Review: Living in Indigenous Sovereignty, by Elizabeth Carlson-Manathara with Gladys Rowe

Abstract

Living in Indigenous Sovereignty works to address white settler relationships with Indigenous Peoples and Nations. Elizabeth Carlson-Manathara, the principal writer of the book, grounds narratives by 16 nonacademic predominantly non-Indigenous activists who likewise grapple with settler and Indigenous relations in Canada. Carlson-Manathara argues that Indigenous-led social movements such as Idle No More and surfacing legacies of settler violence made apparent by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S) detail legacies of settler violence that were surfaced by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Carlson-Manathara argues that settlers reorienting to alliances with Indigenous Peoples and Nations can transform the lives of settlers beyond these relationships. This follows calls made by Indigenous activists in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the unsurprising discovery of hundreds of Indigenous bodies at former residential schools. While Indigenous activists and scholars have made these calls for a long time, these recent events have entered settler mainstream discussions. Living in Indigenous Sovereignty pushes settlers to center Indigenous epistemologies and to avoid the trap of settler guilt that is often present when the effects of settler colonialism enter into settler mainstream discussions. “Understanding a journey of decolonization can lead settlers to question and re-examine the foundations of their lives and identities” (pp. 26–27). Joining in Indigenous alliances for settlers enables further work for Indigenous activists to confront the violence of settler colonialism. At the core of Living in Indigenous Sovereignty is why and how such reorientations matter but also how these shifts occur simultaneously with Indigenous-led and centered movements of nation building and resurgence.The book is organized into chapters about how white settlers can be in alliance with Indigenous Peoples and Nations, and narratives by white people who have come to realize the personal and structural importance of these alliances. The chapters by Carlson-Manathara engage Indigenous critiques of settler colonialism, activist projects, and calls to action made by anti-colonial and Indigenous activists and writers. These chapters are meant to be the foundation in which settlers can meet the needs of Indigenous Peoples and serve a similar purpose, like most of the book, as consciousness raising. The narratives are personal reflections about how individual white settlers learn how to build and practice better relationships with Indigenous Peoples.The first chapter, “Settler Colonialism and Resistance,” serves as an introduction to the concepts of settler colonialism in comparison to other forms of colonialization. This includes discussing the impact that settlers have on Indigenous Peoples and political orders. Carlson-Manathara then pivots to discussing anti-colonialism and decolonization via Indigenous-led resistance as the only solution to confronting settler colonial violence. This chapter lays a foundation for understanding why settlers must work toward considering the harm they, intentionally or not, do. Not being cognizant of such harm “would mean more harm. It would mean accepting our social and cultural role as colonizer and continuing to reproduce this dynamic in the same ways we have and as fully as we always have” (p. 51), within a relationship meant to repair injustice. Carlson-Manathara argues for settlers to center Indigenous Peoples and epistemologies as part of the anti-colonial project. This becomes the central theme throughout the remainder of the book.The next chapter, “Orienting Toward Indigenous Sovereignty,” addresses the essential knowledge white settlers need to reposition themselves to be in alliance with Indigenous Peoples and their struggles. She names connections to Land, Indigenous stories, and engagements with Indigenous nationhood and resurgence as resources that white settlers can engage to learn how to practice better relationships. Her discussion on Land is one of the most significant contributions in the text given that it seeks to ground itself in Indigenous epistemologies with regard to Land. She notes of the impetus for connections of Land, “A number of Indigenous Peoples are asking non-Indigenous people to understand Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and to learn to connect to and love the land themselves so that they will be able to more effectively support Indigenous efforts to protect the land” (p. 118). Carlson-Manathara argues that white settlers should make connections with the Land, but limiting themselves to those connections is not enough. It requires all forms of engagement with Indigenous Peoples that she describes in the chapter.The chapter “What Indigenous Peoples Have Asked of Us” focuses on demands that Indigenous Peoples are asking of white settlers. The core themes of this chapter center on listening to and centering Indigenous Peoples, approaching these alliances with self-humility, and personal change. “A key dimension of decolonial work involves settlers working on our own personal transformations. If we forego this work and focus only on outward action, it’s likely that our support of Indigenous social movements will cause harm, as we will relate in settler-socialized ways and engage in re-colonizing dynamics.” (p. 203) Emphasizing self-transformation as part of anti-colonial projects is reminiscent of similar arguments made by women of color doing similar work.While Carlson-Manathara makes crucial and excellent points throughout the text, there are flaws in the text given the lack of intersectional theorizing. There is a lack of attention to how white settlers relate to Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (2017) argues in As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance, on the importance of centering Two-Spirt people in Indigenous resurgence, “If nation building is how we are going to decolonize, then we have to ask 2SQ people what matters to them. I’d add that we need to do more than consult. We need to listen, hear, and center 2SQ people in nation building” (p. 136). Given this, white settlers need also to listen and center Two-Spirit people when they’re building alliances with Indigenous Peoples. Carlson-Manathara’s omissions of Two-Spirit people is odd given that she extensively cites Simpson throughout the book. Additionally, she spends only a brief moment on Black or Asian people and their relations with Indigenous Peoples. This risks creating a settler-Indigenous binary, especially considering how race in Canada is much more dynamic than that. Despite these flaws, Living in Indigenous Sovereignty is a significant work challenging white settlers in how they practice their relationships with Indigenous Peoples. We need books such as Living in Indigenous Sovereignty that demand and show how non-Indigenous people can become better relatives with Indigenous Peoples.