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Welcome all to our monthly webinar! Today we are joined by Courtney Skye ( @mohawkemotions) who will be discussing anti-colonial approaches to addressing GBV with Indigenous communities. Live tweet thread starts here 
#IHavetheCourageToAct #CourageToActPSI #SAPro
#IHavetheCourageToAct #CourageToActPSI #SAPro
Courtney Skye ( @mohawkemotions) is a researcher, policy development consultant and Cayuga language student. She is a Research Fellow with the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nations-led governance think tank at the Faculty of Arts, Ryerson University.
Courtney has led policy development for the public sector at local, provincial, and national levels, with a specific focus on youth development and ending violence against Indigenous women, girls, queer, Trans, gender-diverse, and Two-Spirit people.
Her work focuses on the promotion of the political mobilization of Indigenous women, queer, Trans, gender-diverse, Two-Spirit people and youth to create transformational change in communities.
Today’s webinar will offer an anti colonial analysis on the roots of violence, discuss culturally responsive approaches to responding to GBV on a systemic level, and connect colleges and universities with resources from the national inquiry on MMIWG.
@MOHAWKEMOTIONS starts by discussing the disproportionate levels of violence that Indigenous women experience in Canada. Annually Stats Can releases a Homicide Report which analyzes reported data for the
previous year. The 2019 report is not released, the latest data is from 2018
previous year. The 2019 report is not released, the latest data is from 2018
Why do Indigenous women experience violence differently? Throughout the presentation we will explore the following three concepts within a Canadian context:
1. Settler colonialism: seeks to replace original inhabitants with a settler population, where an Indigenous population is no longer the dominant people in a territory. The purpose is to displace people in order to control land/water/resources
2. Systemic violence: the structures of society like laws, decision making, what programs are funded, at their core all include a bias towards an “ideal”
3. Indigenous resistance: contemporary society is shaped by the resistance of Indigenous people
How is settler colonialism maintained? "Indigenous Peoples as nations are culturally distinct-they have their own family structures, economies,and gender structures. Settler colonialism structures society in a way that perpetuates land ownership that displaces Indigenous peoples"
The purpose of a normative family structure is to establish and maintain private, settler ownership over land.
What has this meant for Indigenous people? "While these forces are being exerted on Indigenous Peoples, they are resisting. They are adopting, adapting, & as distinct cultures, are rapidly progressing, adopting new technologies& strategies to sustain their culture and identity"
The National Inquiry started formally in 2016, and the final report was released in June 2019. There were over 2300 people who participated in the Inquiry's process.
So what did the National Inquiry report produce? Courtney says it is one the most substantive policy pieces produced by the government to reduce violence.
Multiple publications were released as part of the report. Publications include:
There are a number of overarching findings from the report. These include:
1. An absolute paradigm shift is required to dismantle colonialism in Canadian society from ALL levels of government and public institutions
1. An absolute paradigm shift is required to dismantle colonialism in Canadian society from ALL levels of government and public institutions
2. Canada has failed to implement provisions of legal instruments it has signed and ratified that protect rights.
3. Canada has displaced Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA people from traditional roles of governance and leadership.
3. Canada has displaced Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA people from traditional roles of governance and leadership.
4. Self determination and self governance is a fundamental Indigenous and human right and best practice.
The Inquiry talks about pathways and choices. Many survivors speak about a specific instance where a choice was made that impacted whether or not they were
able to find safety or were further harmed. These are summarized as pathways that maintain colonial violence.
able to find safety or were further harmed. These are summarized as pathways that maintain colonial violence.
Some examples of pathways that maintain colonial violence include:
- Historical, multi-generational and intergenerational trauma
- Social and economic marginalization
(1/2)
- Historical, multi-generational and intergenerational trauma
- Social and economic marginalization
(1/2)
- Maintaining the status quo and institutional lack of will
- Ignoring the agency and expertise of indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people
(2/2)
- Ignoring the agency and expertise of indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people
(2/2)
Some principles for change:
A focus on substantive equality and human rights, inclusion of families and survivors, self-determined and Indigenous-led solution and services, cultural safety, trauma informed approach,
A focus on substantive equality and human rights, inclusion of families and survivors, self-determined and Indigenous-led solution and services, cultural safety, trauma informed approach,
Another principle for change includes a decolonizing approach "A decolonizing approach aims to resist and undo the forces of colonialism and to re-establish Indigenous Nationhood. It is rooted in Indigenous values, philosophies, and knowledge systems."
Recognizing distinctions is another principle for change. Distinctions include:
Self-identification (such as First Nation, Inuit, Métis),
Geographical-or regional-specific information
(North, South, East, West, or proximity to urban centres, oceans, water,& natural resources...
Self-identification (such as First Nation, Inuit, Métis),
Geographical-or regional-specific information
(North, South, East, West, or proximity to urban centres, oceans, water,& natural resources...
... Locations of traditional territories and homelands, or Municipal, provincial, and territorial boundaries)
Residency (On-reserve/off-reserve, Rural/urban, Remote and northern, Communities and settlements)
Residency (On-reserve/off-reserve, Rural/urban, Remote and northern, Communities and settlements)
Some core principles and values for safety outlined in the Inquiry include:
- Wellness as wholeness
- Importance of coordinated services
- Importance of cultural safety
- Importance of education
- Continuity of care
- Wellness as wholeness
- Importance of coordinated services
- Importance of cultural safety
- Importance of education
- Continuity of care
How to value lived and front-line experiences:
- Data collection and research
- Ethical and empowering research
- Equitable representation
- Strengthening accountability
- Data collection and research
- Ethical and empowering research
- Equitable representation
- Strengthening accountability
Four strategies to mobilize the findings from the National Inquiry on MMIWG:
1. Support local Indigenous peoples: know the local community and ground your work in accountability to the territory
1. Support local Indigenous peoples: know the local community and ground your work in accountability to the territory
2. Record and measure progress: identify relevant Calls for Justice and report annually on progress
3. Promote self-determination: working within a colonial framework means self-voice for safety is even more important.
3. Promote self-determination: working within a colonial framework means self-voice for safety is even more important.
4. Commit to long term work: balance urgency versus taking the time to develop relationships and programs.
Courtney wraps up the presentation sharing that she has worked with Possibility Seeds to create a list of Calls for Justice that are applicable to PSIs. This will be shared after the webinar (look on our website! https://www.couragetoact.ca/ )
That’s a wrap for the presentation! Now we move to audience questions.
Audience question: What do you suggest is the first step for institutions who have historically struggled to have a relationship with the local Indigenous communities?
Courtney suggests to work with Indigenous staff and faculty. Rely on them and their expertise. Notes they aren’t the only resources! Also look to Indigenous centres or resources in your community. They might be able to provide advice about how to overcome barriers.
Audience question: What is the millennial scoop, and can you expand on what cultural safety means?
Answer: the child welfare policy has impacted Indigenous people in different ways. There are currently more Indigenous children in the welfare system today, than there were Indigenous children...
... at the height of residential schools. Millennial scoop refers to the ongoing colonial disruption of Indigenous children through the welfare system.
Cultural safety is a way to access your culture that is safe, and doesn't dismiss or other cultural experiences.
Cultural safety is a way to access your culture that is safe, and doesn't dismiss or other cultural experiences.
Question: Can you expand on anti-colonial vs. decolonizing, and if anti-colonial work is applicable across the board (workplaces, PSIs, etc.)
Answer: Oftentimes decolonizing has become tokenized if there isn't a larger commitment to doing really deep transformational work...
Answer: Oftentimes decolonizing has become tokenized if there isn't a larger commitment to doing really deep transformational work...
For example, sometimes places paint a mural and call that decolonizing, when their policies or broader structure still uphold colonizing [beliefs or practices]. Introducing something as anti-colonial is sharper, and more direct.
...
...
It is worthwhile to connect with Indigenous scholars who are doing really strong decolonial work to better understand the difference. Another example is considering the difference in practice between, for example, a child welfare agency which has no Indigenous people...
... on the board, or in upper leadership, but has one Indigenous employee enacting the policies and procedures of the welfare system, vs. the transformations that are happening around Indigenous child welfare law that disrupts current child welfare systems...
... and is doing truly decolonizing work to keep Indigenous families together. The two approaches are very different; look at the overarching system that maintains power.
That brings us to the end of our July webinar. We have webinars monthly, so please check out http://couragetoact.ca for more details about how to sign up for our upcoming webinars.
Thank you so much to Courtney Skye @MOHAWKEMOTIONS for sharing your work with us today. FYI to all: A video recording (with slides) and transcript of today’s webinar will be made available shortly on our website! Make sure to check it out at https://www.couragetoact.ca/education
