Indigenous Initiatives: Project 57

The eagle flies the highest in the sky, and in a coast salish story people would seek guidance from the eagle to gain knowledge of faraway places. This representational eagle wing relief was created to bring the knowledge to students as they seek guidance in their studies. -- Marissa Nahanee

Introduction

Decolonization requires all of us to engage in learning and unlearning. The Decolonizing the Library Working Group (DLWG) invites everyone to learning alongside us with Project 57.  This project is a response to the TRC Call to Action 57, which calls on "federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples." Over the next 57 weeks the DLWG will share information about a topic related to Indigenous Peoples, communities, and culture. We’ll cover terminology, identity, SFU’s local Nations, and cultural events such as the powwow. Some weeks will cover the impacts of colonization and colonial policy, such as the Indian Act for example.  

Many thanks to MLIS Co-op student Caprice Pybus for their support in this project.

If there’s a topic you’re interested about, please email us at lib-arc@sfu.ca.

TRC Call to Action 57: 
We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism. 

Project 57

Week 36: Jingle dress story  

Sometime in the early 1900s the “Jingle Dress Dance began with the northern tribe Ojibwa” and later became well known in “Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario” (Sacred Springs Powwow). According to the story, the first Jingle dress was “seen in a dream” when a “medicine man’s granddaughter grew sick”, during the dream “his spirit guides ... told him to make a jingle dress for her” to dance in which “would heal her” (Sacred Springs Powwow). He made the jingle dress, “also known as a prayer dress”, and his granddaughter danced in it with the help of her tribe who “carried her” until she was “able to dance alone” (Sacred Springs Powwow). After some time, it is said that her jingle dress dance helped to cure her sickness, which may have been the flu.  

It wasn’t long before the Jingle Dress Dance was “federally banned” along with all “ritual dancing in the 1920s on reservations” (Sacred Springs Powwow). Today, however, the dance which “involves low, soft-footed steps, as could be performed by those who were sick” is “performed competitively and in ceremonies” in modern ways by “competitive dances [who] push the boundaries” of tradition (Sacred Springs Powwow).  

 For more information on the Jingle dress story, please consider the following resources:

Week 35: Orange Shirt Day & the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30th)  

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grass-roots movement started by Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation to acknowledge the harms inflicted on Indigenous peoples through the residential school system (Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre). Phyllis is a residential school survivor. On the first day, her orange shirt was stolen from her as the residential school system denied her individuality and culture and she was never able to wear it again (Phyllis Webstad). Orange Shirt Day honors the children who never returned home from residential schools, as well as their families and communities who continue to be impacted by the residential school system. Every year on September 30th, we wear orange to bring awareness to the harmful effects of the residential school system, the impact of intergenerational trauma, and to show support for every child because every child matters. We wear orange to symbolize the erasure of “culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations” (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Government of Canada). We wear orange to demonstrate and promote the concept that “Every Child Matters” because, even today, because systems of oppression continue. As stated succinctly by Erin Hanson:  

“The historic, intergenerational, and collective oppression of Indigenous Peoples   continues to this day in the form of land disputes, over-incarceration, lack of housing, child apprehension, systemic poverty, marginalization and violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA peoples, and other critical issues which neither began nor ended with residential schools” (The Residential School System). 

 

On July 20, 2021, the Government of Canada declared September 30th the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Each year, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30th.  

For additional information please check out the following resources:  

Week 34: Manoomin (wild rice) 

In Anishnaabemowin/Ojibwe manoonmin “is the word for ‘good seed’ or ‘good berry’ and is a wild rice, “a very valuable grain that has been used by the First Nations people from parts of North America, as food, for thousands of years” (Kawartha Lakes Public Library). While a culinary staple, manoomin is also “used medicinally” when mixed with “herbs ...  to make poultices” and ceremonially as a “spirit offering at funerals” or to “express gratitude to the spirit provider for the gift of wild rice” (Kawartha Lakes Public Library). Since manoomin has cultural and spiritual meaning beyond mere sustenance, “some Anishinaabeg communities” insist that it remain a “wild harvested food and not a cultivated crop” (Kawartha Lakes Public Library).  

Manoomin is a significant part of Anishnaabe culture and is embedded in “cultural identity” as a “sacred food” where even the “act of gathering wild rice is seen as a way to connect the natural world to one’s spirituality” (7 Generations). There are several key steps involved in harvesting wild rice: “parching, dancing, winnowing, and finishing” (7 Generations). After the rice has been “dried over a fire” during the “parching process”, it is “traditionally danced upon” like a human thrashing machine, to separate “the rice from the husks” after which the rice is then “winnowed” done by hand outdoors where the “wind” helps clear the lighter debris away from the heavier grains. The final “finishing” stage involves hand cleaning or sifting the rice to ensure it is clean before it is “ready to be stored or cooked” (7 Generations).  

Author Louise Erdrich of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians of North America writes in her novel “The Sentence” the following about wild rice:  

"Real wild rice is grown wild, harvested by Native people, and tastes of the lake it comes from.... Native people around here have a specific ferocity about wild rice. I’ve seen faces harden when tame paddy rice, the uniformly brown commercially grown rice, is mentioned, called wild rice, or served under false pretenses." 

(Louise Erdrich: 'The Sentence", pp. 105-106)

For more information about Manoomin, please consider the following resources:  

Week 33: Smudging

Smudging is a “sacred ceremony to most First Nations” (Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia) and Métis Nation (Fiola, 2015). Smudging is a significant aspect of Indigenous culture across Turtle Island, connecting people to “spirit and to the creator” using the “sacred medicines sage, sweetgrass, cedar, and tobacco” (Cecil Isaac, Fanshawe Institute of Indigenous Learning). It is important to recognize that each nation may not refer to this practice as smudging and that each may also have their own unique protocols and practices.  

Traditionally, one or more of the “sacred medicines are gathered from nature and burned” in an “abalone shell” or a “copper vessel”, and “each medicine will make a different amount of smoke” (7generations.org). Through burning the sacred medicines, the “smoke purifies the body, soul, and brings clarity to the mind” and is considered a way to “clear away negativity” (7generations.org). Like the practice of cleansing bodies with water, the smoke from burning sacred medicines “cleanses the spirit” (7generations.org). The act of smudging “allows people to participate fully in whatever event is happening later” or functions as a “separate sacred ceremony” (Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia).   

For more information, please consider the following resources:  

Week 32: The Three Sisters

In Indigenous agriculture, the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) are a form of sustainable farming “that involves the practice of intercropping or companion planting, where plants are grown next to each other for mutual benefit” (Indigeneous Climate Hub). The name “Three Sisters” is said to have originated with the “Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois” who “live in regions around the Great Lake in the Northeastern United States and Canada” (Native Seeds). The Three Sisters is a “traditional form of intercropping” that produces a “high food yield” and is “crucial to Indigenous food sovereignty and long-term food security” (Indigeneous Climate Hub). Robin Wall Kimmerer is a Potawatomi botanist and the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants in which she illustrates the interconnectedness and deep traditional history of the Three Sisters for many Indigenous nations.   

Three Sister Excerpt: Braiding Sweetgrass 

“I hold in my hand the genius of indigenous agriculture, the Three Sisters. Together these plants— corn, beans, and squash—feed the people, feed the land, and feed our imaginations, telling us how we might live. 

For millennia, from Mexico to Montana, women have mounded up the earth and laid these three seeds in the ground, all in the same square foot of soil. When the colonists on the Massachusetts shore first saw indigenous gardens, they inferred that the savages did not know how to farm. To their minds, a garden meant straight rows of single species, not a three-dimensional sprawl of abundance. And yet they ate their fill and asked for more, and more again. 

Once planted in the May-moist earth, the corn seed takes on water quickly, its seed coat thin and its starchy contents, the endosperm, drawing water to it. The moisture triggers enzymes under the skin that cleave the starch into sugars, fueling the growth of the corn embryo that is nestled in the point of the seed. Thus, corn is the first to emerge from the ground, a slender white spike that greens within hours of finding the light. A single leaf unfurls, and then another. Corn is all alone at first, while the others are getting ready” (p.154-5).  

Robin Wall Kimmerer, 

Braiding Sweetgrass

For more information on The Three Sisters, please consider the following resources:  

Week 31: Canoe families and canoe journeys 

A Canoe Family is like a team, made up of “pullers (paddlers), support crew, and oftentimes Elders and family” from a specific First Nation or Tribe (Chinooknation.org). Julian Brave Noisecat explains that “the traditional oceangoing canoe ... is a communal vessel” born from “old-growth cedar” and felled, carved, and “fine-tuned” by the community (Canadian Geographic). The cedar log is meticulously shaped with fire which hollows the core and then “shaped with an adze” utilizing “generations of master carvers’” teachings and knowledge (Canadian Geographic). Canoe families are more than those who paddle for the canoe journey as it takes a whole community and generations of tradition to make the vessel seaworthy. According to Chinook Nation, the traditional canoe journey was revived during near Seattle in 1989 the “100th anniversary of Washington Statehood” as a statement of Indigenous resistance against colonialism (Chinooknation.org). 

Canoe paddling journeys can extend over a month and are intertribal events that begin with the furthest nation, such as, the Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella, BC, who then travel down the coast stopping at their neighboring nation for the night, to celebrate and express gratitude by singing and dancing for their hosts (Chinooknation.org). Each day, the canoe families paddle forward to the next nation and “ask permission to come ashore to camp and sing and dance for their hosts” and each day of the journey adds more families. The journey to the host destination will often see over 100 canoe families “traveling together” (Chinooknation.org). 

The hosting nation welcomes the canoe families “to camp for a week to rest” and visit “with old friends” (Chinooknation.org). As a thank you, the canoe families “sing, dance, and offer gifts” and the host family ends the journey with a potlatch (Chinooknation.org). Aside from celebration, these gatherings provide space for “protocol and cultural sharing” whilst reviving canoe culture (Indiginews). While the canoe journey is a significant event for nations connected along the Northwest Coast, canoe families have also come together to protest the oil and gas industry, such as in the waters by Seattle in protest of Shell Oil in 2015 (Washington State University). Georgina Island’s Vicky Wolske (Chippewas) says that canoe journeys are a means of “exercising our inherent rights to raise awareness about the concerns affecting our waters by being visible and conducting ceremony throughout our territory” (Orillia Matters).  

See also: Week 25: Cedar 

For more information, please consider the following resources: 

Week 30: Relationality  

Relationality is a foundational concept of Indigenous knowledge and philosophy. Citing Clara Sue Kidwell (1993), Sandra Littletree et al., explains how “expressions of Indigenous knowledge are the discernable manifestations of knowledge—the nouns that are created when we exercise our relationships with the land, water, ceremonies, people, stories, teachings, and observations” (2020). Moreover, “these are the tangible and intangible objects, belongings, art, songs, words, and thoughts that may become part of the collections of information institutions” (Littletree, S., et al, 2020).  

Relationality is understood as interconnectedness and it is a “central core of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis worldviews and ways of knowing” (First Nations Pedagogy). According to Dudgeon, P., & Bray, A., “Indigenous relationality is recognized as the life force, and that which supports and nourishes life” (Indigenous Relationality: Women, Kinship and the Law, 2019). Dr. Amy Shawanda (Odawa Kwe) explains how “Our Indigenous Knowledge comes from all living beings, and we honor them and reveal their importance within songs, stories, ceremonies, and within our laws. This is what creates the Relational Accountability of our relationships, thus causing us to be aware of our roles and our responsibilities to each other and to the living world” Nda-nwendaaganag (All My Relations).  In essence, the idea of relationality posits that we are all interconnected and, as Littletree et al, citing Shawn Wilson (2008) expresses, that “we all exist in relationship to each other, the natural world, ideas, the cosmos, objects, ancestors, and future generations, and furthermore, that we are accountable to those relationships” (Littletree, S., et al, 2020). 

Another way to understand relationality is through the phrase “All my relations” as detailed by Thomas King in the introduction to the Indigenous short story collection, “All My Relations: An Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Native Fiction”. King illustrates how

"'All my relations' is at first a reminder of who we are and of our relationship with both our family and our relatives. It also reminds us of the extended relationship we share with all human beings. But the relationships that Native people see go further, the web of kinship to animals, to the birds, to the fish, to the plants, to all the animate and inanimate forms that can be seen or imagined. More than that, “all my relations” is an encouragement for us to accept the responsibilities we have within the universal family by living our lives in a harmonious and moral manner (a common admonishment is to say of someone that they act as if they had no relations)."

– (Thomas King, All My Relations: An Anthology of Contemporary Native Fiction, p. ix.) 

See also: Land based pedagogy 

For more information on relationality, please consider the following resources: 

Week 29: Land based pedagogy

Land-based pedagogy is rooted in a “respect-based worldview of the land” (Land as Teacher, UNESCO). Danielle Cherpako explains that “land-based learning typically uses an Indigenized and environmentally focused approach to education by first recognizing the deep, physical, mental, and spiritual connection to the land that is part of Indigenous cultures” (MAKING INDIGENOUS-LED EDUCATION A PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITY: The Benefits of Land-Based Education and Programming (2019)). Land-based pedagogy, or land-based learning has a “place-based learning focus” that “bridges connections between Indigenous and scientific worldviews” through an exploration of the “interconnections within all of Creation” (LearninTheLand.ca). It is not about learning outside or treating land as a resource, instead “land-based education is relational and focuses on understanding how knowledge connects to and comes from land, including water, sky, and everything connected to them” (Land as Teacher, UNESCO).  

Land has meaning beyond material consumption. Instead of seeing the earth as something to exploit, such as land as resources or human beings as expendable, land-based pedagogy “changes people’s relationships to the land” illustrating the connection between the land, water, sky, animals, plants, etc., as more of a “familial relationship” (Land as Teacher, UNESCO). Dr. Alex Wilson, Opaskwaak Cree Nation, explains that Land based pedagogy “encompasses the preservation of culture, language and philosophy, and addresses the ramifications of colonization and “epistemicide”—the severing of Indigenous knowledge systems because of policies designed to limit or cut off access to food, sacred places, culture and language”(Land as Teacher, UNESCO). Land-based pedagogy contributes to “language and culture revitalization” and supports “local protocols, ceremonies, and cultural teachings” through “relation to the land” (LearninTheLand.ca). Mandi Reigh Elles (Métis) explains that “Indigenous stories, identity and worldviews are all tied to the land so our relationship with it means taking our responsibility of stewardship seriously” (Learning from the Land: Why Indigenous Land-based Pedagogy Matters).  

For additional information please consider:  

Week 28: Cold water bathing

Each First Nations community has its own cultural rituals and practices, so it is important to remember while there may be crossover and similarities between nations, there is no singular or pan-Indigenous cultural experience or identity. In many Indigenous communities, however, “water is considered sacred” and is treated as “more than a resource” because it is a “way of life and a crucial aspect of their cultural identity” (Native Women’s Association of Canada). The “interconnectedness between water, land, and all living things is deeply understood” by Indigenous peoples (Native Women’s Association of Canada).   

Cleansing baths known as cold-water bathing or spirit bathing “involve plunging into cold water” at minimum, however they also may include “using bundles of cedar...tobacco, sage, and sweet grass” (Indigenous Fellowship of Hamilton Road). Kuunajaad  (Jenny Cross) from Hlɢ̲aagilda  Haida describes “ocean baths” as a significant aspect of “cleansing your body, mind, and spirit” and for “cleansing away any unwanted negative energy that might be clinging to your body” (Haida Nation). While the cold water may come as a shock, it becomes a moment to center yourself, to feel your body and to also cleanse it, to connect with nature, to connect spiritually with your surroundings, to be present in the moment, and to feel gratitude for what you have. Anishinaabe water protector Autumn Peltier explains that “water is medicine” and not merely “a resource”, but a “basic human right” (Native Women’s Association of Canada). 

See also: Week 25 Cedar 

For more information, please consider the following resources:  

Week 27: Métis jigging

The Jig known as the “Métis Jig” is said to have begun in “the mid-1800's” in the Red River area and is “a combination of First Nations dance, Scottish dances, and French-Canadian character dances, as well as the reel, jig, and square sets (Canadian quadrilles)” accompanied by fiddle music (Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF)). The jig is a form of “step dancing” which is taught in Métis communities at young ages through participation, such as by watching and dancing with family members and friends at events. Moreover, jigs have an “energetic tempo” and “fancy footwork”, and sometimes certain unique “footwork moves” can be traced back to “identify the dancer’s family or community of origin” (MMF).  

The well-known Métis jig known as the “Red River Jig”, or “oyaache mannin” in Michif, accompanies a popular 1800s fiddle tune “known from Alaska to James Bay” (Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada). The music and dance that completes the Métis jig is emblematic of the blend of Indigenous and European cultures, such as the case for the song the “Red River Jig” is based on as it hails from Scotland. The dance steps of the “Red River Jig” are a unique combination of steps drawn from “Plain Indian footwork and Scottish, Irish, and French-Canadian dance forms such as stomps, quadrilles, reels, and jigs” (Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada). The Métis have long been heralded for their love of celebration, dance, and social activity, and the Métis jig is emblematic of a collective and plural community celebration.  

For more information, please consider the following resources:  

Week 26: Coast Salish

The term “Coast Salish” originally came into use to describe the peoples using the two dozen Salishan languages (Burke Musuem). It is used to refer to First Nations communities along the BC southern coast, Vancouver Island, Washington State, and Oregon (Kennedy and Bouchard, 2019). There are many Nations and communities who are considered “Coast Salish,” each with their own name, customs, and traditions, though there are strong cultural and kinship connections between them (Kennedy and Bouchard, 2019).  

Because of this diversity, it is important to learn about the Nation(s) where you are located. For example, as mentioned earlier in this series SFU is located on nine territories, all of whom are Coast Salish. It’s our responsibility to learn which communities and be able to name them during land/territory acknowledgements. This helps to change the misconception that there is one Coast Salish Nation or identity.  

According to Coast Salish Gathering, “the Coast Salish Peoples sacred inherent right is to restore, preserve, and protect our shared environment and natural resources in [their] ancestral homelands - the Salish Sea. Although each Nation is distinct and unique, there is a shared duty toward the land and the environment.” 

To learn more about the Coast Salish, please consider the following resources: 

Week 25: Cedar

Cedar is often “considered the most sacred of all evergreens” (Wish-Key). Hilary Stewart illustrates the wide range of uses that Northwest Coast First Nations have for Cedar, employing every aspect of the evergreen tree in varying ways, such as for carved poles, canoes, housing planks, posts, figurines, medicine, steam-bent wood for bentwood boxes, ropes, matting, clothing, basketry, sewing and much more (Stewart).  Given that Cedar could be used for nearly anything, it is no surprise that it also became incorporated into rituals. Stewart explains that the “cedar bark” was used in the cleansing rituals of the Kwakiutl (180). As detailed by Stewart, “both spiritual and bodily ailments were addressed with Cedar (180) and is integral to many healing, prayer, and ritual practices.  

Each Indigenous Nation has its own distinct cultural practices and cedar may play different roles or varying significance within their cultural and spiritual practices. The Huu-ay-aht Peoples have a Brushing ceremony which uses “boughs of cedar” to cleanse a space for ceremony and spiritual transformation (Huuayaht.org). A Brushing ceremony is a spiritual practice where “cedar branches are essentially used to ‘brush’ the body and purify the spirit” (Kim, et al). As the “most sacred of all the evergreens”, Cedar remains an integral asset to many First Nation communities.  

For more information on Indigenous uses of Cedar, please consider the following resources: 

Week 24: National Indigenous Peoples Day

Indigenous peoples have long celebrated their culture, history, and peoples during the summer solstice every year around June 20th to 22nd. On June 21st we embrace the opportunity to celebrate Indigenous Peoples across Canada and around the world. The summer solstice is a significant day to many Indigenous communities, while being the longest day of the year it offers a generous amount of time to learn about and engage with Indigenous knowledge, culture, and history in celebration of all the unique Indigenous Peoples and communities (York University).  

A day of recognition of Indigenous Peoples in Canada was first suggested by the “National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) in 1982. The first province “to establish June 21st as a day to celebrate Indigenous culture” was “Quebec ... in 1990” (The Canadian Encyclopedia). June 21st, 1996 was the first official celebration of National Aboriginal Day, and the name was officially changed on June 21st, 2017, to National Indigenous Peoples Day, “reflecting a national and international preference for the term Indigenous” (The Canadian Encyclopedia). There is no single Indigenous culture and June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples Day, offers us all a time to reflect on the places we live, the history of the people and the land, and to acknowledge and celebrate cultural diversity.  

Ten ways to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day (with examples):

1. Attend a local event

Consider looking for local events such as those listed at SFU: National Indigenous Peoples Month. 

2. Learn about Indigenous history

Spend the day learning about the Indigenous history of where you live, where you may have lived before, or where you work:  

  1. Check SFU Library’s page, Traditional Territories for information on First Nations in BC, the colonization of BC, and guidance on land acknowledgements. 
  2. A good place to begin is Native-Land.ca. 
  3. Decolonize your own backyard with Reciprocity Trusts. 

3. Learn about an Indigenous language

Learn about the Indigenous language of the communities where you live or work:  

4. Hear from Indigenous community members 

Learn what National Indigenous Peoples Day means to Indigenous SFU community members.  

5. Read Indigenous authors

Read a book or a graphic novel written by an Indigenous author. 

6. Watch movies by Indigenous creators and directors

Scroll to Indigenous Cinema: Directors  @ National Film Board of Canada, Indigenous-made Films Catalogue @ Reel Canada, or CBC recommends top 5 Indigenous films available free online.

View Indigenous films and documentaries through Curio. Watch Indigenous films on Criterion on Demand; choose “Indigenous Studies” from the main page or look up a title. Try out the free trial of Lumi to watch Indigenous films and TV shows before subscribing. Explore CBC Gem’s “Indigenous Stories” collection.

7. Listen to music by Indigenous music artists

Jump into the Indigenous Artists you should know Spotify Playlist or Songs of the Land: Tracing Global Pathways in Indigenous Music @ SFU 2019.

8. Experience Indigenous Art, Music and Dance practices

Get to know your Indigenous artistic community in the following ways:

9. Read and share Canada’s Action Plan in response to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. 

10. Read, reflect, and talk about the 10 Guiding Principles from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report with your family, friends, and colleagues.   

(Adopted from Indigenous Corporate Training INC, 2019). 

Week 23: Cultural humility

In an analysis of the concept cultural humility, Cynthia Foronda proposes the following definition of cultural humility: “In a multicultural world where power imbalances exist, cultural humility is a process of openness, self-awareness, being egoless, and incorporating self-reflection and critique after willingly interacting with diverse individuals” (2016). In this way, Foronda elucidates, “the results of achieving cultural humility are mutual empowerment, respect, partnerships, optimal care, and lifelong learning” (2016). Cultural humility is a means by which to recognize that each of us are different, come from different cultures, possess unique perspectives and opinions and that we all have equal place in this world, and to approach one another with openness, respect, and understanding.  

This is a way to flatten harmful hierarchies like racism, sexism, and homophobia and commit to mutually empowering one another to be themselves. Through openness and welcoming “diverse individuals” perhaps very unlike oneself, the learning process begins, “self-reflection and critique” become part of the process of learning and understanding the world and the diverse people in it. It is through continual learning through connection that hierarchical power imbalances can be flattened leading to “mutual empowerment”. Every interaction we have with one another presents a unique challenge to “harmful hierarchies” in that supporting racist, sexist, ageist, ableist, or homophobic practices maintains the hierarchy of harm, whereas personally acknowledging difference, recognizing privilege, welcoming diversity, self-reflecting on personal discomfort and growth, and working to mutually empower one another is the process of cultural humility and dismantling harmful power imbalances.  

For more information, please consider the following resources

Week 22: Bannock / fry bread

First Nations communities had been making bread without flour (aka, unleavened bread) for many generations. Before colonizers introduced wheat flour to Indigenous nations in North America, there was “lichen bread, corn bread, moss bread, cattail bread” and many more (NBCC). In an examination of pre-contact Coast Salish agriculture along the West Coast, Wayne Suttles describes how “eleven species of native plants were said to have grown in plots”, including “Camas” (known as “Kwetal”) and “Bracken fern” which “grew in abundance” and were used for making bread (Coast Salish Resource Management, 2005). According to Cheryl Bryce, a Songhees knowledge holder, "Kwetlal’s white bulb is a complex carbohydrate that becomes sweet when cooked” (How to Decolonize your Garden). Suttles adds, that the “roots (rhizomes) of [Bracken ferns] were singed and then pounded to convert the edible material into a dough that was eaten in that form or baked as a ‘bread’” (Coast Salish Resource Management, 2005). These unleavened breads were “cooked in open fires, on rocks, in sandpits, and in vessels” (NBCC). 

After contact, and the introduction of wheat flour to Turtle Island, bread began to be made using flour first acquired through trade. While bannock, either baked or fried, is a post-contact food, it became a necessity when access to traditional lands was prohibited (Consuming Colonialism). Facing starvation and forced to rely on the colonizer for sustenance, Indigenous nations continued to make bannock using cheap and readily available flour.  

The use of white or oat flour for bannock instead of “lichen” or “cattails” is one example of how the systematic disconnection from land immediately and directly impoverished Indigenous people (Consuming Colonialism). There is a tension in the white flour bannock because it provided sustenance for Indigenous communities when access to land was taken, and it is appreciated for that, but if not for the colonizer there would be no need for dependence on it. For this reason, it is important to recognize that not all Indigenous nations consider bannock as part of their culture or traditional cuisine.   

See also: Pemmican.

For more information on Bannock / fry bread, please consider the following resources:  

Week 21: Pemmican

According to Sophie Hicks, author of “Eating History: An Experiential Examination of Pemmican”, “The name of the food comes from the Cree, , which means fat/grease. Pemmican “has been a traditional food of many Indigenous communities in North America long before colonization” (ActiveHistory.ca). 

Pemmican is a mix of “dry meat, dried berries, and tallow” (Indigikitchen). Moreover, “traditionally, pemmican was prepared from the lean meat of large game such as bison, elk, deer, or moose (Saulteau First Nations). Saulteau First Nations explains that the meat would be “slowly dried in the sun or by fire until it was very hard”, then it would be “pounded” nearly into a “powder using stones”. Once pounded, the meat was then mixed with melted fat”, and occasionally combined with “dried fruits, such as blueberries, chokecherries, cranberries, or saskatoon berries” (Saulteau First Nations). The Manitoba Métis Federation explains that “pemmican could last for years before it spoiled” and is a “highly nutritious, filling and portable staple that has become symbolically associated with Métis history and the fur trade era” (Métis Federation).  

Since its creation, pemmican has long been used as a “travel and survival food”, aiding in survival through winter and in harsh conditions, and highly contributed to the survival of many early colonizers exploring North America (Homestead Rebel). The Manitoba Métis Federation credits the Métis as the “main suppliers of pemmican for those involved with the fur trade” and illustrates how the Métis’ “highly mobile” way of life was supported by their use of pemmican. (Métis Federation).  

For more information, even pemmican recipes, please check the following links: 

Week 20: Pow wow / powwow

Do you know what a pow wow is? This term is often misused to describe a meeting or gathering, but that is an example appropriation. A pow wow is a First Nations ceremony and celebration, where people from many different Nations come together to dance, sing, and drum. 

There are two types of powwow, private celebrations held within a Nation or community, and public ones that are open to non-Indigenous people. The Indian Act, a federal government law, banned the pow wow and other First Nations ceremonies between 1884 and 1951. Bee Millar writes for Indigenous Goddess Gang.com, and states that the restrictions of The Indian Act, banning First Nations from practicing their culture, “had lasting effects on [their] people” still seen in “generations today”. Even though an “amendment to the Indian Act” was made in 1951 allowing First Nations communities to hold Pow Wows and practice their culture and traditional ceremonies... it came too late”. Millar explains that the fear of practicing their culture for fear of punishment still affects Indigenous people today, some are even too “ashamed to participate and attend Pow Wows” and “because of this, numerous ceremonies and traditions and been lost and/or altered” (Millar, 2020). 
 
Today, at a public Powwow, “everyone is welcome to attend” and to “make new connections” and “to celebrate a way of life” expressed “through numerous dance styles, hearing the different songs and rums, engaging with Elders, meeting new friends and extended family, and acknowledging the lands of the region” (First Nations University of Canada Spring Celebration Powwow). Singing, dancing, and drumming are a major aspect of the Powwow, as “some songs are passed down generationally” (FNU of Canada). Often there are tradeshow style vendors for crafts, arts, and food such as bannock. And like the Canada Spring Celebration Powwow in Regina, SK illustrates in their program, there may be prizes awarded for best singing and dancing. 

Resources to learn more: 

Week 19: Potlatch

A Potlatch is a ceremony practiced First Nations living along the Northwest Coast and each have may have many unique functions and meanings. Often seen as a gift-giving exchange or celebration by outsiders, the potlatch has many culturally specific functions. William Lindsay who is from the Cree-Stoney Nations and is a retired educator from SFU, explains that “economic, political, social and cultural functions are fulfilled in the potlatch. Economically, the family who gave away surplus goods would be taken care of in the future during a downtime in their life” (The Potlatch, Paula Choudhury). Lindsay continues, stating that “most people don’t realize ... that economic, political, social, and cultural functions are fulfilled in the potlatch” (The Potlatch, Paula Choudhury). While practices may differ between communities, a Potlatch commemorates certain life events such as “a marriage, birth, memorial and other such memorable happenings” (The Potlatch, Paula Choudhury). Overall, the potlatch can be understood as a way for Indigenous communities to establish social understanding, cultural practices, and economic and political relationships through the recognition of life events but also the interconnectedness of the people.  

In 1884, the Canadian Government, seeing the potlatch as a threat, “as anti-Christian, reckless and wasteful of personal property” banned the ceremony in “an amendment to the Indian Act” (The Canadian Encyclopedia). The government’s ban on potlatch was an attempt to assimilate First Nations into a  and Christian way of life, completely failing to recognize the significance of the potlatch to the community. Truly failing to appreciate Indigenous ways of life and knowledge and instead seeking to control and erase.  

The potlatch ban was repealed in 1951, and while not entirely lost, the ceremony, “traditional Indigenous identities” and “social relations” have been “disrupted” and “damaged” (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Today, potlatch continues and is reinvigorated by access to traditional regalia, masks, and belongings which are often loaned out to First Nations community members for ceremonies, such as through the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC.  

To learn more about Potlatch, check out the following resources

Week 18: Appropriation or appreciation? What's the difference?

Cultural appropriation is the exploitation of a people’s culture. When a people’s traditional dress, music, cuisine, knowledge and other aspects of their culture” is used “without their approval by members of a different culture” it is cultural appropriation (Canadian Encyclopedia, cultural appropriation of Indigenous peoples in Canada). Indigenous people's culture, beginning with colonization, has been egregiously appropriated by other cultures and it continues today. It is a form of continued oppression and erasure, where non-Indigenous groups profit and benefit from the theft with complete disregard and a lack of respect for the people, the culture, and the oftentimes sacred knowledge. 

If a culture, a people, a community, anyone, seems lovely enough that we want it for ourselves, wonderful enough to steal from, we should instead take action to appreciate them, not to appropriate. We should appreciate the value of each person and their respective culture(s) and knowledge(s).  

Cultural appreciation is about “building relationships of respect and reciprocity where consent and active participation of Indigenous peoples can occur” (Skoden, Cultural Appropriation & Cultural Appreciation). It means “moving beyond stereotypes and towards an engagement with knowledge(s)” and making “the time and effort to do so” (Skoden, Cultural Appropriation & Cultural Appreciation).  

Cultural appreciation ensures that the originating culture maintains autonomy and self-determination over their traditional dress, music, cuisine, knowledge and other various aspects of their culture. Appreciation means respecting the peoples, the cultures, the traditions that are not “ours” and enjoying them as they are, while being sensitive to unspoken or unknown values, knowledge, and belief systems. It means taking the time and making the effort to recognize what we appreciate about other cultures in ways that are respectful and mutually enriching.  

For more resources on cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation please check out the following resources:  

Week 17: The Indian Act

Passed in 1876, the Indian Act combined previous pieces of legislation on “Indians” in Canada; it does not include the Métis or Inuit. This document “regulates Indians and reserves and sets out certain federal government powers and responsibilities towards First Nations and their reserved lands” (Joseph, 2018, p. 111). The Act has been referred to one of the most racist and paternalistic documents, and instigated gender-based discrimination against First Nations women. It has been modified over other years and is still current Canadian legislation. Bob Joseph’s (Kwakwaka’wakw) blog post 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act gives readers insight into how this Act, and the Indian Agents who enforced it, controlled every aspect of First Nation communities.  

For more on the Indian Act see Indigenous Foundations, The Indian Act, or the Canadian Encyclopedia, Indian Act. CBC’s podcast The Secret Life of Canada did an episode on the Indian Act in season two, or watch this interview with Bob Joseph talking about his book and blog post.

Week 16: Why do we call North America “Turtle Island”?

Using the phrase “Turtle Island” when referring to North America comes from Creation or Origin Stories of several Nations (Manitowabi, 2018), and it is also used by Indigenous rights activists” (The Canadian Encyclopedia). “Turtle Island” is part of a “larger creation story where the turtle supports life” as the earth and embodies the world, it symbolizes life and “relates to spiritual beliefs about creation” (Manitowabi, 2018). The image of the “turtle supporting all life” is an “emblem of respect for the environment” and a “symbol of autonomy” (The Canadian Encyclopedia). 

The creation story of Turtle Island is an origin story and varies among Indigenous communities, however each emphasizes the turtle as the symbol of life and earth (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Deadly Story explains that the story begins at a time “when the planet was covered in water”, “different animals all tried to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land, but they all failed”. The last animal left was the “muskrat” who “swam deep and remained under water for a long time” but finally “resurfaced with some wet soil on its paws”. Even though the muskrat lost its life after this effort, “Nanabush (a supernatural being who has the power to create life) took the soil and placed it on the back of turtle”. This action led to the formation of land and earned the name Turtle Island (Deadly Story).  

To learn more about Turtle Island please check out these resources:  

Week 15: Story of the Two Sisters (now sometimes known as the two lions) 

“According to the legend, Vancouver’s twin peaks, now commonly known as ‘The Lions’ were originally named Ch’ich’iyúy Elxwíkn’ (the Twin Sisters) long ago by a very powerful man known as the Great Tyee of the Caplianos” (Space Make Place). The Great Tyee of the Capilanos “ruled over the Capilano Canyon area” and was a “formidable warrior leader” having won many of his battles against other tribes.  

The story continues with his two daughters, who, upon celebrating their womanhood, were granted a wish by their father, anything they wanted they would get. The girls took this moment to ask for an end to the wars their father currently waged and for invitations of peace to be sent to welcome “all local tribes to a fabulous feast and joyous celebration” (Space Make Place). After the celebration was over, the wars ended, “and a lasting brotherhood was sealed between the warring tribes” (Space Make Place). Since “The daughters brought long-lasting peace to the area and the Great Tyee made them immortal by setting their memory forever in a high place in the mountains to watch over the Pacific Coast and the Capilano Canyon” (Space Make Place).  

If you are interested in learning more about the Two Sisters, please check out these resources:  

Week 14: scəẃaθən (Tsawwassen First Nation) 

scəẃaθən can be translated as “people facing the sea” (Declaration of Tsawwassen Identity & Nationhood) and their territory includes land in Delta, Richmond, Surrey, Langley, and the Gulf Islands, and the Nation has used the “watersheds that feed into Pitt Lake, down the Pitt River to the city of Pitt Meadows, where they empty into the Fraser River” since time immemorial (Our Nation, Tsawwassen First Nation). scəẃaθən village sites have been carbon dated to 2260 BCE (Tsawwassen First Nation Fact Book).  

Living along the coast and riverbanks, scəẃaθən have relied on local fisheries for their resources, such as salmon, sturgeon, crab, and eulachon. Like their neighbours, the Nation’s language is hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓, the downriver dialect of Halq’eméylem. 

In 2009 scəẃaθən signed the first modern treaty in B.C. after 14 years of negotiations. The Nation also became a member of the Metro Vancouver regional district. The Nation has partnered with Kwantlen Polytechnic University on the Tsawwassen First Nation Farm School.  

To learn more about Tsawwassen First Nation, check out these resources: 

Week 13: Semiahmoo First Nation

Prior to colonization, Semiahmoo “way of life was oriented to the sea” and today the Nation’s territory crossed the colonially created Canada-USA border (Semiahmoo First Nation). Closely connected to Lummi and Nooksack, Semiahmoo speak North Straits Salish and have traditional territory into Washington State as well as British Columbia (Semiahmoo First Nation). In 1846, with the signing of the Oregon Treaty, Semiahmoo became a trans-boundary nation (Semiahmoo First Nation). Members of the Nation were “forced to choose one membership between the Semiahmoo in Canada, and the Nooksack and Lummi in the United States (Semiahmoo First Nation). Semiahmoo Nation is historically not included on USA maps, not being a signatory of the Point Elliot Treaty (Semiahmoo First Nation). 

To learn more about Semiahmoo First Nation, check out these resources: 

Week 12: q̓wa:ńƛəń (Kwantlen First Nation) 

Kwantlen Traditional Territory include Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey, Langley, Mission, and the northernmost edge of Stave Lake (“Our lands”, Kwantlen First Nation).  q̓wa:ńƛəń translates to “tireless runner” and this is embodied in the Nations tireless work within their community (“Our culture and legacy”, Kwantlen First Nation). q̓wa:ńƛəń speaks hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, a dialect of the Halq’eméylem langauge group (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Indigenous Languages at KPU). 

Following the seven traditional laws of their ancestors (health, happiness, generations, generosity, humbleness, forgiveness, and understanding (“Our culture and legacy”, Kwantlen First Nation)), q̓wa:ńƛəń is “committed to environmental sustainability that preserves our natural resources for generations to come (“Our lands”, Kwantlen First Nation). As Les Antone shares, fishing has long been an important part of q̓wa:ńƛəń life and culture (First Nations of the Fraser: Kwantlen First Nation). Fish would be shared with all members of the community, making sure everyone was taken care of, and used in trade with other First Nations (First Nations of the Fraser: Kwantlen First Nation). In this way, fishing showed the wealth of the community (First Nations of the Fraser: Kwantlen First Nation). With the rise of commercial fishing, there’s been negative impacts on fish populations and the health of the river (First Nations of the Fraser: Kwantlen First Nation). 

To learn more about q̓wa:ńƛəń, check out these resources: 

Week 11: qiqéyt (Qayqayt First Nation)

Located in New Westminster, qiqéyt is the one of the smallest First Nations and currently without a land base. Chief Rhonda Larabee has been working on a land claim, noting in the 2003 NFB film that a land base is a legacy for the children and grandchildren of qiqéyt members.  

Formerly known as the New Westminster Indian Band, the community was removed from its land in 1916 during the McKenna-McBride Commission (About the Qayqayt First Nation), and the land subsequently was sold (Tribe of One, NFB). Upon the closure of the reserve in 1916 members were told to move, and the New Westminster Indian Band was dissolved. qiqéyt was reinstated after Rhonda Larabee received her status in 1994.  

To continue learning about qiqéyt, check out these resources: 

Week 10: q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie First Nation)

Located on the present-day municipalities of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Surrey, Langley, and Delta, q̓ic̓əy̓ territory centre is sq̓ə́yc̓əyaʔɬ x̌acaʔ, known as Pitt Lake in English. The name, q̓ic̓əy̓, means “land of the moss” in their traditional language hənq̓əmínəm̓. On their website, q̓ic̓əy̓ share that Swaneset’s sky wife directed them to gather moss for a village site foundation and from here she released eulachon into the Fraser River (Who we are). Θéləctən is the Ancestor for q̓ic̓əy̓, having been placed in the territory by Swaneset. 

Swaneset is referred to as the powerful benefactor who shaped q̓ic̓əy̓ territory into a reciprocal state where the lands, waters and people take care of each other (from Who we are).  The responsibility to care for the land that cares for them continues today, such as this example of the Nation’s restoration work on the Upper Pitt River’s Blue Creek Habitat. This project’s goal is to “build a healthier sustainable ecosystem for communities, specifically Chinook salmon.” 

To continue learning about Katzie First Nation, try these resources 

Week 9: Kwikwetlem First Nation

Kwikwetlem First Nation’s name translates to “red fish up the river,” referencing the sockeye salmon runs that flourished before the construction of the Coquitlam Dam (from Our People). Kwikwetlam Elders talk about the there being so many salmon in the river that it was difficult to navigate the waterway in their canoes. As shared on their website, “our name reflects the strong connection our people have always had to our lands, and the river and lake at the heart of our traditional territory.”  

Their territory is the Coquitlam Lake Watershed, where Kwikwetlem community members have lived for thousands of years. The land carries their history through place names and archaeological sites, and this history has been shared through oral traditions and family knowledge (from Our History). The whole of the territory was used, as people moved with the seasons and when resources were available, forming permanent and seasonal villages, maintaining ceremonial places, and resource sites (from Our History).  

Like neighbouring communities, Kwikwetlem traditionally spoke hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and it was regularly spoken by families until the 1940s (from Our Culture and Language). Today Kwikwetlem is engaged with language revitalization.  

To learn more about Kwikwetlem, take a look at these resources 

Week 8: səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) 

səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ is one of the many Nations referred to as Coast Salish, and they speak the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language. Their name means “People of the Inlet,” which tells of their long history in the area around Burrard Inlet. Like many Nations and communities, Tsleil-Waututh lived “by ‘seasonal round,’ a complex cycle of food gathering and spiritual and cultural activities.” (from Our Story) What this means is that səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ moved around their territory, going to where the resources were located. The Nation runs siʔáḿθɘt School, with the mission to “provide a culturally appropriate learning environment that nurtures the well-being of students, families and the community as a whole” (from About). 

 səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ’s territory “encompasses wilderness watersheds northwards to Mount Garibaldi, Coquitlam Lake in the east, and Howe Sound to the west.” (from About). In 2015, səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ “launched our independent assessment of the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker expansion (TMX), grounded in Tsleil-Waututh’s unextinguished law and contemporary policy” (from 8 Years On, Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust). In a post on the Sacred Trust website, it’s shared that the assessment continues to be a leading example of how a First Nation can apply its own law in dialogue with Canadian law, how a First Nation such as TWN expresses its jurisdiction, and how Indigenous-led assessments can present robust analyses that help us understand the impacts of a project beyond the limiting scope of traditional provincial or federal environmental assessments” (from 8 Years On, Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust). In August 2023, a book written by TWN Sacred Trust’s manager, Rueben George, titled It Stops Here was published by Penguin Random House Canada. The book is “A personal account of one man’s confrontation with colonization that illuminates the philosophy and values of a First Nation on the front lines of the fight against an extractive industry, colonial government, and threats to the life-giving Salish Sea” (from Penguin Random House). 

To learn more about səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ, check out these resources 

Week 7: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation)

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw territory include Burrard Inlet, English Bay, False Creek, and the Howe Sound watershed, with many people living in North Vancouver and West Vancouver (from About Our Nation). Úxwumixw is the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh word for village, though today the word is used for Nation (from About Our Nation).  

Prior to 1923 Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw was several different Bands (as defined by the Federal Government) with 26 reserves, and in 1923 it was voted on by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh members to come together and form Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (from About Our Nation). This past summer (2023) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw celebrated the 100 anniversary of amalgamation day.  

Their language is known as Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Snichim, and is part of the Salishan language family (from About Our Nation ; The Sníchim Foundation). Traditionally an oral language, a writing system for Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Snichim was developed in 1990 (The Sníchim Foundation). 

You may have heard about the Seńákw development in the news. This developing is taking place on the village site of Seńákw, near False Creek. It was “an important hub for trade, commerce, social relationships, and cultural practices” however the land was illegally taken away from the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh in 1913 to facilitate settlement of the area (from History of the Seńákw lands). Since the 1960s Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Úxwumixw has been doing the work necessay to have the land returned (from History of the Seńákw lands). In her podcast Land Back, Gitxsan journalist Angela Sterritt talks with Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh members in episode 5, A Village Burned, about Seńákw. 

To learn more about Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, check out these resources: 

Week 6: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) 

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm gets their name from the məθkʷəy, which was a flowering plant that grew in the Fraser River estuary (David Suzuki Foundation, 2022). Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm can be translated to “People from where the məθkʷəy grows” (Musqueam First Nation & MOA, p. 8). A sχʷəy̓em̓ (ancient history) about the place explains that the sʔi:ɬqəy̓ (double headed serpent) travelled from xʷməm̓qʷe:m (Camosun Bog) to the stal̕əw̓ (river), creating a creek. During this creation, everything passed over by the sʔi:ɬqəy died, and became the məθkʷəy (from Musqueam’s Story).  

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm’s territory includes Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Delta, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Surrey, and Coquitlam. Included in that are the UBC Endowment Lands and YVR Airport. (From Musqueam’s Story: Musqueam Territory). The community had many villages, the main winter village being at the mouth of the Fraser River, and people moved throughout the territory (Musqueam First Nation & MOA, p. 8). Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm speak hən̓q̓əmin̓əm, and have been working since the 1970s on language revitalization (Musqueam First Nation & MOA, p. 41).  

To learn more about xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, check out these resources 

Week 5: Skwxwú7mesh name for area around Burnaby Mountain

The names we know for the local mountains, rivers, lakes, etc. are typically the names given to them by settlers. Sometimes the names became Anglicized versions of the Indigenous language. These colonial names replaced the names Indigenous peoples knew and know these places by.  

Burnaby Mountain itself doesn’t have a name in Skwxwú7mesh, and Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw member Khelsilem shared this is because names were “based off sightlines from the water” and that “not every landmark had a name if it wasn’t part of the regular canoeing travel routes.” While commonly referred to as the name for Burnaby Mountain and the surrounding area, Lhukw’lhukw’áyten historically refers to the area of Barnet Marine Park. 

 So what does it mean? Khelsilem breaks the word down in a blog post. Lhúkw’ is the verb for “peeled off” and a related verb is Lhukw’un which means “to peel (something)”. Lhúlhukw’ay is the word for arbutus tree. For anyone unfamiliar with them, the bark on arbutus trees is always peeling off. Lhukw’lhukw’áyten then means “place of arbutus trees” (Khelsilem’s blog) or “where the bark gets peeled in the spring.” (Bill Reid Centre). 

For more information, check the resources: 

The next posts for Project 57 are going to introduce you to the Nations where SFU is located: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), Səmyámə (Semiahmoo), and sc̓əwaθən (Tsawwassen).

Week 4: Diversity of languages and language families in BC

In the previous posts we learned about how diverse the First Nations communities in BC are. In this post we’re going to learn about the languages in this province. 

You may have heard that many Indigenous languages are at risk, and communities are working to revitalize their language. The First Peoples’ Cultural Council (2018) writes that BC is unique regarding Indigenous languages with 7 (out of 12) language families being spoken. Within these families, there are 34 languages and 93 dialects spoken, and three languages that are considered sleeping. This means that half of the languages spoken by Indigenous nations and communities in this country are in BC. In BC, the languages nêhiyawêwin (Cree) and Michif (language of the Métis) are also spoken, with nêhiyawêwin being the most commonly spoken Indigenous language in BC. 

To learn more, check out these resources: 

Week 3: Urban Indigenous

You will sometimes hear Indigenous peoples be referred to as “urban Indigenous.” This phrase refers to Indigenous peoples who are no longer living in their communities and have moved to (or grown up in) an urban setting. It’s important to note that this phrase doesn’t include Indigenous peoples living on their reserve or settlement in an urban local, such as Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) which has reserves within Vancouver.  

 There are many reasons that Indigenous people live in urban settings: 

  • It’s where people were born and raised 
  • It’s where someone’s family is located 
  • Employment opportunities 
  • Access to health care 
  • Education opportunities  
  • Engagement with the justice system and incarceration 
  • Child welfare 
  • Social supports 

 (from the National Association of Friendship Centres) 

 For more information, check out these resources 

Week 2: Diversity of Nations in BC

As we learned in the first Project 57 post, across the country we currently refer to as Canada there are over 630 federally recognized First Nations, a vast Métis homeland, and 56 Inuit communities. The province of British Columbia is home to 203 First Nation communities, located on over 2000 reserves. Each community has its own culture, economics, teachings, and ways of being (Indigenous Corporate Training blog). Recognizing the diversity of First Nations in an important part in dispelling the myth or idea that there is one Indigenous experience or culture. 

However, unlike the rest of the provinces 95% of BC is on unceded land, meaning the First Nations did not sell, trade, give up, or lose in battle their lands. These lands were stolen by the colonial governments for the purposes of settlement. Many communities today are taking part in the modern treaty process.   

For more check out these resources: 

Week 1: Terminology

There are a lot of terms used when talking about Indigenous peoples, and it’s important to know how people want to be referred to. If you’re unsure, and you have a good relationship with the person you’re talking to, it’s best to ask. Also note that terminology preferences can be different person to person within a community. 

Aboriginal or Indigenous? 

In 1982 Aboriginal replaced “Indian” as the appropriate term for Indigenous Peoples in Canada (Vowel, 2016 [Métis]; Younging, 2018 [Cree]). In 2016 the federal government adopted Indigenous as the preferred term for all government communications (Joseph, 2018), and this term is gaining recognition in organizations and literature (Younging, 2018).  

Indigenous is used collectively to refer to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Canada (Joseph, 2018 [Kwakwaka’wakw] ; Younging, 2018), and is not intended to “imply homogeneity of culture or of linguistic representations” (SFU Aboriginal Reconciliation Council, 2017, p. v). It is important to recognize and acknowledge “that Indigenous peoples are diverse, multicultural, and multinational” (SFU Aboriginal Reconciliation Council, 2017, p. v). 

Chelsea Vowel cautions against using either Aboriginal or Indigenous in the possessive (2016, p. 8). Meaning, use Indigenous Peoples in Canada and not Indigenous Peoples of Canada or Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. 

First Nations 

This term replaced the use of Indian or Native in the 1970s (Joseph, 2018 ; Younging, 2018). It “refers to that group of people officially known as Indians under the Indian Act, and does not include Inuit or Métis peoples” (Vowel, 2016, p. 11). 

According to Younging, “the term has strong political connotations: it refers to separate nations that occupied territory before the arrival of Europeans” (2018, p. 63). It can be used to refer to a single community within a larger nation, such as Younging’s example of Westbank First Nation, which is part of the Okanagan Nation (2018, p. 63). Except when discussing a particular nation, the term is always plural (Younging, 2018).  

There are more than 630 First Nations in Canada, and approximately 200 Nations are in BC. 

Inuit 

The term refers to the Indigenous people living in the Arctic areas of Canada, Greenland, and Siberia (Joseph, 2018 ; Younging, 2018). The word Inuit is plural and means the people, while Inuk is singular (Joseph, 2018 ; Younging, 2018). 

Métis 

This term is used by many people in Canada, and in a few different contexts (Joseph, 2018 ; Younging, 2018). It often means “an Indigenous People who emerged during the fur trade from the intermarriage of people of European descent and people of Indigenous descent” (Younging, 2018, p. 67). Métis Nation Canada defines Métis as “a person who self-identifies as Métis, is distinct from other Aboriginal peoples, is of historic Métis Nation Ancestry and who is accepted by the Métis Nation.” The Métis Homeland includes: Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia (Rupertsland Institute, n.d.). 

Identity is complex, and there is a lot of debate around Métis identity and historic Métis communities. For more on the topic, read chapter four in Indigenous Writes (Vowel, 2016). 

Non-status 

The term used to refer to a First Nations person who is not registered under the Indian Act, and therefore does not have status (Joseph, 2018). This can be a result of losing status or having a parent or grandparent lose status, through either the Indian Act or another piece of legislation (Vowel, 2016). 

The Indian Act outlined a process of enfranchisement, where an “Indian” could give up their status to become a Canadian citizen (Joseph, 2018). Once enfranchised, the person could then vote, live off reserve, attend post-secondary school, hire a lawyer, become a doctor, or join the military (Joseph, 2018). If a man became enfranchised, his wife and children were as well (Joseph, 2018). By 1985 enfranchisement was removed from the Indian Act (Joseph, 2018).