This is a guest post from my lovely friend Sâkihitowin Awâsis who I met and had the opportunity to work with this past summer on a workshop addressing stigma in the post-secondary classroom. Sâkihitowin Awâsis gave a kick ass presentation on two-spiritedness and LGBT2Q issues. Sâkihitowin Awâsis took the time to write this guest post for Kwe Today and I say chi-miigwetch/thank you for that! Enjoy!

We need Indigenous feminisms because feminism does not imply it is for everyone. Mainstream and whitewashed, it isn’t always the friendliest if you are queer, trans, or a Person of Colour. We are creating space to acknowledge power and privilege. I am read as cis-gendered, able-bodied, English speaking, and a light-skinned Two-Spirit. I say “we” because I believe that we are part of each other, but in no way intend to speak for everyone, or anyone for that matter. I say “we” as a term of solidarity, appealing to Two-Spirits and people with whom I have common experiences.

We need Indigenous feminisms because the very way we understand gender and sexuality is colonial. We are surrounded by notions of what it means to be a man, woman, have a gender and access to power that were imposed upon us. In dominant discourse there are assumptions made about sexualities based on an interpretation of our gender of which we have no ownership. Reinforced everyday, everywhere, the polar binary has become ingrained in how we feel about ourselves. We are part of a colonial landscape that does not meaningfully reflect who we are or how we want to be. This violence is an extension of the systems that oppress and marginalize women.

Indigenous feminism accounts for intersecting oppressions. Non-binary Two-Spirits, such as myself, do not wish to maintain colonial gender norms by abiding by an exclusively male or female identity all of the time. In addition, we are denied recognition of our gender through legal, health, and economic barriers. The government’s colonial cuts to Aboriginal health programs intensify systemic violence already being experienced. Culturally sensitive and relevant health professionals are integral to recognition of Two-Spirit Identities. The Aboriginal health cuts further limit Two-Spirits access to doctors or psychologists that provide needed support for our diverse gender identities. Income disparity between Natives and non-Natives also make Two Spirits less likely to have disposable income available to pay the $97 fee associated with a legal sex change. This is a form of neo-colonialism that furthers the process of assimilation that destroyed the spiritual foundations of our families, and caused the loss of traditional roles, sovereignty, and territories.

Indigenous feminism indicates one is empowered by an Indigenous identity because their concerns exceed the concerns of feminism. Feminists prioritize opposing patriarchy while Indigenous feminists resist colonial forces, and the all the forms of oppression and exploitation entailed. Ancestors of Indigenous Peoples globally have memory of balanced relationships between varying genders with distinct roles, and the Earth. How Indigenous feminists understand their selves holistically as Indigenous people determines how they not only understand feminism, but also the world around them.

Decolonization calls for creating community spaces for Indigenous Peoples and valuing people’s diverse gifts. Indigenous feminism empowers me as a Two-Spirited woman to insure feminism is inclusive in practice and not just theory. We need to be aware that we often use words like ‘diversity’ and ‘decolonization’ without them translating into anything meaningful. This is about action, intentionally creating community networks of individuals who can represent themselves in respect to decisions that affect them based on their experiences.

This isn’t about any particular LGBTQ gender or sexuality.

This isn’t about creating women’s rights.

This is about Indigenous Peoples taking our place in our communities.

This is about Two-Spirits reclaiming our lives.

This year is my first year in women’s studies courses (I don’t know why this didn’t happen any time sooner). I love my courses so far and I love them for the fact that that all seem very inclusive except for one thing: Indigenous feminism.

A peer approached me after introductions in class that I said I was an Indigenous feminist, and told me about a class called “Indigenous feminism” she will be in next semester which sounds pretty amazing! So kudos to her and those who are also enrolled in that class.

Saying that I am an Indigenous feminist is not anything that I have claimed for a long time. It is rather recent, which probably began around my first year of studies at university. For a while and for all the literature I read and was given to read, I could not find a way to relate to the feminist work that was being done in the mainstream. It was always about the stories of struggles that white, middle-class, Canadian women had faced or overcame for those who disadvantaged to them which excluded Indigenous women. For example, Canadian women fought for the right to vote for women in Canada but did not fight for the right to vote for Indigenous populations. SOME women won the right to vote in the early 1900s; meanwhile, Indigenous men and women only gained the right to vote in the 1960s.

When I meet other Indigenous women, they say the same thing that I used to say, which was “Feminism isn’t for me.” Then I tell them about all the awesome work being done by other Indigenous feminists. By the end of the conversation they leave feeling a little more content with feminism and it not being so white-washed.

So why do we need Indigenous feminism?

To me Indigenous feminism is when those who identify as such and work within the contexts of Indigenous feminism are working with what they have been taught as Indigenous people: women are strong, powerful, and capable! It also means recognizing the importance of the community and not just fighting against patriarchy (some Indigenous nations are patriarchal in structure but still recognize the important of women as contributing community members–I like to think that “patriarchy” is a western concept and fighting against just patriarchy means ignoring the other aspects in society that affect not just Indigenous women but all women). Indigenous feminists also recognize the importance of balance in relationships between man and woman, and the importance of community. It means returning to those balance in relationships!

What does Indigenous feminism mean to me?

Indigenous feminism to me means not just saying that certain groups are treated unequal but also opening the discussion to the various intersectionalities that affect them as individuals, and also a collective. It means addressing experiences of women within the Indigenous community as well as the entire community itself. It means accepting that institutions in Canada (even if they proclaim to be serving justice, or treat everyone equal) are inherently racist and/or are treating these groups as unequals and forcing injustices on certain groups.

Why am I an Indigenous Feminist?

Indigenous women are at the centre of Indigenous communities and it was through colonization that Indigenous women lost their role as mothers, sisters, and grandmothers. Indigenous feminism means empowering ALL women to embrace their roles and returning to a balance between genders and within/between ALL communities. It empowers me as an Indigenous women to finally make sense of the work that I have done thus far and to meet all the other wonderful Indigenous feminists who do work for their communities within a local or global context! Indigenous feminism/feminists are amazing!

So you’ve made it. You’ve made it to first year university or first year college. Maybe it’s not your FIRST first year. Maybe it’s your second try at a different program or different institution. Maybe you are first generation first year. Whatever your case may be, you are in first year!

I remember my first year of college. I also remember my first year of university. I had to overcome many obstacles and many personal challenges. Yet, I didn’t do this alone. There were many times that I thought I was in this alone and you may think that too. If there is one thing I do not regret doing, it was asking for help. That is my number one tip for you: don’t be afraid to ask for help! You may need help understanding how to read a syllabus or learning how to use a student planner or even trying to plan your study schedule. Whatever it is you need help with, I could bet you a million dollars there is someone or something on campus that can help you! And what if there isn’t? Create something to help others! Trust me, it will make you feel good (and will also look good on your future scholarship applications that I know you will be applying too)! Say what? You won’t be needing to apply to scholarship applications? Apply anyways! The one person who can help you with that is someone in financial services on your campus.

Another friend to make is with the librarian. I know that some of you will be doing research projects or need to look up more information on a particular subject, and I know the best person who knows how to help you find more information is… You guessed it: the librarian! Also don’t forget to make tonnes of other friends outside of the library 😉

Another big awesome tip? Don’t give up. I wanted to give up so many times. I wanted to give up after hearing all the stereotypical comments about indigenous people in class. I wanted to give up after I received my first 50 on an exam. I wanted to give up after losing my job. I wanted to give up after …. Trust me when I say I wanted to give up a whole lotta times, it was a WHOLE lot of times. Giving up is easy to do, and you may feel like giving up because “what’s the point?” The point is that education is the key to help elevate our communities, our people, our children. It is the key to help better our nations as a whole. Without education, you miss out on life experiences that are not always available to those who do not have access to education. Education is a life experience and is a life journey.

All in all, if there is one piece of advice that I enjoyed receiving on my first day of university and that has stuck with me from day one was that it is not your duty to educate EVERYONE on ALL indigenous issues. I have many people coming up to me asking for my opinion or my advice (I thought, “and heck, I am not even part of any particular group… I am just another Indigenous student.”). But by being an Indigenous student, you are someone that holds access to valuable knowledge and has valuable life experiences that these institutions are sometimes trying to tap into. Don’t be afraid to offer your help or your knowledge. However, in the same breathe, don’t be afraid to say “No!” because you feel that you are being taken advantage of or you feel like you are just another “token Indian.” Trust me, I have felt that way and in most instances I was right in declining to offer my help or declining to offer help anymore. You make the decision to offer your help and your knowledge where and when it is needed. You are the one calling the shots!

And remember, You are only one person; you are not in this alone. First year is supposed to be fun but it is also supposed to be the way into a whole new world of opportunities! Don’t forget to have fun and don’t forget to call home! Enjoy your first year kweok!

Xo

Well here is an interesting study that was recently featured in the LFpress titled “More than just a bed.”

The first two questions that popped up in my bed head were:

1. Did this include on-reserve women shelters (although few and far between, they do exist)
2. Did this include shelters geared toward Aboriginal women

Well, today I am officially registered to run in the Soctiabank Waterfront Charity Challenge! I am really excited because three years ago, I set out to make this my goal–to run in this challenge one day! I decided to just do it over the last little while.

Since I am already sort of a runner, I decided to run the 5k (I normally run 5k-7k). This is something that really means a lot to me because running to me is a life saver. When I was 16 years old, I started running after my car accident because I was told that I could no longer train for boxing anymore–I had a brain injury and for obvious reasons, brain injury survivors cannot box. Running was an outlet for me. When I couldn’t handle my anger or my depression (which got worse after the sustained brain injury), I would go for a really long run/walk. It really helped with my stress.

Today, I try to run when I can; however, since not have a set schedule this summer, I really fell behind in a lot of gym time. So when I received the email from Second Harvest that they are looking for runners to be a part of their challenge, I decided that I would sign up. I spent that last little while getting over a minor bout of depression, but this has definitely helped a lot. The main thing that makes me feel really good about this decision is that I will be fundraising for this organization.

I have volunteered with this organization from 2009-2011. This is an amazing organization that started in 1985 and is apparently in its 26th year of operations. Conveniently, I will also be running for my 26th birthday (okay well, 6 days after my birthday–since the event is on October 14). The other amazing thing about this organization is that it was started by TWO WOMEN! Amazing! The organization collects excess or fresh foods from around the GTA area and delivers it to social service agencies like shelters in the GTA area.

Here are some facts on food rescue taken directly from their site:

There is actually enough food in the world to serve every one on earth. Food supply is not the problem, the issue is the distribution. Western countries produce 200% more food than we need. 40% of Second Harvest food recipients are children/youth. The social service agencies we deliver food to expect to see a 20% increased need for their services this year. 1 out of 3 children in Toronto live in poverty. Almost 40% of the people requiring food assistance are children. Close to 50% of food bank users are immigrants. Over 20% of food bank users have graduated from college or university. 30% of people in need of food assistance have a job. 25-40% of most fruit and vegetable crops are rejected by Western supermarkets.


For every dollar that is donated/raised, they turn it into two meals!

So help me reach my goal in raising $250.00 for the 5k runners before October 10 by clicking HERE. If you live in London ON and would like to sign the pledge form instead, let me know by commenting here or tweeting me @naomisayers00

There is something that always doesn’t sit right with me when I read about detention centers in the media or the statistics behind the populations within those detention centers.

The most recent story I read today was featured in the LFpress and it was entitled “EMDC: Behind the jailhouse beefs”. You can also see the amount of articles written on this detention by doing a simple google search. The list of the top searches appear HERE.

Then on my friend’s Facebook status update I also read this:
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples are 3.8% of the Canadian population, while they comprise nearly 25% of the incarcerated population.


Even more disturbingly, the number of Native people in federal institutions increased by 21.7 percent at the same time prison populations declined by 12.5 percent (from 1996 to 2004). During the same time period the number of incarcerated Native women increased a 74.2 percent!!! Aboriginal young people are also criminalized and jailed at earlier ages and for longer periods of time than non-Aboriginal youth. Grwar. 


 If you look at FN males pop and FN (first nations) female population, the rates of First Nations women is gross. At one point, all women in solitary confinement in Canada were only FN women.


At one point ***50%*** of the women in Kingston Penn, were Aboriginal women. <–I am almost certain that this is uniform for all federal penitentiaries across Canada.

So, the thing that bothers me in all these stories about crowded prisons and the state of prisons in Canada is, you never hear the voices or the stories told by females. In almost all media, you hear the voice of males, whether it is their lawyer, the inmate, or the former inmate.

It is quite evident that the non-inmate female voice is being silenced even after mentioned in the first article listed in this post that Trish Goden, president of Local 108 of the Ontario Public Services Employee Union (OPSEU) was silenced with a letter of reprimand. 

Females also do reside at this detention centre but obviously in a different area. Females also are affected by the closing of Kingston Penn. It must be remembered that in 1994 at the Prison for Women in Kingston, an incident had occurred between an emergency response team made up of entirely males and 8 female inmates. The team was ordered to take the female inmates out of their cells in the segregation unit and strip search them. An inquiry was held to investigate this incident and the commission reported in 1996 that the “CSC was not responding to outside criticism and was not prepared to give an honest and fair account of its actions. Instead it was choosing to deny any errors in judgment and resist any criticism. Also, it was failing to properly investigate allegations of misconduct.” The commission also reported that the “CSC was part of a prison culture that did not value individual rights” and that the “CSC was failing to promote a ‘culture of rights.'” (Colin Goff, Criminal Justice in Canada, 5th edition).

So where are the rights and voices of the females and/or their families that are affected?

Here is an interesting blog on the treatment of female offenders/prisoners/victims in prison systems around the world: Prison State Canada.