An Open Letter of Apology
I want to apologize to members of the Native Youth Movement (NYM) and wider community of Indigenous activists and scholars for producing a research paper that was very colonial in content and form. I did a disservice to the NYM, Indigenous community and myself by producing a piece of work that was disrespectful and inherently a piece of falsification despite my good intentions, because of my ignorance at the time. I don’t want to make excuses; I wish I had done this work very differently.
The paper I wrote was a BA thesis on the NYM and related Indigenous activist scholars from my own perception. It was called: A Vision of Decolonization: an Analysis of the Native Youth Movement from Western Canada. I was supervised by two non-indigenous people with academic knowledge of the field of nationalism with extremely limited experience in working directly with Indigenous communities I was holding as research objects. Despite their good intentions and support of Indigenous rights, I messed up. That is very much the problem. I held the NYM as an object instead of allowing members to actively participate in the shaping of my project, and I did not in any meaningful way allow members to participate or critique my work. I failed in any meaningful way to have a participatory project. I was not pushed by my supervisors to use an ethical methodology and was myself too ignorant to look for one. Afterwards I publically presented my work. I apologize for all of this.
My project consisted of using internet and written sources that were publically available through Redwire and Warrior Publications, as well as using books from Indigenous scholars that I located. However, I used these sources in an ignorant, Eurocentric and disrespectful way that highlighted conflict and manufactured disrespect. I had no understanding of the human relationships underlying these writings. I insulted people I meant to build relationships with. This project was an absolute failure and injurious to actual people.
I want to specifically apologize to Taiaiake Alfred and Gord Hill for representing them without their consultation.
I didn’t really realize this until I took an Indigenous research methodologies class at University of Winnipeg and reflected on being called out by two Indigenous activists. It clicked in my head and I felt like an idiot. I also feel like my whole schooling is based on this injury and my presence in an Indigenous MA program based on this horrid previous scholarship. If I had never taken this program, I do not think I would have ever realized my faults in this case. What is worse is that I have waited so long to actually account for this, until the pile of uninformed actions and misbehaviour in my life is reaching a threshold. The positive is I can now begin to make amends.
In the future if I am to do research again and actually include Indigenous communities, I want to be supervised by Indigenous scholars. I will make sure any research on a community involves participation and consent of the community based on decolonizing and Indigenized research methods.
I’m willing to redress what injury I have caused, and I would value being contacted to put that into action. I want to build solidarity and a decent working relationship for the future with NYM members and other Indigenous activists, so that my existence in non-indigenous activists groups will not be a burden to organizing against colonization.
Alex Paterson
alexrevpaterson@gmail.com
Article in question:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/property-rights-the-nisgaa-pave-the-way/article1209809/
_________________________
On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 4:05 PM, Taiaiake Alfred wrote:
If you misrepresent my words again I will take action against you.
Saying that I don’t offer alternatives to First Nations poverty and suffering is a lie - I have published many articles and two books containing a whole plan for resolving these problems. Just because you don’t understand or appreciate my solutions doesn’t give you the right to say they don’t exist.
Again, you have proven through your ignorant and unethical writings that you are a know nothing tool of the Conservative Party posturing as an expert. It’s surprising that the Globe and Mail would publish anything you’ve written on First Nations issues, given that you have no training (BA degrees don’t stand up a as qualification) or experience on these matters.
_______________________________________
From: Joseph Quesnel [joseph.quesnel@gmail.com]
Sent: July 8, 2009 2:32 PM
To: Taiaiake Alfred
Cc: jstackhouse@globeandmail.com; nhassan@globeandmail.com; joseph.quesnel@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Quesnel article in G&M today
Dear Prof. Alfred:
I thank you for your feedback to my piece in the Globe and Mail. However, I will stand by everything I mentioned in my piece, including my criticisms of yourself. That is what we do in a democratic society. You may threaten as you wish. I offered my opinion about what your opposition to capitalism would actually mean for First Nation communities who have absolutely no access to economic opportunities.
My point was to stress as an analytical point that arguing for First Nations to avoid the economic mainstream and opposing any commercial development of indigenous territories is a recipe for disaster. You have criticized First Nations who do this in all of your books, including Wasase, and you have jeered at Calvin Helin, an indigneous proponent of First Nation development of traditiona lands. So, I think the criticism is valid.
You may argue for returning to traditional indigenous economic activities, but this will not allow First Nations to develop the capital necessary to enjoy the advantages of modern life, which they insist they wish to have.
If that is your solution or a commitment to statism, I believe those are not good solutions. The literature on developing economies has revealed that command and control economics or returning to self-sufficiency are not good systems to model.
I believe it is not fair for you to argue for them to live without modern capitalism.
Most jobs in this society are created in the private sector. First Nations have a right to an equal shot at these jobs. They cannot all be tenured academics, with all due respect to yourself.
If you think this makes me a stooge of the Conservative Party, then so be it. I am simply articulating modern economic thought. I am a part of a non-partisan, independent think tank that precludes me from holding membership in any political party of advocating any political candidacy. If you actually look at our website, you will see ample criticism of the Harper government (www.fcpp.org<http://www.fcpp.org/>).
I find it odd that you seem focused on formal education as the only qualifying factor for studying and commenting on Aboriginal issues. I would think someone who so opposes the “system” would have a more negative impression of “higher” education.
I have a B.A. and a master of journalism from Carleton University.
In terms of my experience, much of my experience in First Nation issues was learned through studying political science at McGill University, where I specialized in constitutional issues where indigenous issues were prominent. Second, my experience stems from over two years as editor of a national Aboriginal publication and over two years as a policy analyst researching indigenous issues, where I visited First Nation communities, spoke with dozens of leaders, and researched the Indian Act, all constitutional provisions pertaining to First Nations, and studied on-the-ground band politics.
For our Aboriginal Governance Index, I have travelled to well over 20 First Nation communities, spoke with hundreds of grassroots indigenous people (many of whom support the things I say) and leaders, and studied their structure.
I possess a master of journalism degree, where I also attended Senate and House of Commons committee that pertain to Aboriginal issues.
Anyways, that is a full account of my experience. No, I do not have a master of indigenous governance, although I am interested in the subject obviously. However, it silly to think that you need one to intelligently and truthfully discuss Aboriginal issues.
I would like to discuss this with you further if you wish. I wish you a great day and honest peace and the hope of reconciliation over this issue.
________________________________________
From: Taiaiake Alfred
Sent: July 8, 2009 10:47 PM
To: Joseph Quesnel
Cc: jstackhouse@globeandmail.com; nhassan@globeandmail.com
Subject: RE: Quesnel article in G&M today
Sekon Mr. Quesnel,
Your response engaging with one of the alternative pathways offered in my work validates my original point. In the G&M article you stated that I did not offer alternatives to capitalist development. I have never stood for people giving a false slant to my message.
As well, you miscast my message as strictly focused on returning to land-based traditional economies. While I certainly see this path as ideal in economic, cultural and spiritual terms, you ignore the practical realizations and heavy emphasis on higher education as a means of developing capacity and for generating the means of asserting political freedom that forms the core message of my book, Peace, Power, Righteousness.
Your interest in Indigenous issues is admirable, and your limited education (in the full sense, not the academic, though McGill University is hardly a place offering a real education about First Nations) and the short experience you have give you some ability to relate to these issues, obviously. But you have failed the first test of someone who has genuine knowledge of Indigenous cultural ways: you are speaking with a falsely claimed authority to a large audience even before you have listened enough to understand the basic perspective of First Nations people. This undermines any credibility you may claim.
By the way, I am not a member of a political party and I don’t advocate political candidates either, just like you and your colleagues at the Frontier Institute. But do you doubt that because of this I don’t have an affinity with and work in league with socialists, anarchists and Mohawk Warriors? Of course not. So spare me the “non-partisan” BS please. I’ve been in politics since the mid 1980s, and I know a capitalist tool when I see one.
I thank you for your respectful if ill-informed and badly reasoned response.
I wish you skennen, peace, and not “reconciliation” but realization.
Taiaiake
