Contrary to conventional wisdom and common practice in Canadian universities today, “Indigenous academics” are not faculty members who happen to have real or imagined Native ancestry (the two forms are equal under the law, by the way) . Being an Indigenous academic, for those of us who are, is a more serious matter that goes beyond glorifying one’s bloodline or tokenizing one’s status as an “aboriginal Canadian”. Indigeneity is a struggle, not a label. And for those of us who work in academia, accepting one’s indigeneity means a constant fight to remain connected to our communities, to live our culture and to defend our homelands, all the while fulfilling our professional duties inside what is, essentially, a central institution of colonial dominion. It’s a complicated and contentious existence, if it is done properly.
There are many post-colonials among us who believe that universities must change their structures, rules and cultures to accommodate the new presence of original people in the heart of whiteness, so to speak. I do not share this view; and not because I disagree with universities being the heart of whiteness! but mainly because I have come to realize the decolonizing potential of the creative tension of the Indigenous – University dynamic on both persons and collectives. I believe, after 14 years as an academic, that if we are to serve any useful role in helping our people survive and in decolonizing this country, we have to embrace, learn from, and teach about the discordant situation we find ourselves in because it simply reflects the broader reality faced by our people in their confrontations with the established order. Read the rest of this entry »
