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:
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.
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?
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.
Wednesday April 27 2016
NOTE NEW TIME: 7 pm sharp - 9:30 pm
Doors open 6:30, please arrive early
To cover travel costs for special guests and hosts of the series we suggest a donation of $15 (PWYC for students/unwaged). No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Those choosing free tickets may donate at the door.
NOTE NEW TIME: 7 pm sharp - 9:30 pm
Doors open 6:30, please arrive early
To cover travel costs for special guests and hosts of the series we suggest a donation of $15 (PWYC for students/unwaged). No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Those choosing free tickets may donate at the door.
Guest hosts:
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.
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.
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