An indigenous sense of land is about more than soil, plants and water.  It is an expansive sense of place - of all beings in relation to a place, from mineral to human, from Earth to sky.  It is everything, including the seen and unseen. It requires a consideration of those beings who came before, and who will come after us.

In our fourth session of the Indigenize or Die series, with our guest Doug Anderson we will explore what it means to have indigenous relationship with land in the city.

Doug is a founder of Naadmaagit Ki Group (NKG), which works to restore indigenous responsibilities to the land and water in Toronto.  NKG is working with urban indigenous people planting medicines, mound gardening, fighting invasive species, and supporting indigenous cultural learning on the land in the city.
Doug will take us on a visual and narrative journey along the part of the Humber River where this work has been taking place. We will then be challenged to ask:

• What are some of the implications of having indigenous relationship to land in urban settings?
• How does the restoration of this relationship relate to reconciliation, decolonization and re-indigenization?
• What are some of the exciting possibilities and challenges?
  
  

Rehana Tepjar will guide us through a process of self discovery identifying pathways forward to restoring our relationship with the land in Toronto, as indigenous peoples and allies, where we work as co-creators in the healing of our shared landscape. 

Let us leave as a legacy a journey begun, of restoration and hope for the future generations of this place where we live, from the deepest sense of place we can invoke.

Guest Speaker Doug Anderson
Doug (Métis) is the Creative and Strategic Director at Invert Media and a founding member of Naadmaagit Ki Group (NKG).  He has consulted on Indigenous education and community development across Canada for over  25 years. Since 2001, he has devoted much of his energy to the translation of Indigenous perspectives into diverse contemporary education systems and media.  He enjoys the challenge of designing and building new platforms for reflecting Indigenous knowledge.  Doug is committed to helping preserve these forms of knowledge within Aboriginal communities, and to ethically presenting them as crucial models for thinking and problem solving in the 21st century.  He has many years of front line experience in building learning opportunities for people of all ages and levels of learning.  Since 2013, he has been engaged in the practical development of urban Indigenous land-based learning and community re-integration models.

Guest Facilitator Rehana Tejpar, M.Ed.
Rehana is an artist-facilitator and co-director at bloom consulting strengthening creative and collaborative capacity in organizations and communities. Rehana is a practitioner of Art of Hosting, an approach to leadership that harnesses the collective wisdom and self-organizing capacity of groups. As a dancer and theatre artist, she facilitates storytelling through creative movement and theatre, using InterPlay and Theatre of the Oppressed, inviting people to tell their own stories, tap into their body wisdom, and re-imagine their worlds.

“Indigenize or Die” Series Curator Kevin Best
Kevin Best has focused on how to create a just and sustainable society through activism, innovative business and restoring Indigenous society for over four decades. Of mixed heritage, through adoption he self-identifies as Anishinabeg of the Martin Clan. He has worked with Indigenous people throughout Turtle Island, consulted to Greenpeace and pioneered green energy in Ontario. He is currently working on a start-up called Odenaansan (Village or “the little places where my heart is”), an integrated, culturally-based approach to restoring Minobimadzin (the good life) through sustainable food, energy, housing and water in Anishinabe communities. Passionate about decolonization and re-indigenization, he is committed to spreading understanding of these life-giving possibilities. He has recently joined Mayor Wilson as a Consulting Partner.

The Series: “Indigenize or Die”
The ship of global imperialism and colonization has hit an iceberg. While the majority of the world's inhabitants suffer the consequences of runaway capitalism and globalized war-making, the very few on the upper decks continue their party with business as usual, blissfully ignoring the realities. 
In this series, "Indigenize or Die," we deconstruct the myths of the dominant culture, explore a more truthful historical perspective and how that manifests today. Then, through the lens of decolonization and re-indigenization, we explore together possibilities for an ecologically sustainable and socially-just way forward. We ask, how can we ensure the survival of complex life on this land in accordance with its legitimate laws and the laws of Nature?  

The intent of the series is to weave an understanding of history and current reality into developing a practical "go forward" plan for this land. We will be joined by other Indigenous people from both here and elsewhere around Mother Earth throughout the year. ​

See below for reports of past sessions in the series.
See the resources page for more information and how to get involved.

​Shé:kon, Boozhoo, Greetings!

I want to say nia:wen goha/chi miigwetch/thank you very much for allowing me to come and share an evening with you all.  It was a very rich experience for me, as it sounded like it was for many of you.  I also want to acknowledge the organizers and co-facilitators, Natalie, Kevin and Kathleen, and everyone else involved in putting on Kairos’ The Blanket Exercise.  Although the night went longer than expected (apologies for lost sleep!), it was full of a wonderful amount of sharing.

As a result of not being able to go around more than once to allow people to process their experiences, I felt there were things I was unable to share with you.  First, as with any experience that is moving, disturbing or upsetting, I encourage you all to ensure you care for yourselves.  That can take many different forms: talking with trusted family and friends, a counsellor, create something such as a drawing or written piece, etc.  If you find you have questions, find those who are willing and able to share information.  I will include some possible resources at the end of this piece.

The second thing I wanted to address is the idea of reconciliation.  As I mentioned in the wrap up, it is normal to feel many different and difficult emotions when learning about Indigenous history that wasn’t taught in school, that you may have never been aware of.  Bear in mind that much of this history is ongoing – Indigenous children continue to be excessively over-represented in the child welfare system, Indigenous men make up more than 25% of federal inmates and Indigenous women 35% of federal inmates, and yet the total Indigenous population in Canada is only 4% of the total.  There are many things that continue to support systemic racism and structural violence against Indigenous people.  But this is where your awareness of history can aid in working toward reconciliation.

Reconciliation in Canada means different things to different people, and each needs to be acknowledged and respected.  What it doesn’t mean is speaking for or acting for Indigenous people.  It does mean working in solidarity with Indigenous people, providing space for Indigenous voices to be heard and finding common ground on issues where there are many view points.  Some things require the involvement of many people working together.  Other actions are ones that can be done by individuals. 

Examples of individual actions can be engaging in reading information written by Indigenous writers (and there are many!), attending community events, watching films by and about Indigenous people, supporting Indigenous arts, and having conversations with different Indigenous people to learn more about the issues that are important to each and to gain more awareness of culture and history.  You can engage your children’s teachers and schools to find ways to bring more Indigenous information into the classroom so that they are learning more accurately of history and current issues facing Indigenous people.  Have conversations with your friends and family about what they know and share what you’ve learned.  Stereotypes of all sorts can be challenged: the romanticized mystical medicine woman or man, the drunken Indian, the savage, the squaw, etc. – none serve any purpose except to fuel misconceptions and, at its worst, racism.

So where can you learn more?  In Toronto, there are many places you can connect with to get more information, or find ways to be involved in different events.  Here are just a few ideas:
 
Locally:

• The Native Canadian Centre on Spadina Rd.
• Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto
• Anishnawbe Health Toronto
• Métis Nation of Ontario, Toronto office
• Anduhyaun – Native Women’s Shelter
• Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
• Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre
• Dodem Kanonhsa’ Centre
• First Nations House, University of Toronto
  
  

Online:

• The Deepening Knowledge Project of OISE/UofT                                   http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/
• Toronto District School Board, Aboriginal Education                         http://www.tdsb.on.ca/community/aboriginaleducation.aspx
• Aboriginal Human Resource Council   https://aboriginalhr.ca/en
• Kairos    https://aboriginalhr.ca/en

 
Magazines, Arts, Sports:

• Muskrat Magazine (e-zine)

http://muskratmagazine.com/

• imagineNATIVE Film Festival

http://www.imaginenative.org/home/

• Raven Spirit Dance

http://ravenspiritdance.com/

• Little Native Hockey League

http://www.lnhl.ca/

• North American Indigenous Games

http://www.naigcouncil.com/
 
You are also welcome to contact me if you have questions or are looking for resources.  I can be reached at nancys@niijki.com.
 
Nancy Stevens