Indigenous Voices Research Articles

Tracing the Maps of Our Lives: A Review of Apple (Skin to the Core)

AbstractSearing in content and ambitious in form, Eric Gansworth’s (2020) multimodal memoir, Apple (Skin to the Core), compels practitioners to widen the voices that students encounter in school and to position students as critical consumers of multimodal texts. Laced with images, prose, and repurposed pop cultural allusions, Gansworth’s memoir provides a model by which students can honor their own stories. This review highlights the importance of centering diverse Indigenous voices in school and community spaces while arguing for artistic creation as both an act and declaration of survival.

Cedar Project: Conducting Health Research with Indigenous Peoples in a Good Way

The Cedar Project is an interdisciplinary, community-driven research project responding to the crises of HIV and Hepatitis C infection and contributing to the healing of young Indigenous people who use or have used drugs. We are a collective membership of Indigenous Elders, health/social service experts, researchers, and non-Indigenous allies. We situate our work in the context of strength, resilience, and rights to self-determination for Indigenous peoples while also acknowledging the ongoing impacts of historical, intergenerational, and current trauma, specifically those related to the child welfare systems. We provide epidemiological and qualitative evidence that reflects Indigenous perspectives of health and wellness. In this paper, we highlight over seventeen years of shared learnings on conducting research with Indigenous communities in a good way. Specifically, we elaborate on four key components of our unique project. First, our paradigm is to build on young Indigenous people's strengths while acknowledging grief and historical trauma. We recognize that Cedar participants are not statistics—they are relatives of Indigenous partners governing this study. Second, our processes are determined by Indigenous governance, led by Elders and rooted in cultural safety. Third, our research ethics are determined by terms of reference created by the Cedar Project Partnership and by embracing guidelines of TCPS and community-based research. Fourth, we are informed by multiple perspectives and research relationships between Elders, partners, students, academics, and research staff. Sharing our learnings with the larger research community can contribute to decolonizing research spaces by centering Indigenous knowledges and privileging Indigenous voice.

Walking Many Paths, Our Research Journey to (Re)present Multiple Knowings

Indigenous peoples globally are seeking new ways in which to communicate and share our worldviews. Sometimes defined as resistance research, emancipatory research, decolonising research - our research (re)presents the multiple journeys in which we live and come to know. Emerging Indigenous research methodological approaches are centring Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, to privilege Indigenous voices that have been suppressed through colonization. The intricate weaving of Western methodologies with Indigenous knowledges evokes agency in two emerging Indigenous researchers (from Australia and Canada) and weaves a path of reconciliation between their diverse disciplines as well as the seemingly dichotomous knowledge systems they are challenged to work within. Using metalogue, a way of authentically bringing together multiple voices through dialogue, we discuss the creative and radical Indigenous methodological approaches developed and enacted within our PhDs. The paper will provide insights to the epistemological, ontological and axiological principles that inform emerging Indigenous approaches to research.

AMLO’s populism in Mexico and the framing of the extractivist agenda: The construction of the hegemony of the people without the indigenous voices

AMLO’s populism in Mexico and the framing of the extractivist agenda: The construction of the hegemony of the people without the indigenous voices

The Girijas case and its implications for the Sámi hunting and fishing rights in Sweden

The recent case by Girija Sámeby against the Swedish State, asserting its exclusive right to hunt and fish, has ignited many conversations. While the favourable treatment of the Sámi claim by the Supreme Court has elicited celebratory responses, the case has been considered a moment of reckoning for the broader Indigenous rights framework in Sweden. The initial claim by the Girija reindeer herding community that it had the exclusive right not only to hunt and fish but also to lease such a right to others has made its way to the Supreme Court and is now affirmed. Unsurprisingly, the court, faced with an unprecedented challenge of determining the remit of rights in the commercial realm, has fallen back on known doctrines, such as ‘immemorial prescription’, to resolve the case. Nonetheless, the underlying concerns for Indigenous rights over land, self-determination, sovereignty, and the postcolonial reconciliation process remain to be examined within and outside juridical spaces. Although recognition of Indigenous voice has witnessed some progress in the realm of the executive and the legislature, the judiciary is yet to develop a progressive jurisprudence concerning Indigenous culture, economic, and social rights. The Girija Sámeby case may well be the first of its kind where the judiciary is proactive in recognising the changing nature of Indigenous autonomy, self-determination, and economy.

Integrating Remote Sensing and Indigenous Archaeology to Locate Unmarked Graves

AbstractArchaeologists have long been called on to use geophysical techniques to locate unmarked graves in both archaeological and forensic contexts. Although these techniques—primarily ground-penetrating radar (GPR)—have demonstrated efficacy in this application, there are fewer examples of studies driven by Indigenous community needs. In North America, the location of ancestors and burial grounds is a priority for most Indigenous communities. We argue that when these Indigenous voices are equitably included in research design, the practice of remote sensing changes and more meaningful collaborations ensue. Drawing on Indigenous archaeology and heart-centered practices, we argue that remote-sensing survey methodologies, and the subsequent narratives produced, need to change. These approaches change both researchers’ and Indigenous communities’ relationships to the work and allow for the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in interpretation. In this article, we discuss this underexplored research trajectory, explain how it relates to modern GPR surveys for unmarked graves, and present the results from a survey conducted at the request of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation. Although local in nature, we discuss potential benefits and challenges of Indigenous remote sensing collaborations, and we engage larger conversations happening in Indigenous communities around the ways these methods can contribute to reconciliation and decolonization.

Indigenizing our research: indigenous community leadership in HIV epidemiology research.

The use of data intensive health research has allowed for greater understandings of population health. When conducting data intensive health research, engaging and involving the community is essential for conducting meaningful research that is responsive to the public’s needs. Particularly, when engaging Indigenous communities in research, there is a need to understand historical and ongoing impacts of colonialism and recognize the strengths in Indigenous Peoples’ knowledges and experiences while supporting Indigenous leadership and self-determination in research.This article describes the approach our research team/organization used to engage and involve Indigenous people living with HIV in three research projects using large, linked datasets and looking at HIV outcomes of Indigenous populations in Canada. The foundation of these projects was simultaneously: 1) supporting Indigenous people living with HIV to be involved as research team members, 2) developing research questions to answer with available datasets, and 3) integrating Indigenous and Western ways of knowing.We have identified important considerations and suggestions for engaging and involving Indigenous communities and individuals in the generation of research ideas and analysis of linked data using community-based participatory research approaches through our work. These include engaging stakeholders at the start of the project and involving them throughout the research process, honouring Indigenous ways of knowing, the land, and local protocols and traditions, prioritizing Indigenous voices, promoting co-learning and building capacity, and focusing on developing longitudinal relationships. We describe keys to success and learnings that emerged. Importantly, the methodology practiced and presented in this manuscript is not a qualitative study design whereby research subjects are surveyed about their experiences or beliefs. Rather, the study approach described herein is about engaging people with living experience to co-lead as researchers. Our approach supported Indigenous people to share research that addresses their research priorities and responds to issues relevant to Indigenous Peoples and communities.

Reframing the rural experience in Aotearoa New Zealand: Incorporating the voices of the marginalised

A scan of social research about rural New Zealand from the 1980s reveals power divisions which have muted the voices of ‘others’. Listening to these voices could transform how we manage the economy, sustain the environment and promote social well-being in future. Rural sociological attention in New Zealand has focused on the people and communities associated with land and resource-based assets, with little attention to the rural majority not engaged in primary production. Indigenous voices are also missing. As Jessica Hutchings argues, decisions on economic development, the environment and social services continue to uphold colonial hegemony as the dominant worldview in Aotearoa New Zealand. By being open to the perspectives of people normally ignored and particularly engaging with indigenous approaches, application of capital and power in development can be rethought and structural inequalities addressed.

Indigenous Theory is Theory: Whakapapa for Archaeologists

Drawn by their foundation in fundamentally ‘otherwise’ posthuman ethical and moral worlds, archaeologists have in recent years employed a number of indigenous theories to interpret archaeological materials. In this paper I consider the potential of New Zealand Maori whakapapa, loosely and reductively translatable as genealogy or ancestry, to become a strand of general theory in archaeology. The qualities of whakapapa which I feel have particular potential are its moral and ethical embeddedness and its insistence on multiple forms of relating. Importantly, whakapapa has an accessible indigenous voice. There is an extensive published literature, both Maori and non-Maori, academic and general, discussing, interpreting and applying Maori social theory, including whakapapa. In addition, whakapapa remains today fundamental to everyday and ceremonial Maori life. It is lived. Employing whakapapa as archaeological theory does not, then, depend on a having a specific authoritative interpreter. Here I have taken recent work by installation artist Maureen Lander as a forum to outline the key principles of whakapapa and to inform my discussion of whakapapa as archaeological theory.

Meeting People Where They're at: A Systematic Review of Financial Counseling for Indigenous Peoples

Since 1990, financial counseling, literacy, and capability services have emerged in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States (CANZUS nations) as practice-based approaches to support the economic participation and financial resilience of Indigenous peoples. This systematic scoping review of the published and grey literature explored how these programs have evolved and whether such approaches are effective. The review found an emerging movement toward Indigenous-specific practice, reflecting the growth of Indigenous voices in financial counseling practice and highlighting the critical case for embedding Indigenous knowledge and practices into program design and delivery. However, there was little evidence in this emerging field regarding the quality or impact of program delivery. A theoretical framework is needed to guide further research.

Traditional ecological knowledge in restoration ecology: a call to listen deeply, to engage with, and respect Indigenous voices

The United Nations heralded 2021–2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. A socioecological approach to restoration has been proposed that honors the diversity in ecological landscapes and their respective cultures and peoples with the goal of repairing degraded ecosystems. Indigenous peoples are intimately interconnected with landscapes, which are under mounting pressure from anthropogenic global environmental change. Article 31 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain, protect, and control their culture and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK); however, these rights have not always been acknowledged. We are concerned that large global restoration goals will continue to promote TEK extraction that further perpetuates inequities and discrimination of Indigenous peoples. If the restoration sector wishes to partner with Indigenous communities leading TEK efforts, it needs to understand established international agreements and proactively protect intellectual property and data sovereignty rights. To illustrate a theme of ethical engagement, we present risks to TEK integrity while highlighting engagement that has successfully promoted Indigenous leadership and self‐determination. We propose that a decade of responsible and respectful restoration will be achieved only with shared principles and an ethical code of conduct for TEK partnerships. We argue that deep listening with Indigenous peoples and engagement with humility and respect needs to be the starting point. Finally, we propose an Indigenous‐led workshop to re‐imagine and re‐develop equitable ways forward for TEK partnerships in restoration, with explicit considerations for the rights, livelihoods, and leadership of Indigenous peoples.

Designing an Indigenous Voice that empowers: How constitutional recognition could strengthen First Nations sovereignty

This article considers how a First Nations Voice to Parliament, if carefully designed, could strengthen the land-based sovereignty and autonomy of First Peoples in Australia. It critiques the proposals presented in the Indigenous Voice Co-design Process' Interim Report released January 2021 for its emphasis on the role of government and existing structures. It responds to Indigenous critiques of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, while arguing for a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament that respects and defers to First Nations' Country-based authority.

Resetting tourism post-COVID-19: why Indigenous Peoples must be central to the conversation

ABSTRACT There has been a proliferation of academic articles asserting that COVID-19 presents an opportunity to transform tourism. However, the impact on Indigenous Peoples and their involvement in a tourism reset has not received in-depth consideration. In this paper, we analyse the vulnerability and responses of Indigenous Peoples to the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the merits of an Indigenous rights-based approach to the reimagining of post-COVID-19 tourism. Indigenous Peoples are in a position of vulnerability in respect of COVID-19 due to several factors, not least because they are often in a socio-economically disadvantaged position as a result of colonialism and neoliberal policies. Meanwhile, they have been the subject of tourism interest, with versions of their culture offered up as part of tourism products, for many decades. In many contexts, Indigenous people have moved away from traditional livelihoods to dependence on the tourism sector, deepening the impacts of the loss of tourism on Indigenous communities. Our analysis confirms the need for Indigenous People’s wellbeing to be explicitly considered when reconstructing tourism post-COVID-19. This paper asserts that Indigenous voices are critical so that Indigenous aspirations are realised and can inform more resilient development for Indigenous Peoples in the future.

Affirming Aboriginal identities: art production in central Queensland

ABSTRACT Alongside Toonooba (the Fitzroy River) in central Queensland, Australia, a series of flood markers are embedded within the earth, commanding attention to the river that flows on one side and the colonial infrastructure of Rockhampton on the other. Honouring Land Connections is an artwork that asserts Indigenous voices, marks Indigenous spaces, and encourages visitors to engage in conversation with Indigenous culture and art. This paper considers Indigenous art as a form of social action. Firstly, it discusses the value of such art projects, and presents an Indigenous perspective of their meaning, addresses their role in creating and embodying culture and identity, how they express and share culture, along with collaborative approaches, and the importance of learning on and from Country. It concludes with a discussion of the political and cultural meaning created through art, suggesting that it is impossible for a public artwork like Honouring Land Connections to not be political. This article explores how art facilitates an interactive social space through which Aboriginal artists affirm, negotiate and share their identities while challenging preconceptions of place and identities reminding us that Aboriginal presence outlasts the moment of its production and imprints itself on the landscape and people’s consciousness.

Creating Spaces for Indigenous Voices within Planetary Science — Part 2

Creating Spaces for Indigenous Voices within Planetary Science — Part 2

Creating Spaces for Indigenous Voices within Planetary Science — Part 1

Creating Spaces for Indigenous Voices within Planetary Science — Part 1

‘More than a Thought Bubble…’

‘More than a Thought Bubble…’

Re-storying place: The pedagogical force of walking in the work of Indigenous artist-activists Émilie Monnet and Cam

Walking plays a generative and pedagogical role in the work of contemporary artists Émilie Monnet (Anishnaabe/French) and Cam (Innu/Québecois), both of whom work and live in the region known as a Tiohtià:ke to the Haudenosaunee, as Mooniyang to the Anishinaabeg, and as Montréal to many others. This article proposes that recent artistic interventions and participatory projects offered by Monnet and Cam infuse the international discourse about walking as a pedagogical force with their distinct perspectives as Indigenous women. They employ walking to reinforce their presence, to learn from place, to contest colonial narratives and exclusions conveyed by visual culture, to honour their ancestors, to indigenize collective memory by amplifying Indigenous voices and contributing to the re-storying of place, a concept inspired by Potawatomi environmental biologist Robin Kimmerer. Monnet is an interdisciplinary artist who combines theatre, performance, image and sound art as a performer, creator and director. She is also the founding director of Onishka, an mutlimedia Indigenous arts organization. Cam is a street artist and the lead coordinator of Unceded Voices, a street art convergence for artists who are Indigenous women, women of colour, queer, two-spirit and gender non-conforming. She is also currently the national coordinator of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective. With a shared awareness that the dynamics that comprise place are intrinsically relational and dialogical, the work of Cam and Monnet intervenes in the felt and seen world to reinforce their sense of belonging to this region. Walking is integral to their respective research, creation and collaboration that enables their work to contest dominant colonial narratives while honouring the contributions of those who have been disavowed.

A Weapon and a Tool

This article uses Indigenous decolonizing methodologies and Critical Race Theory (CRT) as methodological and theoretical frameworks to address colonial and racialized concerns about archival description; to argue against notions of diversity and inclusion in archival descriptive practices; and to make recommendations for decolonizing description and embracing redescription as liberatory archival praxis. First, we argue that extant descriptive practices do not diversify archives. Rather, we find that descriptive work that isolates and scatters aims to erase the identifiable existence of unique Indigenous voices. Next, we argue that while on one hand, the mass digitization of slavery-era records holds both the promise of new historical knowledge and of genealogical reconstruction for descendants of enslaved peoples, on the other hand, this trend belies a growing tendency to reinscribe racist ideologies and codify damaging ideas about how we organize and create new knowledge through harmful descriptive practices. Finally, working specifically against the rhetoric of diversity and inclusion, we challenge the ways archives claim diverse representation by uncritically describing records rooted in generational trauma, hatred, and genocide, and advocate for developing and employing decolonizing and redescriptive practices to support an archival praxis rooted in justice and liberation, rather than more palatable (and less effective) notions of “diversity and inclusion”.

Social Work, a Spiritual Kind of Work: Exploring the Experiences of Māori Social Workers

ABSTRACT Although Indigenous practitioners around the world emphasise the importance of spirituality in social work, epistemic injustices often perpetuate the neglect of traditional knowledge in everyday practices. This paper explores the experiences of six Māori practitioners who work from cultural perspectives in the New Zealand context. Since these individuals subscribe to Indigenous Māori philosophies, Kaupapa Māori Theory is an important part of this study’s epistemology. The research findings provide some unique interpretations of Māori spirituality while highlighting the value of Indigenous knowledge within the broader spheres of social work practice and education. IMPLICATIONS Social work practice is decolonised through culturally responsive methods and prioritising the Indigenous voice within Australian and New Zealand social services. Social work education is strengthened through the recognition of culturally responsive pedagogical frameworks within mainstream curricula and institutes.