Claiming Anishinaabe : decolonizing the human spirit by
Denied her Indigenous status, Lynn Gehl has been fighting her entire life to reclaim mino-pimadiziwin --the good life. Exploring Anishinaabeg philosophy and Anishinaabeg conceptions of truth, Gehl shows how she came to locate her spirit and decolonize her identity, thereby becoming, in her words, "fully human." Gehl also provides a harsh critique of Canada and takes on important anti-colonial battles, including sex discrimination in the Indian Act and the destruction of sacred places. "Gehl is at the cutting edge with her concepts and ideas... She is on a journey and documents it well." - Lorelei Anne Lambert, author of Research for Indigenous Survival "[C]lear, insightful, and desperately needed..." - Lorraine F. Mayer, author of Cries from a Métis Heart "[T]he discussion of the heart and mind knowledge, as well as the discussion on the Anishinaabeg Clan System of Governance, [are] major contributions to the research." - Marlyn Bennett, co-editor of Pushing the Margins
Decolonizing research : Indigenous storywork as methodology by
From Oceania to North America, indigenous peoples have created storytelling traditions of incredible depth and diversity. The term 'indigenous storywork' has come to encompass the sheer breadth of ways in which indigenous storytelling serves as a historical record, as a form of teaching and learning, and as an expression of indigenous culture and identity. But such traditions have too often been relegated to the realm of myth and legend, recorded as fragmented distortions, or erased altogether. Decolonizing Research brings together indigenous researchers and activists from Canada, Australia and New Zealand to assert the unique value of indigenous storywork as a focus of research, and to develop methodologies that rectify the colonial attitudes inherent in much past and current scholarship. By bringing together their own indigenous perspectives, and by treating indigenous storywork on its own terms, the contributors illuminate valuable new avenues for research, and show how such reworked scholarship can contribute to the movement for indigenous rights and self-determination.
Indigenizing philosophy through the land : a trickster methodology for decolonizing environmental ethics and Indigenous futures by
Land is key to the operations of coloniality, but the power of the land is also the key anticolonial force that grounds Indigenous liberation. This work is an attempt to articulate the nature of land as a material, conceptual, and ontological foundation for Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and valuing. As a foundation of valuing, land forms the framework for a conceptualization of Indigenous environmental ethics as an anticolonial force for sovereign Indigenous futures. This text is an important contribution in the efforts to Indigenize Western philosophy, particularly in the context of settler colonialism in the United States. It breaks significant ground in articulating Indigenous ways of knowing and valuing to Western philosophy--not as artifact that Western philosophy can incorporate into its canon, but rather as a force of anticolonial Indigenous liberation. Ultimately, Indigenizing Philosophy through the Land shines light on a possible road for epistemically, ontologically, and morally sovereign Indigenous futures.
Loss of Indigenous Eden and the fall of spirituality by
"The follow-up to his award-winning book The Knowledge Seeker, Blair Stonechild’s Loss of Indigenous Eden and the Fall of Spirituality continues to explore the Indigenous spiritual teachings passed down to the author by Elders, examining their relevance in today’s world. Exploring how the rise of civilization has been antithetical to the relational philosophy of Indigenous thinking--whereby all things are interrelated and in need of care and respect--Stonechild demonstrates how the current global ideology of human dominance, economic growth, and technological progress has resulted in all-consuming and destructive appetites that are damaging relationships between humans and the natural world. Most troubling is the loss of respect for spirituality so fundamental to Indigenous stability. There must be international reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, their culture and spirituality, Stonechild insists, if humanity itself is to survive."--Provided by publisher.
Decolonizing education : nourishing the learning spirit by
Drawing on treaties, international law, the work of other Indigenous scholars, and especially personal experiences, Marie Battiste documents the nature of Eurocentric models of education, and their devastating impacts on Indigenous knowledge. Chronicling the negative consequences of forced assimilation, racism inherent to colonial systems of education, and the failure of current educational policies for Aboriginal populations, Battiste proposes a new model of education, arguing the preservation of Aboriginal knowledge is an Aboriginal right. Central to this process is the repositioning of Indigenous humanities, sciences, and languages as vital fields of knowledge, revitalizing a knowledge system which incorporates both Indigenous and Eurocentric thinking.
George, C. T. (2019). Decolonize, then Indigenize: Critical insights on decolonizing education and Indigenous resurgence in Canada. Antistasis, 9(1), 73-95. Access here.
Tuck, E., & Yang, K. W. (2012). Decolonization is not a metaphor. Decolonization, Indigeneity and Society, 1(1), 73-95. Access here.
Fortier, C. (2017). Unsettling methodologies/decolonizing movements. Journal of Indigenous Social Development, 6(1). Access here.
Kennedy, A., McGowan, K., & El-Hussein, M. (2020). Indigenous Elders’ wisdom and dominionization in higher education: barriers and facilitators to decolonisation and reconciliation. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1-18. Access here.
Peach, L., Richmond, C. A. M., & Brunette-Debassige, C. (2020). “You can’t just take a piece of land from the university and build a garden on it”: Exploring Indigenizing space and place in a settler Canadian university context. Geoforum, 114, 117–127. Access here.
Csontos, J. (2019). Truth and decolonization: Filling the educator achievement gap darn it! The American Review of Canadian Studies, 49(1), 150-186. Access here.
Black, G. L., & Hachkowski, C. (2019). Indigenous learners: what university educators need to know. Journal of Further & Higher Education, 43(8), 1092–1108. Access here.
Gaudry, A., & Lorenz, D. (2018). Indigenization as inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonization: navigating the different visions for indigenizing the Canadian Academy. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 14(3), 218–227. Access here.
Battiste, M., Bell, L., & Findlay, L. M. (2002). Decolonizing education in Canadian universities: An interdisciplinary, international, Indigenous research project. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 26(2), 82–95. Access here.
Munroe, E. A., Lunney-Borden, L., Murray-Orr, A., Toney, D., & Meader, J. (2013). Decolonizing Aboriginal Education in the 21st Century. McGill Journal of Education, 48(2), 317–337. Access here.