Visions of the Heart Issues Involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada

An inclusive and interdisciplinary exploration of current issues involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada - with a view to the future.

This thought-provoking, contributed collection by leading scholars is an indispensable resource for understanding contemporary issues involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada, such as modern treaty relationships, cultural resurgence, and critical examinations of gender and sexuality.

Gina Starblanket, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Calgary, David Long, Professor, Department of Sociology, The King's University in Edmonton, Olive Patricia Dickason, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta

Gina Starblanket, University of Calgary
Gina is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. Gina is Cree/Salteaux and a member of the Star Blanket Cree Nation in Treaty 4 territory in Saskatchewan. Gina's research is and has been geared toward bringing about change to the way the Indigenous-state relationship is set up. Her research has a practical application to the world around her, and to the intersectional and community-driven approach she uses to explore research questions. She recently completed her PhD in Fall 2018.

David Long, The King's University
David is a professor of Sociology and is committed to cultivating deeper understanding and appreciation for the experiences, strengths, and contributions of diverse populations in Canada. He has received numerous awards for the contributions that earlier editions of Visions of the Heart have made to our understanding of relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada

The late Olive Patricia Dickason, University of Alberta
Dr. Dickason was a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta and adjunct professor of history at the University of Ottawa. She was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1996 and received the Aboriginal Life Achievement Award, Canadian Native Arts Foundation, in 1997. In 2017, the University of Alberta held an event to recognize her contribution to scholarship. Throughout her distinguished career she remained proud of her M?tis heritage.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Contributors
Introduction
Gina Starblanket and David Long
Understanding the Crises in the Current Relations between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Honouring Diverse Indigenous Knowledge
Interrogating the Ways, Means, and Framings of Colonialism
Concluding Remarks
Chapter 1: Crises of Relationship: The Role of Treaties in Contemporary Indigenous-Settler Relations
Gina Starblanket
Introduction
Reviewing the Contested Terrain of Relationship
Demythologizing Treaties
Relational Understanding
Are Treaties Relevant, and to Whom?
For a Better Future
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Notes
Chapter 2: The "Canada Problem" in Indigenous Politics
David Newhouse and Yale Belanger
Introduction
Indigenous Peoples and Canada
The Colonial Legacy
Addressing the "Indian Problem" in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century
Addressing the "Canada Problem"
The Push for Indigenous Self-Government
The Penner Report, 1983
Into the Twenty-First Century
Concluding Remarks on a Way Forward
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Additional Resources
Notes
Chapter 3: Nishnaabeg Brilliance as Radical Resurgence Theory
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Biiskabiyang and Flight
Nishnaabewin as Grounded Normativity
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Recommended Resources
Notes
Chapter 4: Colonialism, Gender Violence, and the Making of the Canadian State
Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark
Domesticity and the Construction of Indigenous Deviancy
Marking Indigenous Bodies for Death
Freezing Indigenous Identity in the Past
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Additional Resources
Notes
Chapter 5: Piecing Together Modern Treaty Politics in the Yukon
Lianne Marie Leda Charlie
Introduction
Modern Treaty Politics in the Yukon
Critiques and Concerns
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Additional Resources
Chapter 6: "The Place Where the Hearts Gather": Against Damage-Centred Narratives of Urban Indigeneity
Dallas Hunt
Introduction
Historical and Literary Contexts
Indigenous (Re)Framings of "Urban Indigeneity"
Methodology
Resurgent Indians
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Notes
Chapter 7: Why Calgary isn't M?tis Territory: Jigging Towards an Ethic of Reciprocal Visiting
Daniel Voth and Jessie Loyer
Introduction
Who Are the M?tis?
Being in a Place Does Not Make It Yours
How to Jig in Treaty 7 While Being a Good Guest
Towards an Ethic of Reciprocal Visiting, or, How Not to Be an Asshole Outside Your Territory
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Notes
Chapter 8: Transforming Toxic Indigenous Masculinity: A Critical Indigenous Masculinities and Indigenous Film Studies Approach to Drunktown's Finest
Renae Watchman and Robert Alexander Innes
Introduction
Critical Indigenous Masculinities
Indigenous Film Studies
Drunktown's Finest
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Notes
Chapter 9: Foundations: First Nation and M?tis Families
Kim Anderson and Jessica Ball
Introduction
Foundations: Kinship and Historical Indigenous Societies
Dismantling the Foundation
First Nation and M?tis Families Today
Putting the Pieces Back Together
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Additional Resources
Notes
Chapter 10: Terminating Canada's Failed System of Injustice: Unmasking Colonialism, Redefining Relationships, and Re-establishing Balance
Lisa Monchalin and Olga Marques
Introduction: The Continued Failure of the Canadian Criminal Justice System
The Mass Incarceration and Disproportionate Victimization of Indigenous Peoples
The Colonizing Approach to Justice: Police, Courts, and Corrections
Colonial Continuity and Participatory Criminal Justice Programming
Indigenous Peoples and Sentencing Initiatives
Structurally Racist Criminal Justice System
The Way Forward: Re-establishing Peace, Friendship, and Indigenous Systems of Justice
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Additional Resources
Notes
Chapter 11: All Our Relations: Indigenous Perspectives on Environmental Issues in Canada
Deborah McGregor
Introduction
Indigenous Concepts of Environment: All of Creation
Indigenous Legal Traditions and Environmental Responsibilities
Historical Context: Dispossession of Lands and the Environmental Crisis
Increasing Indigenous Control in Environmental Governance
Reconciliation with the Natural World
Moving Forward: Nation-to-Nation Relationships
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Additional Resources
Notes
Chapter 12: Learning from Indigenous Knowledge in Education
Jan Hare and Sara Florence Davidson
Introduction
The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Traditional Education
Colonizing Indigenous Knowledge in Education
The Intergenerational Legacy of Residential Schooling
Creating Space for Indigenous Knowledge in Education Today
The Way Ahead
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Additional Resources
Notes
Chapter 13: Moosehide Tanning and Wellness in the North
Mandee McDonald
Introduction
Self-Location
Method
Land-Based Education
Interview with Stephanie Poole
Interview with Cheyanna Fraser
On-the-Land Programming
Obstacles and Opportunities
Conclusion
Discussion Questions
Additional Resources
Notes
Chapter 14: Enacting Reconciliation
Joyce Green
Introduction: The Formation of the TRC
Colonialism Then and Now
Recognition, Remorse, Restitution, Reconciliation
Enacting Reconciliation
Ignorance, Myth, and Memory
Reconciliation: Really?
Discussion Questions
Recommended Reading
Notes
Imagining New Futures: A Concluding Dialogue
Glossary
References
Index