of Guelph, the Nunatsiavut Government, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the RBC Indigenous Scholarship program. As part of his previous role at Vale, Matthew was part of the Mining Association of Canada's subcommittee on Indigenous Affairs. </span></em></p>‘Living with COVID-19’ has much higher risks for Nunatsiavut Inuit communities than many other areas. Recognizing those risks is crucial as mining operations resume in Newfoundland and Labrador.Matthew Pike, PhD Candidate, Department of Population Medicine, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1793432022-04-21T17:50:04Z2022-04-21T17:50:04ZDiamond mines in the Northwest Territories are not a girl’s best friend<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456413/original/file-20220405-18-8poh5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C1985%2C1613&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman examines a diamond she is in the process of cutting and polishing in Yellowknife, N.W.T. in a photo from 2003.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> (CP PHOTO/Bob Weber)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Almost three years ago, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its <a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/">final report</a> and among its findings, the report identified resource extraction as a site of gender violence. </p>
<p>The relationship between extraction and gender violence has been observed in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2021.1979798">extractive sites around the globe</a>. And in Canada, this <a href="https://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/903-9781772123678-keetsahnak-our-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-sisters">gender violence</a> is shaped by extraction and <a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/stolen-lives-indigenous-peoples-canada-and-indian-residential-schools/historical-background/dispossession-destruction-and-reserves">settler colonial dispossession of Indigenous lands</a> and livelihoods.</p>
<p>What is it about extractive projects that creates the conditions for gender violence? </p>
<p>In <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487540845/refracted-economies/"><em>Refracted Economies: Diamond Mining and Social Reproduction in the North</em></a>, I analyze the gender impact of Canadian diamond mines. As a settler researcher who grew up in southern Canada, I partnered with the <a href="https://www.nativewomensnwt.com/">Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories</a> and spoke with Dene, Métis, Inuit and non-Indigenous northern women about their experiences with the mines.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mining-push-continues-despite-water-crisis-in-neskantaga-first-nation-and-ontarios-ring-of-fire-150522">Mining push continues despite water crisis in Neskantaga First Nation and Ontario’s Ring of Fire</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In Canada, the first diamond mine opened in the Northwest Territories on Dene land in 1998. Since then, three other diamond mines have opened there, and Canada has become the <a href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/minerals-mining/minerals-metals-facts/diamond-facts/20513">third largest diamond producer</a> in the world. </p>
<p>The Canadian diamond industry was established amid <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0035853042000249979">international concerns</a> around conflict — or blood — diamonds. Canada’s diamond industry lauds itself as an <a href="https://doi.org/10.3167/fcl.2017.790107">ethical alternative</a> to diamonds from elsewhere, but these gems are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2012.01012.x">mined on Dene land</a> and, in restructuring the lands and livelihoods of northern communities, the diamond industry brings with it a new, and newly gendered, colonial violence.</p>
<h2>A pillar of settler development</h2>
<p>Resource extraction has long been a pillar of <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/red-skin-white-masks">settler</a> <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781442664357/northern-communities-working-together%22%22">development</a> in northern Canada. </p>
<p>Regionally, diamond mines were established on the heels of the longstanding gold industry, and they have reproduced some dynamics of past settler extractive projects. But the diamond mines have also brought with them new characteristics with unique gender impacts. </p>
<p>Unlike mining towns that sprouted up throughout the north in the 20th century, diamond mines are organized through a fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) structure. This means that workers fly in for prolonged mining shifts, and fly out for their time off.</p>
<p>FIFO, or DIDO (drive-in/drive-out), has become the preferred <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00049182.2013.817037">extractive model</a> in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2016.02.009">Canada and elsewhere</a>. By making long-distance commutes part of everyday operations, the FIFO/DIDO model is an intensified expression of the home/work divide, where <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/144477">home is gendered as feminine space and work as masculine space</a>.</p>
<p>For many women workers I spoke to, the separation of work from home meant that work in the diamond mines was not accessible. This was because workers live away from home for extended periods of time, and weren’t able to care for kin and community. </p>
<p>This “caring divide” exacerbates existing tendencies for hypermasculine <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20459158">mining cultures</a>, or what the MMIWG report calls “<a href="https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/">man camps</a>.”</p>
<p>Women who had worked at the diamond mines shared stories of intense visibility. These experiences ranged from a general feeling of greater scrutiny from other workers, to overt sexual harassment. While the women I interviewed held a variety of positions at the camps, it was women who worked in housekeeping and positions at a lower pay scale with higher degrees of precarity who described the most explicit and pervasive experiences with gendered discrimination and violence.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A diamond mine pit with winding roads surrounded by water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456411/original/file-20220405-22-pku0v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456411/original/file-20220405-22-pku0v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456411/original/file-20220405-22-pku0v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456411/original/file-20220405-22-pku0v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456411/original/file-20220405-22-pku0v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456411/original/file-20220405-22-pku0v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456411/original/file-20220405-22-pku0v0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lac de Gras surrounds the Diavik mine pit about 300 km northeast of Yellowknife, N.W.T. in a photo from 2003.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Heavy care burdens</h2>
<p>The FIFO structure has led to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2018.1554555">intensified pressure</a> on people, usually women, at home. While mine workers and their families spoke about the financial benefits of mine employment, many female spouses likened the experience of having a spouse at camp to single parenting. </p>
<p>One Dene woman I interviewed said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I feel like I live in a community where families are fragmented on purpose. We choose to remove half of the caregivers half of the time. How can this not have a significant impact on raising a family or being in a marriage?” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>These heavy care burdens are coupled with new financial inequality within households, with mine workers often bringing in significantly higher wages than other family members. </p>
<p>The women I spoke with shared concerns that inequalities in both <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2018.1425287">caring labours</a> and finances were shaping conditions for interpersonal violence, and making it more difficult for women to leave violent situations.</p>
<p>When women shared their stories of the diamond mines, they did not express the impact as an isolated or unique phenomenon. Instead, I heard stories that wove the experiences of the diamond mines into ongoing processes of settler colonialism, including the <a href="https://nctr.ca/records/reports/">intergenerational trauma of residential schools</a>.</p>
<p>Diamonds carry with them <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2012.00996.x">heavy imagery</a> of romance and commitment, symbolizing a love that is, as diamond company De Beers puts it, “forever.” </p>
<p>However, while a century of marketing has made diamond rings a symbol of heteronormative happy endings, when I spoke with northern women about their experience with the diamond mines, I heard a different story. </p>
<p>As one research participant said, “Diamonds are said to be a girl’s best friend. I’m not sure which girls they are because it’s certainly not anyone in here.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179343/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Hall is a research partner with We Will Not Be Banned From Our Land (Dedats'eetsaa: Tlicho Research and Training Institute). She receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p>While marketing has made diamond rings a symbol of heteronormative happy endings, women from the Northwest Territories tell a different story about their experiences with the diamond mines.Rebecca Hall, Assistant Professor, Global Development Studies, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1735792022-04-18T11:52:28Z2022-04-18T11:52:28ZHow blending Inuit knowledge and western science has helped improve polar bear health — and why a trade ban would hurt<p><em>Nanuk</em>, the Inuktitut word for polar bear, is an iconic animal, capturing public imaginations and starring in <a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/company/history/coca-colas-polar-bears">international marketing campaigns</a>. As nanuk has increasingly been used as the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/polar-bears-and-climate-change">poster species for climate change</a>, it has also become separated in the popular imagination from the peoples and communities of the North. </p>
<p>Yet nanuk is a cultural keystone species that provides a sense of identity, spiritual connections, food, livelihoods and cultural continuity throughout Inuit homelands. Polar bears and Inuit continue to share the same lands, waters and ice. They regularly interact on the land during a harvest, and in communities, where <a href="https://fb.watch/bAIKoJqiY0/">nanuk can become a safety issue</a>. This relationship is a part of life in the North and Inuit carry generations of knowledge and science about polar bears. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fF5isyE18UQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Davis Strait Polar Bear during the summer season in the Torngat Mountains National Park.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are many conflicting views of nanuk. Inuit, researchers, conservationists and others have often been at odds with each other about how polar bear populations should be managed. </p>
<p>As Inuit who work within various co-management boards — public governance institutions that incorporate Inuit knowledge of wildlife and the environment into the decision-making of the provincial, territorial and federal governments — we have interpreted polar bear science, learned from Inuit knowledge and participated in many public policy discussions about nanuk. </p>
<h2>Taking care of nanuk</h2>
<p>Scientists divide the world’s polar bears into sub-populations, based on what is known about their genetics, movements and other management considerations. Thirteen of the world’s 19 sub-populations of polar bears are found in Canada, putting Canada at the <a href="https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en">forefront of polar bear research, management, regulation and policy</a>. </p>
<p>Nearly 50 years ago, over-hunting was considered the largest threat to nanuk and international co-operation addressed this issue by placing restrictions on harvesting numbers — some voluntary and others imposed — and increasingly robust rules and regulations. The Government of Canada has collaborated with Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States on public policy since 1973, when these countries signed the <a href="https://polarbearagreement.org/index.php/about-us/1973-agreement">Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=686&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=686&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=686&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459129/original/file-20220421-20-xe7de8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Davis Strait polar bear sub-population map and the three Inuit land claim regions of Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut. (Cartography by Shawn Rivoire, Torngat Wildlife Plants and Fisheries Secretariat)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Data sourced from Dyck, M et al. (2021) 'Re-estimating the abundance of the Davis Strait polar bear subpopulation by genetic mark-recapture. Final Report.'</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The negotiation of <a href="https://landclaimscoalition.ca/">land claim agreements starting in 1975</a>, led to the formal implementation of co-management processes across Northern Canada. We have experience on the co-management boards from three different Inuit land claim agreements: Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut. </p>
<h2>Nanuk co-management</h2>
<p>Co-management boards are a shared and independent space where appointees from the federal, provincial, territorial governments and Inuit work with all the available knowledge to make, whenever possible, collaborative decisions about harvest levels and other management recommendations. </p>
<p>Through our work in the Eastern Arctic, representing the <a href="https://nlca.tunngavik.com/">Nunavut Agreement</a> (established 1993), the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/L-4.3/">Labrador Inuit Land Claim Agreement</a> (established 2005) and the <a href="https://www.makivik.org/corporate/history/nilca/">Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement</a> (established 2008), we work directly and regularly on polar bears. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nwmb.com/en/">Nunavut Wildlife Management Board</a>, the <a href="https://nmrwb.ca/">Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board</a> and the <a href="https://www.torngatsecretariat.ca/home/">Torngat Wildlife and Plants Co-management Board</a> all have prominent roles in the management of the Davis Strait polar bear population. Simply put, these boards may decide on nanuk harvest levels. </p>
<p>Our organizations play an important role in national and international polar bear management and we bring strong and diverse sciences and knowledges to decision-making tables. We work together to share western science and Inuit knowledge to establish total allowable harvest levels and support polar bear and Inuit health and well-being. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=767&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=767&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=767&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=963&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=963&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457670/original/file-20220412-54572-z8jc37.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=963&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Highlights of the Davis Strait polar bear survey results.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://gov.nu.ca/fr/node/43414">(Data sourced from Dyck, M et al. (2021) 'Re-estimating the abundance of the Davis Strait polar bear subpopulation by genetic mark-recapture. Final Report.')</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The most <a href="https://nmrwb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NunavikInuitKnowledge_PolarBears_DavisStrait-1.pdf">recent information combining Inuit knowledge</a> and science on the Davis Strait polar bears indicates that the population levels have remained relatively stable over the past decade at approximately 2,000 animals. Their body conditions have also improved. Over this period, harvesting was also able to increase in this vast region to approximately 100 animals per year. This is a sign that Inuit and nanuk alike have benefited from the past decade of co-management and dialogue among Inuit and different levels of government. </p>
<h2>International intentions with unintended consequences</h2>
<p>Later this year, the Conference of the Parties for the <a href="https://cites.org/eng/cop19">Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora</a> (CITES) will meet in Panama City, Panama. Potential proposals and decisions made there about nanuk could have serious consequences for Inuit.</p>
<p>CITES aims to ensure that the trade in wild animals does not threaten their survival. In 2010 and 2013, the United States brought forward proposals to the parties in Doha, Qatar and Bangkok, Thailand, which, had they been passed, <a href="https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2016/05/02/u-s-stops-trying-to-ban-trade-in-polar-bears-at-international-talks/">would have generally prohibited the export of valuable polar bears parts such as their skins</a>. International trade would have been permitted only in exceptional circumstances. </p>
<p>If successful, these CITES proposals would have had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2015.01.006">detrimental and wide-ranging impacts on Inuit culture, livelihoods and well-being</a>. They could have established a scenario similar to the results of the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/animal_welfare/seals/seal_hunting.htm">European ban on seal products</a> and the <a href="https://www.nfb.ca/film/angry_inuk/">tragic impacts on Inuit rights, livelihoods and well-being</a>. We should know by mid-June 2022 if the United States or another party to CITES plans to bring forward a new proposal. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Inuit hunter wearing traditional trousers and boots made from polar bear fur is walking on the sea ice of the Melville Bay near Kullorsuaq in North Greenland. North America, danish territory. " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450221/original/file-20220306-85906-1f53wia.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450221/original/file-20220306-85906-1f53wia.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450221/original/file-20220306-85906-1f53wia.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450221/original/file-20220306-85906-1f53wia.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450221/original/file-20220306-85906-1f53wia.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450221/original/file-20220306-85906-1f53wia.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450221/original/file-20220306-85906-1f53wia.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An Inuit hunter wearing traditional trousers and boots made from polar bear fur walks on the sea ice of Melville Bay near Kullorsuaq in North Greenland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AdobeStock/Danita Delimont)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Inuit culture changes over time. For Inuit today traditional values and activities are increasingly linked to globalization and the international economy through modernization, industrial pressures and the climate crisis. </p>
<p>Decisions made at far away <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.11.016">international conferences and through the influences of foreign geopolitics</a>, do not properly consult with Inuit or include Inuit knowledge. Local self-determination may be indirectly altered through new international proposals that may make co-management decisions moot if the policy context changes. </p>
<p>Inuit live with nanuk in their territories and are the primary users and stewards of this species. It is imperative that Inuit involvement in polar bear management remains strong and at the forefront of decisions to support self-determination and the principles of the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a>. </p>
<p>This is our call to have Inuit land claim agreements and co-management boards respected by the Canadian government and championed at international forums such as CITES so the global public can be assured that nanuk are in good hands with Inuit stewardship. </p>
<p>The first step in this direction is the understanding on behalf of the scientific and biological communities that Inuit knowledge about nanuk is a deep and generational form of science and essential to be included at all levels of decision-making. </p>
<p>The negotiation of these governance structures in Canada took half a century and we are now many decades into their implementation. No one cares more about nanuk than Inuit, and Inuit will continue being experts in polar bear relationships. While including Inuit in national and international decision-making processes has improved, ensuring thriving polar bear and Inuit populations alike will require trust in co-management decision-making, Inuit self-determination and Inuit ways of being with nanuk. </p>
<p><em>This article was co-authored by Jason Akearok, executive director of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, and Tommy Palliser, executive director of the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173579/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The three co-management boards referenced in this article received funding from Polar Knowledge Canada for knowledge dissemination about the Davis Strait polar bears and to facilitate inter-jurisdictional and inter-disciplinary dialogues about this sub-population. </span></em></p>International proposals to ban the trade of polar bear parts undercut Inuit rights, knowledge and decision-making.Jamie Snook, Adjunct Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1777012022-03-09T13:28:09Z2022-03-09T13:28:09ZCanada must accommodate Indigenous and minority languages to be truly multicultural<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448561/original/file-20220225-21-1volwta.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3932%2C2984&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mary Simon, Canada's first Inuit governor-general and a native Inuktitut speaker, inspects the honour guard as she arrives at Rideau Hall in July 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The time has come for Canada to revisit its approach to languages. With <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/indigenous-languages-decade-make-inuktitut-an-official-in-canada-inuit-un-rep-1.6311525">recent calls from top Inuit figures to make Inuktitut an official language of Canada</a> alongside English and French, and an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nti-suing-government-of-nunavut-inuktut-education-1.6209460">earlier lawsuit over the right for students to be educated in Inuktitut in Nunavut</a>, there is no better time for this conversation.</p>
<p>This year is a good time to starting a nationwide discussion because it’s the inaugural year of the <a href="https://en.unesco.org/idil2022-2032">International Decade of Indigenous Languages</a>, the 30th anniversary year of the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/minorities.aspx">UN Declaration on Minorities</a> and the 40th anniversary year of the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-12.html">Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms</a> </p>
<p>These anniversaries are of special relevance because languages are a matter of fundamental human rights.</p>
<h2>How multicultural are we?</h2>
<p>Canada is renowned for its multiculturalism. Yet a still unsettled issue in Canadian multiculturalism pertains to languages. As a human rights researcher, I believe multiculturalism isn’t truly possible without multilingualism. </p>
<p>Language is the foundational dimension of most cultures, and therefore the maintenance, development and use of a culture’s language is indispensable for its preservation and practice.</p>
<p>Canada’s historical oppression of Indigenous Peoples directly concerns languages. The residential schools system <a href="https://essentialsoflinguistics.pressbooks.com/chapter/11-2-indigenous-languages-and-the-legacy-of-residential-schools/">specifically targeted Indigenous cultures and languages</a> to such an extent that many argue it constituted genocide, especially after the mass graves of Indigenous children were discovered. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-canada-committed-genocide-against-indigenous-peoples-explained-by-the-lawyer-central-to-the-determination-162582">How Canada committed genocide against Indigenous Peoples, explained by the lawyer central to the determination</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as well as Indigenous leaders and activists, <a href="https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf">explicitly state</a> that reconciliation and rebuilding in Canada cannot happen without the revival and reaffirmation of Indigenous languages.</p>
<p>Historically, the issue of languages was a matter of colonialism and dominance in Canada. Making English and French the country’s official languages was <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/canadians-official-languages-act/history-official-languages-act.html">an administrative decision by the ruling colonial powers of the time</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two children watch and engage with one another as two other children dance in front of them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448538/original/file-20220225-13-33nev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C58%2C3000%2C2137&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448538/original/file-20220225-13-33nev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448538/original/file-20220225-13-33nev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448538/original/file-20220225-13-33nev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448538/original/file-20220225-13-33nev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448538/original/file-20220225-13-33nev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448538/original/file-20220225-13-33nev.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Grade 3 pupils watch classmates rehearse a traditional Inuktitut dance in Iqaluit, Nunavut.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This decision was taken without due consideration to Canada’s Indigenous Peoples or other settler minority groups — speakers of German, Ukrainian, Italian, Punjabi and many other languages. </p>
<p>Canadian bilingualism was formalized first <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/official-languages-act-1969">in 1969</a>, and later in the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-12.html">1982 Charter of Rights and Freedom</a>, and accommodated the English-speaking majority and French-speaking minority. But it <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2018001-eng.htm">left aside speakers of multiple Indigenous and other languages</a>.</p>
<p>In a human rights-based country, linguistic issues cannot be resolved simply because majority groups out-vote minority groups. Linguistic rights are human rights and apply to majorities and minorities alike, and not at the discretion of those who hold the power.</p>
<h2>Minority rights to language</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx">1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights</a>, a foundational human rights document of modern times, states that people who belong to linguistic minorities are guaranteed the right to enjoy their own culture and use their own language.</p>
<p>This is a binding legal provision for every country that’s ratified the treaty, including Canada.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/minorities.aspx">1992 United Nations Declaration on Minorities</a> states that countries must protect the existence and the linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage the promotion of that identity by adopting laws and other measures. </p>
<p>Nations are supposed to ensure that minority populations have adequate opportunities to learn their native languages, or to receive instruction in their native languages.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/Pages/Declaration.aspx">UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a> passed into law in Canada through Bill C-15 also states that Indigenous Peoples are guaranteed the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit their languages to future generations.</p>
<p>It states that countries should provide Indigenous Peoples, particularly children and including those living outside their communities, with education in their own language.</p>
<p>Other applicable international standards come from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). <a href="https://www.osce.org/hcnm/thematic-recommendations-and-guidelines">These standards</a> direct institutionalized use of minority languages in justice, education, elections, policing, mass media and other areas of public life.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman in a hat and jacket walks past a stop sign displayed in both English and Inuktitut." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448568/original/file-20220225-25-10d1uro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448568/original/file-20220225-25-10d1uro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448568/original/file-20220225-25-10d1uro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448568/original/file-20220225-25-10d1uro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448568/original/file-20220225-25-10d1uro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448568/original/file-20220225-25-10d1uro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448568/original/file-20220225-25-10d1uro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman walks past a stop sign displayed in both English and Inuktitut in Iqaluit, Nunavut.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A matter of human rights</h2>
<p>It’s clear that international standards explicitly demand that minority languages be used and institutionalized in virtually all spheres of life. These standards clearly indicate that the institutionalized use of minority and Indigenous languages is not a matter of politics or choice, but a matter of imperative human rights.</p>
<p>Promotion of linguistic diversity isn’t just an international obligation. It’s key to many vital Canadian challenges, including reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, overcoming systemic racism and colonialism, ongoing health-care crises and the accommodation and inclusion of migrants and refugees.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-bilingualism-change-in-canada-the-debate-over-gov-gen-mary-simon-164836">Should bilingualism change in Canada? The debate over Gov. Gen. Mary Simon</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Canadian institutionalized multilingualism will advance the national economy, will make Canada more competitive on international markets and will bolster its reputation as a global human rights champion and a progressive immigration model.</p>
<p>In addition, it will transform Canada into a truly multiculturalist state.</p>
<p>This year is a perfect time for a broad public discussion about the use and status of languages in Canada. Human rights should inform and guide this discussion. The demand for revitalizing Indigenous languages, the compelling calls from Inuktitut champions and the appointment of our Inuktitut-speaking governor general create an excellent starting point for this nationwide endeavour.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177701/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Veaceslav Balan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Linguistic rights are human rights that apply to majorities and minorities alike, not just at the discretion of those who hold power.Veaceslav Balan, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1714702021-11-22T17:51:59Z2021-11-22T17:51:59ZFraudulent claims of indigeneity: Indigenous nations are the identity experts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432270/original/file-20211116-17-nbcgou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C2%2C992%2C800&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Grey Owl was an original 'pretendian,' portraying himself as the the son of a Scottish man and Apache woman after moving to Canada in the early 1900s.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Canadian National Railways/Library and Archives Canada, e010861684)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a growing movement to identify and call-out people who have fraudulently held positions by claiming indigeneity like <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/vancouver-curator-outed-as-pretendian-resigns-from-sfu-galleries">Cheyanne Turions</a>, <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/author-joseph-boydens-shape-shifting-indigenous-identity/">Joseph Boyden</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/michelle-latimer-kitigan-zibi-indigenous-identity-1.5845310">Michelle Latimer</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/02/canadian-academic-on-leave-amid-row-over-indigenous-ancestry-claims">Carrie Bourassa</a>. </p>
<p>The fraudulent claims of indigeneity are so widespread that the term “<a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/infocus/pretendians-and-what-to-do-with-people-who-falsely-say-theyre-indigenous-put-infocus/">pretendians</a>” has become part of regular vocabulary. </p>
<p>On the surface, this seems to align with the interests of Indigenous Peoples, but with the call-outs come underlying components of colonialism. Namely, that Indigenous nations are not being recognized as the authorities when determining indigeneity. </p>
<h2>Genealogy as the only factor</h2>
<p>Those quick to call-out are often not clamouring for Indigenous nations’ jurisdiction over citizenship, nor are they demanding “pretendians” be held accountable to Indigenous nations. </p>
<p>Instead, people like non-Indigenous <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nunatukavut-community-council-responds-itk-letter-inuit-1.6228193">genealogists are being held out as “experts</a>” on what does or doesn’t make a person Indigenous. </p>
<p>The result of having genealogy as the only factor is that the dialogue is not centred on Indigenous people as socio-political groups, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/09/583987261/so-what-exactly-is-blood-quantum">but racial purity</a> which <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/josiah-wilson-indian-act-hereditary-governance-1.3668636">perpetuates colonial stereotypes of Indigenous identity</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A DNA test kit and spit tube is on a table." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432065/original/file-20211115-25-15ni0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432065/original/file-20211115-25-15ni0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432065/original/file-20211115-25-15ni0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432065/original/file-20211115-25-15ni0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432065/original/file-20211115-25-15ni0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432065/original/file-20211115-25-15ni0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432065/original/file-20211115-25-15ni0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Genealogy determining Indigenous identity doesn’t acknowledge Indigenous people as socio-political groups.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Understanding what makes a person Indigenous is complex. There are the obvious sources of indigeneity, such as kinship and receiving cultural teachings from Elders and knowledge keepers, that are established at birth and strengthen throughout a person’s life. </p>
<p>Other customs and traditions include adoption of non-Indigenous people by Indigenous families. <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcca/doc/1993/1993canlii1258/1993canlii1258.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAUYWJvcmlnaW5hbCBhZG9wdGlvbiAAAAAAAQ&resultIndex=3">Adoption is a long-recognized practice across many nations</a> that has resulted the adoptees learning the language, cultural teachings and values necessary to be a part of that nation. </p>
<p>Whether an adoption is valid is an issue for the nation into which the person has been adopted in to decide. </p>
<p>There are also examples of <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/non-indigenous-cousin-in-fort-william-gets-full-first-nation-membership/article34558143">communities who have granted non-Indigenous people full membership</a>, based on criteria that the First Nation has established. Fort Williams First Nation in Ontario made Damien Lee a full member, which means he is entitled to vote in elections, run for office and to benefits provided by the First Nation. </p>
<p>He grew up on reserve, and while he is non-Indigenous and therefore does not have status according to the Indian Act, the First Nation has exercised its legal jurisdiction over identity and recognized him as a member.</p>
<p>The critical question at the heart of this issue is how to distinguish between fraudulent claims and legitimate ones. The answer lies with the nations. </p>
<h2>Jurisdiction as a human right</h2>
<p>As self-governing nations with <a href="https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/aboriginal_rights/">constitutionally recognized Aboriginal rights</a>, Indigenous people should be the only authority when determining who is part of their nations. It should be based on their own criteria, as it was before the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-act">imposition of the Indian Act</a>. And nations should have the jurisdiction to enforce the laws they develop. </p>
<p>With that in mind, Article 33.1 of the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)</a> recognizes that “Indigenous peoples have the right to determine their own identity or membership in accordance with their own customs and traditions.” </p>
<p>Now that Canada has passed <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/u-2.2/FullText.html">legislation setting out a framework for implementing UNDRIP</a>, Indigenous nations need to be recognized as the authority for determining who is Indigenous. UNDRIP does not automatically remove Canadian authority over identity, so the government will need to take action to ensure existing legislation recognizes Indigenous jurisdiction in this area. </p>
<p>Both the Canadian government and non-Indigenous experts need to relinquish the authority they have assumed. A failure to do so will continue the discrimination and systemic violence faced by Indigenous people. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A copy of the Indian Act is burning." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432063/original/file-20211115-13-1843ur3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432063/original/file-20211115-13-1843ur3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432063/original/file-20211115-13-1843ur3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432063/original/file-20211115-13-1843ur3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432063/original/file-20211115-13-1843ur3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432063/original/file-20211115-13-1843ur3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432063/original/file-20211115-13-1843ur3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A copy of the Indian Act burns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Assimilative policies</h2>
<p>Since Confederation, Canada’s <a href="http://caid.ca/Dassimilation_policy.html">assimilative policies</a> have actively worked to strip Indigenous Peoples of their identity and deny Indigenous jurisdiction. </p>
<p>The federal government has dictated who is an “Indian” through the <a href="https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1100100032463/1572459644986#chp4">status definition in the Indian Act</a> and recognizes “the Indian Registrar [as] the only authority under the Indian Act who can determine a person’s eligibility for Indian status.”</p>
<p>These policies are <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indian-act-sex-discrimination-un-committee-1.4982330">discriminatory</a> and have led to the denial of indigeneity based on <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/knowyourrights/Indian%20status%20slides.pdf">blood quantum</a> and other arbitrary criteria such as <a href="http://www.caid.ca/GraCivAct1857.pdf">marriage, university education or joined holy orders</a> to the forceful removal of Indigenous <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-ends-birth-alerts-1.5648940">children from their families</a> into <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/the-sixties-scoop-explained">non-Indigenous homes</a> and residential and <a href="https://irshdc.ubc.ca/learn/indian-residential-schools/indian-day-schools/">day schools</a>.</p>
<p>The result is thousands of Indigenous Peoples being traumatized by not knowing who their families or communities are, making it extremely difficult to reconnect. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stolen-identities-what-does-it-mean-to-be-indigenous-podcast-ep-8-166248">Stolen identities: What does it mean to be Indigenous? Podcast EP 8</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The funding policies of the federal government — whereby resources and service delivery are concentrated to status Indians living on-reserve — <a href="https://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/research/publications/policy-brief/the-grim-reality-of-canadas-biggest-policy-failure.php">serve to create and maintain a scarcity mentality</a> that reinforces colonial approaches to identity and undermines <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/june-2021/indigenous-self-government-in-yukon-holds-lessons-for-all-of-canada/">self-governance</a>. </p>
<p>If the current trend continues, whereby individuals’ claims to indigeneity are going to be interrogated by non-Indigenous people, based on criteria established by non-Indigenous perspectives, Indigenous Peoples are going to face even greater barriers in reconnecting with their families and communities, and decolonizing efforts will suffer. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://theconversation.com/ca/podcasts">Click here to listen to Don’t Call Me Resilient</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A better solution to the issue of fraudulent claims is to support Indigenous nations and their jurisdiction over identity. </p>
<p>This approach aligns with the UNDRIP and supports the right to self-government. Indigenous nations have been the authority on who they are for thousands of years, it is time their jurisdiction over this be recognized.</p>
<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/0852759a-64d4-486d-b2a2-f03218246133?dark=true"></iframe>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-572" class="tc-infographic" height="100" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/572/661898416fdc21fc4fdef6a5379efd7cac19d9d5/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171470/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cheryl Simon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Those quick to call-out are often not clamouring for Indigenous nations’ jurisdiction over citizenship, nor are they demanding “pretendians” be held accountable to Indigenous nations.Cheryl Simon, Assistant Professor in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1706972021-11-03T13:28:21Z2021-11-03T13:28:21ZWhy pollution is as much about colonialism as chemicals — Don’t Call Me Resilient transcript EP 11<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429636/original/file-20211101-19-13mwul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=246%2C32%2C5125%2C3532&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In this episode, two Indigenous scientists offer a different theory of pollution — one that includes colonialism at its root. This understanding may help us make a better future. Here, logging activities in Australia. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Matt Palmer/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/66dc0014-35a5-41ed-b787-822c8d92ff3b?dark=true"></iframe>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-572" class="tc-infographic" height="100" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/572/661898416fdc21fc4fdef6a5379efd7cac19d9d5/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-pollution-is-as-much-about-colonialism-as-chemicals-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-11-170696"><strong>Why pollution is as much about colonialism as chemicals</strong></a>.</p>
<p><em>NOTE: Transcripts may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print.</em></p>
<p><strong>Vinita Srivastava (VS):</strong> From <em>The Conversation</em>, this is “Don’t Call Me Resilient”, I’m Vinita Srivastava.</p>
<p><strong>Michelle Murphy:</strong> The question is like, how are you working towards building something else? So when it comes to pollution, it’s not just documenting that pollution is colonialism, but thinking what could be a different theory of pollution. That’s about making the world I’d rather be in.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> We’ve all seen the images and the streams of plastic washing up on shorelines. Those are the plastics that end up in the guts of birds and fish in our food systems and eventually settle into our bodies. Our guests today are both Indigenous scientists who say we will never get rid of industrial plastics and chemicals. Yet they are surprisingly optimistic. They both run labs to address our climate crisis and say bringing an Indigenous understanding to environmental justice is necessary to moving forward. Learning to accept, live with and even love the parts of us infused with industrial toxins is part of it. The real key, though, comes in the redefinition of pollution and chemicals to include colonialism at its root. To understand that our rain is laced with both toxic chemicals as well as racism. Max Liboiron joins us from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. They are Associate Professor in Geography at Memorial University and the author of <em>Pollution is Colonialism</em>. Their work focuses on plastic pollution and marine food webs. </p>
<p>Also here is Michelle Murphy, who is part of an Indigenous-led environmental justice lab at the University of Toronto. They are a professor of history and women and gender studies and a Canada Research Chair in science and technology studies and environmental data justice. Welcome to both of you. </p>
<p>This episode already feels special because we generally don’t have guests that know each other as well as you two do. You two are more than just academics. I know there’s a deeper relationship here. Murphy, you said that you felt lonely before you met Max.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Well, yeah, that’s very true. Max was the first person in academia that I met that had a similar biography to me that kind of came from a similar place that had to overcome obstacles in a similar way. And then working in a field science and technology studies and environmental justice. We both do that. But that field can be super white, and there were very few Indigenous people, even people of colour when I was younger in these fields. And so, you know, when I met Max, it was kind of life-changing. We also kind of look alike. We’re like the same height when we get like, we are collaborators, we have similar interests in like walking our talk. So like our work is not just words, but must be actions. And so I really learn so much from Max in terms of like the practise and method side of trying to do anti-colonial feminist work. And yeah, well, you know, you see kind of pictures of us. We almost look like twins or siblings are, you know, we’re definitely relatives of some kind. We just don’t know how.</p>
<p><strong>Max Liboiron:</strong> The best compliment is at conferences when people mistake us for each other. And I’m like, “Yes, that is methodologically appropriate.” Although if you actually want to talk to Murphy, they’re like over there.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> It’s very true. Yeah, so we are we have been on a journey together about how to run labs, how to do a kind of anti-colonial environmental justice work and how to be a person in universities which are very, you know, racist and how to live as human beings in a good way. And so as a connected and deep project.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> I love the story of the two of you because at first when you hear that you guys are connected in this way, it sounds like, Oh, is there a mentorship or? But the mentorship clearly goes both ways.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Definitely.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yeah, I feel like we’re more twins, right? Even to the point where I had health issues the other day and I was like, I should call Murphy to see if they had the exact same symptoms for this.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> So talking about your work a little bit, I think everyone listening has an idea what pollution is, but both of you see it slightly differently than most. And so I’m wondering, Murphy, can you tell us what pollution is?</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Well, Max has really helped me understand how pollution is an expression of colonialism. How it’s a disruption to land-body relations. It is premised on property and, the kind of we could say, white supremacists, claim that the state or companies can put violence into the world without responsibility for that violence. When that violence hits particular kinds of people’s communities’ bodies, that it’s kind of OK to kill up to a certain level that may be the other way is, you know, we’re tempted to think about pollution in terms of measuring carbon dioxide in the air or a particular kind of, you know, nasty chemical. And we are kind of taught by the sciences, by the predilections of a government that pretends to regulate pollution, but doesn’t. That pollution is, you know, small chemicals and hard to see and difficult to get a handle on. But pollution is really something that’s infrastructural. It’s extensive. You can see plumes in the air. People feel it inter-generationally. It is something that’s in our roads, our pipelines. It’s connected to our consumption. It’s in the factory, it’s in the refinery, it’s in the laws. So pollution is also something that’s very extensive. It’s not just a particle in the air, it’s a whole way of arranging a condition of living. And so that is also what pollution is.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> And over time, I’ve come to understand through Murphy’s work that pollution isn’t just, you know, the substance that is causing harm and those harms, but also the finances that enable that and the corporations and the regulations that let certain things be seen. And other things just can’t be seen because, you know, certain types of knowing can’t ever see those things and the people in the events and the spirits all tied together, not as a sort of network that has like different balls and nodes. But as the same thing, right, as the thing. Not these things aren’t in relationship. They are the thing. And so when we say chemical, you mean all of that, that big ball of wax. And so that’s why I like these little tweaks like, let’s decolonize data collection, or like, let’s change how much pollution is allowable. Like that does not impact that giant nugget at all. Right. And so you actually need a very different approach if you’re going to address those things.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> Well, let’s talk a little bit about that approach. Like that voice might have been the well-meaning environmentalist. What do you think that well-meaning environmentalist misses when they don’t understand pollution in this way?</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> So I have a big section in my book, and I know Murphy has a lot of experience in this too, which is that if you skip over colonialism, then you think things that are good and well-intentioned are automatically not colonial. But if you say do a beach clean up and you go on to Indigenous land and you clean that beach without permission, that’s not Indigenous access to Indigenous land for non-Indigenous schools, even though it’s benevolent, and that is colonialism. So there are the things that count as good and well-intentioned and benevolent and environmentalism are frequently, almost ubiquitously also colonial. Like hydroelectric power. Well, that’s actually putting methylmercury into Inuit fish around here or right? There’s all of these sort of environmental goods that are also colonial bads.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> You were asking about what does the kind of good environmentalists do where they and that they don’t kind of realize they’re kind of implicated in colonialism? Well, that simple environmental position might be: let’s go to the state. Let’s go to Canada, the Canadian state or the U.S. state, and try to get them to regulate companies and prevent their pollution. But what that’s not thinking about is that state is a settler-colonial state, that what that action is doing is affirming settler-colonial jurisdiction over land and life and including Indigenous land and life. And so, pollution becomes colonialism too by the habit of trying to fix pollution is always affirming the settler state and that settler state along with the company. And you know, here in Canada, the settler state began as a company. It began as the Hudson’s Bay Company. In the United States, it began as the Massachusetts Company. Here in North America, the settler state is built out of colonial charter companies. And so the relation between the state and companies is very, very tight. The state is made to enhance and support the company. And so when these two things are kind of working together, you know, they are part of a legacy of saying they have an entitlement to disrupt land and life. The company and the state work together in there, affirming their entitlement to have no accountability and their right to just disrupt land and life with their actions. And that can be genocide, that can be taking kids away. That can be all sorts of things, and it includes putting pollution into the world.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> But that disruption can also be helping. Like beach cleanups and carbon credits. Those are still disruptive interventions on the part of the state that reaffirms the settler state and what counts as good and right and true.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> I guess even just who you’re negotiating with, I mean, which nation that you’re negotiating with?</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yeah, if your invaders bring in recycling, that’s not a net good. You’re still invaded. That’s still not great.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> And there’s a question of who has jurisdiction. Like, I live on the Great Lakes. This is Anishinaabe Haudenosaunee territory. What are the laws? Who has jurisdiction? Laws aren’t just rules. They’re ethical systems, they’re systems of responsibility. So the way the science is in the settler-state gets us to think about pollution is their physical objects. We kind of regulate them with law. But thinking in our territories and out of our own traditions of thinking, any relation, any physical relations, is also an ethical relation. It’s a responsibility. It’s not just an attachment, it’s not just an ecological connection. It is responsibilities between fish and water, between people and fish, between air and people, between peoples and peoples are both human and non-human. And so that comes out of a whole different jurisdiction, a whole different epistemology. It’s a whole different way of being. And so if we’re not affirming that, then I think we’re not doing anti-colonial work.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> Murphy, listening to you talk reminds me of reading some of your work and …</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Like the run-on sentences? </p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> Well, just how poetic it is. Sometimes you have this concept: alter life, which is, I mean, there’s just so many beautiful lines in the work that I’ve read of yours. Can you explain alter life? </p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> So alter life is the condition of having already been altered, but still being open to alteration. So in our particular condition right now, all of us on this conversation have been profoundly altered by colonialism. We’ve all been profoundly altered by heteronormativity. We all have particular persistent pollutants in our bodies that have been there since we were developing fetuses that have participated in our development as beings. So we live in a condition of being altered, and some of those alterations are incredibly injurious. Some of them kill us, but that alteration isn’t only negative. So we live in community. We might persist, despite colonialism. We take hormones on purpose in order to alter ourselves. So alterations both already happened, but it’s ongoing. And sometimes it’s consensual. Sometimes it’s non-consensual. Lots of times it’s happening to us and we’re navigating it. So alter life is about thinking about that, but trying to think about that in a way that doesn’t stigmatize for being altered. You know, in Canada, in the conditions we live of capitalism and colonialism and white supremacy, we tend to stigmatize and render disposable or as a site of further injury, any being or land that’s already been harmed. If you’ve been hurt, then we’ll pay you cheaper. If this land has garbage on it, let’s put more, then let’s concentrate the garbage there. We live in a world where certain people are rendered disposable and they have to have the burden of intensive violence is coming at them from many angles, the world hostile to their existence. So alter life also has an ethical commitment, which is to value altered life, to have a loving relation to think as sacred wasted lands, injured life, life that has been had to come into existence in relationship to colonialism or white supremacy. So, of course, that’s another twisting, long answer. Max is really good at, you know, one of the complementary things about thinking with Max is I give like really long sentences, and Max is really, really much better at putting it in a nutshell.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yeah, I make the bumper stickers and Michelle drives the truck. This concept of alter life has been really instrumental to my theory of change, my idea of how change happens and letting go of these purity politics that are very, very prevalent in mainstream activism, including environmental activism, which is like, well, if you work for the man, then you can’t possibly be doing activism. Or if an area has been so far altered, then it becomes the best place to have a sacrifice zone or something like that. And so I use the term compromise, which is heavily based on Murphy’s concept of alter life, which is that, yeah, sometimes you reproduce the crappy system you’re trying to change because there’s no outside of that system, and you can just release that to Jesus or whoever looks after that thing for you, that guilt. Because if there’s not, I mean, that’s just what’s going to be. So let’s go and let’s flourish in that compromise as opposed to feeling guilty about it. So I do some of my best activism as a university administrator for a colonial university on a place that has had one of the only successful genocides in Canada. Right? And that is where I’ve done my best Indigenous activism and I do anti-colonial science in a western scientific laboratory, and none of those are oxymorons. If you think about alter life in the way that Murphy talks about it, they just are. And you just got to get on with things.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> This idea that we are part of chemicals or chemicals are part of us or, you know, that it’s irreversibly changed us or changed our world. I mean, all of this could sound very, all of this could sound very negative, but neither of you focus on the negative. Can you talk a little bit about that, just continuously resisting and how you do that?</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> I don’t think it’s about not attending to the negative. I mean, I study plastic pollution. It’s super crappy. But at the same time, I don’t understand plastic as this evil, wayward pollutant that has run amok and we’re destroying the planet, which really misunderstands a lot of those relations. I understand it is really old relatives that were plants and animals that were minding their own business thinking about, “do I want to be crude oil or do I want to be a diamond? Don’t worry, I have another 10,000 years to make up my mind,” when suddenly they’re rudely ripped out of the ground, go into a cracking tower and are put into this service that is against their nature and against the sort of relations and the natural law, and now they’re bad relatives and we all have bad relatives. You can’t tell me your entire extended family is warm and fuzzy and doesn’t give you horrific, toxic problems, right? But they’re still your family. And so even if you’ve ostracized parts of your family, you still have obligations in relation to them and that really changes the playing field of relations as opposed to like annihilation as a relation which a lot of plastic pollution activism is based around. So it’s not about not dealing with the bad stuff, it’s about eating the bad stuff and being like, yep, that’s what it tastes like.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> I think too we are both influenced by some of the work of Eve Tuck. She talks about damage- versus desire-based research, and in environmental justice, it makes sense. You know, the state doesn’t care. The science is not lining up, right? The studies aren’t serving you. So what do you do? The habit is you then try to use your body and your suffering and represent that in order to prove environmental violence is happening, or colonial violence is happening and that mostly doesn’t work either. So then what we have is community after community documenting their pain, trying to represent it in report after report. And the university coming in and sucking those stories out of people, getting publications, getting grants, getting tenure out of the suffering of people. So desire-base work is a different theory of change. You know, first of all, it starts with nothing about us without us. And then the question is, how are you working towards building something else? So when it comes to pollution, it’s not just documenting that pollution is colonialism, but thinking what could be a different theory of pollution that’s about making the world I’d rather be in. So that can start with how you run your lab, how you collaborate, what your research is like, how you interact, how you treat each other, all the way up to how you represent the work, how you build community, how you build actions, how you support things beyond the university, like, for example, toxic tours or legal challenges or alternative systems of notification. Whatever it is, you’re trying to build something else that’s better, whether it’s something small or something technical as opposed to just sticking with we’re going to just show this violence in particular bodies. We know pollution is happening.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> You said the university uses these stories or this data or this info, and their kind of way to better their stature or their positions. But Murphy, you’ve also written about leveraging data for anti-colonial purposes. So can you explain what do you mean by that?</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> So the environmental data justice lab is Indigenous-led, Indigenous majority of the lab, and our work focuses on an area in Ontario called Chemical Valley, which is on Anishinaabe territory, and it kind of surrounds and is on the land of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, and the lab includes community members of Aamjiwnaang First Nation. So there is a lot of data that’s produced by the company in the state that is not adequate to the needs of addressing environmental violence in Chemical Valley. So one approach would be let’s make more data, let’s extract more numbers from bodies in order to show this violence is happening. Well, you don’t need to do that. You can just stand anywhere in Aamjiwnaang and the smoke is thick and you feel it in your skin and it’s every day and there’s an accident, a release of flare. So then what our lab tries to do is take this existing data that’s produced by companies, the state mostly, that is produced in a bad relation, and try to use it to show that pollution is colonialism, show the bad relations that are attached to data. And then can we attach data, like about air pollution levels or health information, that’s almost always treated in isolation of one another and reattach it to one another? Can we put it under the jurisdiction of Indigenous law and make that data work for people in a different way?</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> You’re both working within mainstream academic institutions and you’re both anti-colonial scientists. So I’m wondering how you navigate the colonial academic scientific institutions that you’re dealing with or living with.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> I think it’s similar to all BIPOC, queer, trans people manoeuvred spaces that are not built for them and are dominated by the, you know, an aggressive norm of a different kind. You code switch, you grift, you pass, you make a mess, you break things down, you leave out the back, you come back later with a different name. All of those things. You steal the stuff, you give it out. I mean, and all these things so much that you do what they ask and exactly what they ask, even though you think it’s dirty, you do all of those things, right? So I think the difference for folks like Murphy and I is that the more we progress in our career and the more autonomy and stability and the better we are at recognizing the unwritten rules, the bigger our jurisdiction gets in how we can do research in a very different way. So, yeah, so one of the most anti-colonial things I do in my lab, I think, is … so a lot of Indigenous nations in Canada cannot hold grant funds on their own because they’re not recognized to have “proper accounting.” So I hold the money and I do all the reporting and I do all the administration and all that sort of stuff. And that puts money and resources back into Indigenous life and land on their terms. I don’t even use the partnership model, which is one of the most exalted models for Indigenous-settler and academic things where, like you partnered together and your equals. I am not equals. I am their financial grunt.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> It’s a sovereignty model. You’re giving them or you’re allowing them to hold the power.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yeah, with the exception of extractive models, I don’t think there’s an inherently best way to do anti-colonial work. Yeah. And then I also, yeah, like I do research as a plastic pollution scientist with, you know, mostly Inuit plastic pollution researchers who may not have degrees and it doesn’t matter. And we make data together that answers their nations questions and needs, so that they can govern their lands in ways that matter to them.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> For maybe 30 seconds, we could just step back because I think that many people still believe that science is neutral.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> There’s this great article by Mary O'Brien from like 1999 that’s called <a href="http://faculty.washington.edu/skalski/classes/QERM597/papers_xtra/OBrien.pdf">Being a Scientist Means Taking Sides</a>, and she’s writing this as a scientist. And she says, as soon as I ask one question … there’s infinite numbers of scientific questions you ask. As soon as you ask this question, not that question, you’re aligned with some things and not others, some powers and not others, some interest and not others. Then you choose who you work with. Are you working with industry? Are you working with community groups? Are you working with nobody? All of those are political decisions. Then you choose your metrics. Are you using, in the case of pollution, assessments that allow certain amounts of pollution to occur through a threshold model? Or are you using alternative methods that measure harm in different ways? Those are political decisions. Who do you publish with? Where do you publish? Do you publish in that horrible MDPI or whatever it’s called … horrible conglomerate of journals? Or do you do open access? These are all about reproducing some goods and not reproducing other goods. There isn’t a single decision you can make as a scientist that isn’t political. How you deal with bias, whether you deal with bias, right? All of these things.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> So can we talk about your labs? You know, what does an anti-colonial lab … you mentioned a little bit about what it looks like. I’d love to hear a little bit about your labs.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381818/original/file-20210201-13-1g0n3ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://theconversation.com/ca/podcasts">Click here to listen to Don’t Call Me Resilient</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Great. Well, the lab that we run at the University of Toronto, which I co-run with Kristen Bos, who is another Métis Indigenous feminist scholar. It was inspired by Max’s lab in part, and we had Max come and help us set it up, and we spent like the first six months just figuring out how are we going to come together, be in good relation. What are our values? So the lab is not just like a lab where data is collected or like there’s some microscopes or something. It’s about kind of claiming a space inside the university and then asking how could we make that space operate differently? Can it have different ethics? Can it refuse extractive research? Who is going to be there? Is it limited to just students and professors? Who needs to be part of research? And so I think both of our labs start with these kind of really big questions about how to do research or do study in a good way or take action in a good way.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> Yeah. Who needs to be there is a good one. You know, the question about who needs to be there is really opening up space in a very different way.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yeah, I just had a tussle with HR about hiring a 16 year old who lives in the Arctic, but because he doesn’t have a degree, they’re like, “Oh, we can’t pay him what he’s worth.” I’m like, “Oh, let’s have a fight.” And luckily, the guy is now getting paid what he’s worth, but same deal. He’s an expert. There’s no one else who knows some of the things he knows, which is more valuable than degrees. So let’s pay him like an expert.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> And what’s his expertise?</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> His expertise is to where to get the gull eggs. We need gull eggs, where are they? I don’t know. Nobody knows. He knows.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> It’s invaluable for your work.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> My lab does three things at the same time. One is we study plastic pollution. The other is that we’re a collective, which means we’re bound by ethics and each other’s wellness, even when we don’t get along. And that takes a lot of work, and this is what Murphy also does in their lab. And then third, we’re a methodology lab. So like, OK, we have to take out the garbage. How do we do that in a way that is humble and in good relations? OK, it’s time to do my budgeting. How do I do it in a way that is accountable and in good relations? OK, it’s time to hire someone. How do I? … We only have one research question, which is how to be in good relations when we do this thing and we do it for everything,</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> We don’t imagine that we are going to fix the relationship between colonialism and fossil fuel violence in like a week or a year or a lifetime. So it’s also super important that besides the research itself, the other project is how to be together in a good way.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> Well, how can we on the outside support? And also, how do you think you can help spread this idea of anti-colonial science?</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Often when people ask me, like, where do I start? You know, my kind of answer is, you start where you are. And that means figuring out where are you? Whose territory? What’s the histories, what’s the presences? What’s the jurisdiction? What’s the law? Who are you responsible to? And what are you responsible to that you haven’t been taught? And that work of figuring out where you are is the first step. You know, and you have to do that in order to begin the process of being in good relation and understanding your responsibilities to colonialism, which is really different across different people, different sites, different lives.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yeah. So I’ve been working in this province of Newfoundland and Labrador for seven years, and it took me four years to get invited to Labrador, which is a mainly an Inuit and Innu and part of the province. And that was because I had to do my homework and I had to show up in a good way until they invited me without me bugging them or asking them. And that also involved a lot of problems where I brought Métis and First Nation ideas of Indigenousness. And yeah, those are not the same as Inuit. Holy crap, are they not the same, right? So. Yeah, and that took five years, but our work is so good and so tight now because I took the time and I did that, what Murphy was talking about, I would call homework, right? Doing your homework.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> So it’s partly about doing homework and understand, you know, educating oneself. But it’s also about starting a relationship with, you know, the nations or the nation or the communities of where you are living.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yes and no. I mean, in many ways, those are the same things, but it’s, it’s … I would not say that it is necessary or even desirable to reach out to Indigenous communities as an academic. In fact, I would say just don’t. Just work on your own discipline in your own area and how it benefits from colonialism and how it’s related to local things and is already, you know, totally enwrapped in those things. That’ll take you at least five to seven years. And when you’re done that, you will probably realize that maybe you are not the best person to go bother Innu Nation or something like this, right? And or they will kick your butt if you try that. Or not answer your calls or, you know. So, I mean, and sort of in line with the like, actually, it’s not inherently good to go to Indigenous partnership. I also don’t think it’s inherently good and I don’t feel the drive to share what an anti-colonial science should look like. I model it. If people want it, they knock on my door. I provide a lot of videos and blog entries and protocols and open source things, so that people actually don’t need to talk to me directly because I’m busy like doing the work.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Because there’s no universal recipe. That’s why you have to start where you are and figure out where are you and what are your responsibilities? And so, you know, when you say Vinita about building relations, like the relations … it’s not about building relationships, it’s about figuring out what your responsibilities are and then beginning to act on them in a good way and then relationships emerge out of that.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> Yeah, I think what a lot of academics don’t understand when they talk about building relations is that they already have them and they are 99 percent not good. And they were there before you showed up and you’re still participating in them. So actually, you don’t have to build them. They are super strong and solid. And maybe actually you want to change them.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Yeah, maybe you got to stop some of them and take them apart and do some dismantling. That might be some first actions.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> Thank you very much for taking the time today to be here.</p>
<p><strong>MM:</strong> Thank you. Our pleasure. It’s good to see you, Max, as always.</p>
<p><strong>Max:</strong> You, too.</p>
<p><strong>VS:</strong> My mind is blown after speaking with Murphy and Max, not only are they brilliant, they’re poetic, too. I’d love to hear what you’re thinking after that conversation. I’m on Twitter at WriteVinita. That’s @WriteVinita. And don’t forget to tag our producers @ConversationCA. Use the hashtag #DontCallMeResilient. And if you’d like to read more about Indigenous environmental justice, go to <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca">TheConversation.com</a>. We have all kinds of information in our show notes with links to stories and research. Finally, if you like what you heard today, please help spread the love. Tell a friend about us, or leave a review on whatever podcast app you’re using. <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em> is a production of <em>The Conversation Canada</em>. It was made possible by a grant for journalism innovation from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The series is produced and hosted by me, Vinita Srivastava. Our producer is Susana Ferreira. Our associate producer is Ibrahim Daair. Reza Dahya is our incredibly patient sound producer and our fabulous consulting producer is Jennifer Moroz. Lisa Varano leads audience development for <em>The Conversation Canada</em> and Scott White is our CEO. And if you’re wondering who wrote and performed the music we use on the pod, that’s the amazing Zaki Ibrahim. The track is called “Something in the Water.” Thanks for listening, everyone, and hope you join us again. Until then, I’m Vinita. And please, don’t call me resilient.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170697/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Colonialism is manifested by the way pollution impacts the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Two Indigenous environmental scientists discuss how they’ve overcome obstacles in their research.Vinita Srivastava, Host + Producer, Don't Call Me ResilientLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1693122021-11-01T16:26:51Z2021-11-01T16:26:51ZA vote for Canada or Indigenous Nationhood? The complexities of First Nations, Métis and Inuit participation in Canadian politics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426764/original/file-20211015-30-1w2i4o0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C0%2C4876%2C3245&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">For some Indigenous people, participating in Canadian elections continues the legitimacy of the Canadian state</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/election-2021-no-shows-and-no-interest-leaders-may-regret-ignoring-indigenous-voters">question of Indigenous participation</a> in Canada’s elections <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/unreserved-heads-to-the-polls-1.5314954/why-are-some-indigenous-people-reluctant-to-vote-in-federal-elections-1.5315048">is repeatedly in the news</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-election-2021-results-1.6224306">Nunavut held its territorial election</a> on On Oct. 25, and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-general-election-results-2021-1.6182364">Canada’s 44th federal election concluded</a> earlier this fall.</p>
<p>Some of the likely reasons it was <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-election-canadas-next-government-should-shift-from-reconciliation-to-decolonization-and-indigenous-self-determination-166225">top of mind recently are reconciliation</a> and the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/canadas-residential-schools-were-a-horror/">number of unmarked graves of Indigenous children</a> found at Canada’s most notorious attempt at getting rid of Indigenous Peoples: “<a href="http://www.7generations.org/we-need-to-stop-calling-them-schools/">Residential Schools</a>.” </p>
<p>The question of Indigenous participation in Canadian electoral politics is one that is constantly debated among First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples. I don’t think many Canadians consider whether or not Indigenous Peoples should participate in Canada’s electoral process at all.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1439946544153833472"}"></div></p>
<p>When addressing this topic, it’s important to consider differing views and citizenship — <a href="https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=eim/issue9&document=p2&lang=e">especially because most research doesn’t</a>. Making up a small percentage of Canada’s electorate — <a href="https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1602010609492/1602010631711">4.9 per cent of Canada’s population</a> (this number doesn’t take into account eligible voters) — it is often argued that it is imperative that Indigenous Peoples vote <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/analysis-chasing-the-indigenous-vote-in-canada">in order to be heard and adequately represented</a>. </p>
<p>What is not considered in this conversation is the historical formation of the Canadian state and what “citizenship” and enfranchisement mean for Indigenous Peoples. As someone <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/1993/22226">who has studied this extensively</a> — let’s get into it. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1437782200318152710"}"></div></p>
<h2>First Nations citizenship</h2>
<p>When discussing First Nations citizenship, it is important to note that, like the term “Indigenous,” it is a blanket term that represents over <a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013785/1529102490303">50 different nations and confederacies</a> – all of which have different legal, political and socio-economic structures. </p>
<p>First Nations constantly remind Canada <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/october-2018/ottawa-must-talk-to-canadians-about-nation-to-nation-agenda/">of the concept of nation-to-nation relationships</a>, which inadvertently enforces the notion that they never agreed to being a part of the Canadian state in the first place. </p>
<p>As British colonies grew and formed the Dominion of Canada and subsequent confederation, <a href="https://www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articles/law/in-depth/2017/decolonizing-the-indian-act">citizenship and enfranchisement became a tool that attempted to erase and destroy First Nations</a>.</p>
<p>When citizenship and enfranchisement was <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/tomas-jirousek-why-some-indigenous-people-dont-vote-and-others-do">eventually given to First Nations people in 1960</a>, the reason for doing so was not to recognize a nation-to-nation relationship. It was <a href="https://www.ictinc.ca/indian-act-and-the-right-to-vote">because of the idea that Canadian citizenship would further integrate First Nations into Canadian society</a>, assist with socio-economic issues and <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/1993/22226">help Canada in continuing to ignore First Nations autonomy</a>, nationhood and their own citizenship.</p>
<h2>Métis citizenship</h2>
<p>For Métis men, Canadian citizenship <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/constitution/lawreg-loireg/p1t21.html">was granted by the Manitoba Act in 1870</a>. Their rights and identity as Métis were quickly eclipsed in the 1880s and ‘90s as <a href="https://acs-aec.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/646_AEC-CITC_8x8_EN_V13_LR.pdf">they were targeted and the tyranny of the democratic majority</a> was used to repel much of their recognition. </p>
<p>After the expansion of citizenship to Métis women in 1917, most Métis had to <a href="https://acs-aec.ca/en/publications-en/manitoba-and-canadas-north-west-founders-and-builders/">hide their identity, claiming to be Francophone, to avoid persecution</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://acs-aec.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/646_AEC-CITC_8x8_EN_V13_LR.pdf">Constitution Act of 1982 recognized Métis as a distinct group</a> that required inclusion and their rights be recognized. Since 1982, there has been strong movement on Métis recognition and their rights confirmed. </p>
<h2>Inuit citizenship</h2>
<p>For Inuit, <a href="https://electionsanddemocracy.ca/voting-rights-through-time-0/inuit-and-right-vote-case-study">Canadian citizenship was granted in 1951</a>, but the ability to vote or participate in electoral politics was denied well into the 1970s as <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-suffrage">ballot boxes and ballots were withheld from many Inuit</a>. </p>
<p>Inuit rights and territorial rights were heavily ignored until the 1980s. In fact, one could argue that granting Canadian citizenship to Inuit was less about giving the rights of a citizen and more about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/human-flagpoles-dark-story-behind-inuit-scene-on-2-bill-1.2632380">using Inuit as human flagpoles as Canada sought to solidify its claims of sovereignty in the Arctic</a>.</p>
<h2>A delayed recognition of citizenship means something</h2>
<p>For many First Nations, Métis and Inuit, Canadian citizenship did not and has not equated to belonging within the Canadian state but rather another form of degradation of Indigenous rights, recognition and nationhood. </p>
<p>For many, Canadian citizenship has been used to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/first-person-anishinaabe-vote-federal-election-1.6178236">further entrench Canadian sovereignty and legitimacy while ignoring Canada’s colonial legacy and ongoing settler-colonialism</a>. Canadian citizenship has been utilized in a matter that leads to misunderstanding, and a Canadian-centric view on nation-to-nation relations.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1439186309688422401"}"></div></p>
<p>For those who fall under the blanket term “Indigenous,” <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/the-irony-of-the-first-nations-vote/">participating in Canadian elections continues the legitimacy of the Canadian state</a>, a state that has unilaterally imposed its will, and its settler-colonial presence on not only their territories but also their nations and themselves. </p>
<p>Many <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/unreserved-heads-to-the-polls-1.5314954/why-are-some-indigenous-people-reluctant-to-vote-in-federal-elections-1.5315048">Indigenous Peoples opt to not participate for this reason</a>. </p>
<p>But those who choose to participate, do so as citizens of their nations; they do this as a way to not only remind Canada of the nation-to-nation relationships that continue to exist and as a way to bring change from within the very structure that has been used to erase them. A structure that taught Canadians to forget that Canada is built on over 50 different nations and confederacies that have their own political, legal and socio-economic structures that were never given up.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169312/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chadwick Cowie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Indigenous people who vote are reminding Canada of the nation-to-nation relationships that continue to exist and to bring change from within the very structure that has been used to erase them.Chadwick Cowie, Faculty Lecturer, Department of Political Science, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1685582021-10-28T21:24:06Z2021-10-28T21:24:06ZWant to reach out to an Indigenous scholar? Awesome! But first, here are 10 things to consider<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428028/original/file-20211022-22-s473e7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C0%2C1200%2C891&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jesse Popp is an Indigenous scholar who is regularly inundated with requests for input and assistance. Here she shares a few things you should consider before reaching out to an Indigenous scholar.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Jesse Popp)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/want-to-reach-out-to-an-indigenous-scholar-awesome--but-first--here-are-10-things-to-consider" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Although a wide diversity of world views exist, each having unique perspectives that can be complementary to one another, colonial forces have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0076">prioritized some world views and knowledge systems over others</a>. </p>
<p>Some governments, including the government of Canada, have sought to <a href="https://www.ictinc.ca/books/21-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-indian-act">forcibly assimilate Indigenous Peoples into colonial systems</a>. Despite the ongoing consequences resulting from assimilation attempts — <a href="https://nctr.ca/">like residential schools</a> and <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sixties-scoop">the ‘60s scoop</a> — Indigenous knowledge systems and ways of knowing stand strong. Currently, a powerful shift is happening as people collectively recognize <a href="https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/hr5431.doc.htm">Indigenous knowledge systems as equally valid and important</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-decides-whats-essential-the-importance-of-indigenous-ceremony-during-covid-19-159793">Who decides what's essential? The importance of Indigenous ceremony during COVID-19</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Indigenous knowledge systems are extremely diverse. They come from various <a href="https://native-land.ca/">distinct nations</a>, each with unique cultures and perspectives. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4138924">Indigenous knowledge systems are</a> place-based bodies of knowledge, practice, belief and ways of life that have been passed down through generations.</p>
<p>Sharing many philosophical and spiritual underpinnings, Indigenous knowledge systems, although strong alone, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19973.65763">can be woven with western knowledge</a> to provide <a href="https://www.waysofknowingforum.ca/dialogue-4">holistic and complementary understandings</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1442565370049699843"}"></div></p>
<h2>Indigenous people increasingly approached</h2>
<p>As people recognize the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12516">value in weaving knowledge systems</a> and move towards supporting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0005">reconciliation</a>, Indigenous Peoples and communities are increasingly approached. Unfortunately, the past has been fraught with non-Indigenous people attempting to <a href="https://www.ubcpress.ca/protecting-indigenous-knowledge-and-heritage">take Indigenous knowledges</a> with little thought to the impacts on communities. This is changing. </p>
<p>Non-Indigenous people are recognizing the importance of proceeding with respect, and increasingly reach out to Indigenous scholars or communities for guidance on how to do so.</p>
<p>Although more Indigenous people are being welcomed into scholarly roles with expertise that can help guide processes “<a href="https://conservation-reconciliation.ca/ethical-space-stream">in a good way</a>,” there are still very few holding these positions. Many Indigenous scholars forge ahead to passionately contribute to systemic change; however, as requests mount, and there’s not enough time to go around, we are stretched incredibly thin. </p>
<p>As more and more people reach out to Indigenous scholars, the pressures increase. That needs to change. So, as an Indigenous scholar who is regularly inundated with requests, I’ve come up with a few considerations to help those wishing to reach out to us.</p>
<h2>Before reaching out to an Indigenous scholar:</h2>
<ol>
<li><p><em>Do research first</em>. Is there a way you can find answers on your own? For example, from reading a book written by Indigenous authors, Googling or watching videos featuring Indigenous people sharing insights.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Recognize we have a lot of requests</em>. Although we want to help with as much as we can, we often have many requests. Please don’t be offended if we just don’t have time to interact. </p></li>
<li><p><em>Recognize we are not all the same</em>. <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/indigenous-diversities-each-nation-is-different">Indigenous Peoples are diverse</a>. We have unique cultures, values and traditions and will not give the same response. </p></li>
<li><p><em>Just because we are Indigenous doesn’t mean we know all things Indigenous</em>. Like other scholars, we are experts in a given field. We are not experts in all things Indigenous. </p></li>
<li><p><em>Think about your intentions</em>. Do your interests genuinely support reconciliation and prioritize the rights, values and ways of knowing of Indigenous Peoples? </p></li>
<li><p><em>Avoid box-ticking</em>. At all costs, avoid reaching out if the purpose is to tick a box (like making your grant more “Indigenous”). </p></li>
<li><p><em>Ensure your ideas include meaningful engagement</em>. We want to collaborate in meaningful ways. Never tokenize us.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Prioritize reciprocity</em>. Is what you have in mind of mutual benefit? Think about how we might be able to help each other. </p></li>
<li><p><em>Consider compensation</em>. As academics, we have a lot on our plates. External requests are often above and beyond the duties of our paid positions. We have personal lives too. Finding ways to properly acknowledge and compensate us for our time is important.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Know that our ways of knowing are as equally valuable as yours</em>. We may see through different lenses on some things, but our way of seeing and knowing is just as important as yours. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>It is important to embrace multiple knowledge systems and ways of knowing to improve our work, improve our communities, improve our planet and work towards righting the wrongs of the past. However, it is equally important to do so in a positive way. </p>
<p>Equally valuing one another and prioritizing respectful engagement can help make us stronger, see more clearly and better address some of the enormous issues facing us today.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168558/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jesse Popp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As people recognize the value in weaving together knowledge systems and move towards reconciliation, Indigenous Peoples are being increasingly approached.Jesse Popp, Assistant Professor, Chair in Indigenous Environmental Science, School of Environmental Studies, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.