Indigenous Resurgence: Reframing the conversation
Indigenous Resurgence at FCS is launching a site to support Indigenous staff, faculty and students. It will address areas including news, events, research opportunities, academic resources and support for Indigenous students, faculty and staff.
Led by Strategic Lead Professor Lynn Lavallee Indigenous Resurgence aims to gather Indigenous people together and build community. “There will be events - open to everyone to create knowledge about Indigenous peoples. We will have Indigenous presenters focusing on topics that are relevant for community services, to help everyone expand their knowledge. We also aim to gather Indigenous people together to build a supportive community for them, specifically,” said Lavallee. “My office can help direct Indigenous students and faculty to funding opportunities and research grants. We can advise on sources for curriculum redevelopment. We are here to help Indigenous students find placement opportunities, and mentors, within FCS, and more broadly, to support their academic and career paths. And to assist schools who seek help, providing assistance in hiring more Indigenous staff and faculty.”
In focusing on Indigenous Resurgence, intentionally, Lavallee aims to refocus academia, and all of FCS, with the clear statement the academic institutions, are colonial structures perpetuating systemic anti-Indigenous racism. Indigenous Resurgence is a way of resisting the tokenistic terminology that many in mainstream academia are now accustomed to, like reconciliation, Indigenization, and decolonization. Following that, Indigenous Resurgence at the Faculty of Community Services focuses on supporting Indigenous people and their success within these colonial walls.
“We will bring in speakers who speak truth to power - who challenge notions of white supremacy and highlight the experience of anti-Indigenous racism in the academy. We are positioning truth before reconciliation,” said Lavallee.
Community Building:
Indigenous Resurgence at the Faculty of Community Services has as a core value supporting and uplifting Indigenous staff, faculty and students. “The principle of Maaga’oonidiwag (sharing) is important in providing opportunities to come together as Indigenous Peoples to support one another in the academy,” said Lavallee. “The journey in academia for Indigenous people can be very harmful with experiences of anti-Indigenous racism occurring almost on a daily basis. Ganawendamaw (caring) by supporting Indigenous People at all levels of the academy, particularly within each Faculty, as well as centrally at the University is important in mino-bimaadiziwin - living a good life - in a University that can present many barriers for Indigenous Peoples.”
“As academic institutions have increasingly been focusing on reconciliation and supporting Indigenization of curriculum, the metrics for Indigenous learners and understanding the impacts of Indigenizing course content for the few Indigenous learners in the classroom has not been the focus of most academic plans to decolonize the academy. Indigenous Resurgence is first focused on Indigenous Peoples, supporting them and providing opportunities.”
Indigenous Resurgence is a process that does not shy away from identifying on-going colonialism and anti-Indigenous racism. In the efforts to Indigenize the University, sometimes comments are made that are harmful to the Indigenous person and even well-meaning people aren’t mindful of how an Indigenous person, with a lifetime of experience, receives their words. Often the Indigenous learner becomes the unpaid teacher in the classroom and many students feel that becomes an expectation that is put upon them.” Lynn Lavallee draws upon teachings from the late Elder Vern Asin Harper to further understand how she defines Indigenous Resurgence in FCS. Elder Harper often shared that we have not lost our identities, knowledge and relation to the land. He would say we have intentionally been de-feathered. This was through the systematic and on-going colonization that has been intentional in stealing Indigenous identities, land and knowledge. “We’ve brought in traditional healers, at the request of the Ryerson Indigenous community, for their benefit, in FCS, that had a powerful effect,” said Lavallee.
There is a place for everyone in Indigenous Resurgence in FCS to support Indigenous learners. Although the schools within FCS are not free from anti-Indigenous racism and/or perpetuating colonial systems, all of them can make contributions toward Indigenous Resurgence. This begins with recognizing how anti-Indigenous racism and colonial systems play out. The practices within FCS all can contribute to the positive health and well-being of Indigenous peoples and this is how Indigenous Resurgence aligns with FCS.
“One of the main positive outcomes of people gaining further knowledge of the Indigenous community that is inclusive of our culture, language, activism, and strengths within the community is a culturally inclusive and positive approach to curriculum development,” said Lavallee. “Thinking about the schools and courses within FCS, by the very nature of our helping professions, we often look at illnesses and behavioural risk factors. Indigenous Resurgence is about placing a mirror on self and looking at how you may play a role in perpetuating systemic racism. So an example of activities in Indigenous Resurgence is doing a panel in the School of Nursing speaking to how anti-Indigenous racism is literally killing Indigenous peoples and what future nurses can do to make significant change for Indigenous peoples in health care.”
“We know the power that we bring to the process especially when people know more about who we are. It always surprises me when people don’t realize the strength of Indigenous culture, major activities like the Indigenous Music Awards, or North American Indigenous Games, or Indspire Awards (external link) , and that’s what Indigenous Resurgence is. Focusing on the culture and people and putting them first.”
Lavallee sees this having a ripple effect over time. The vision for Indigenous Resurgence in FCS is that the nine schools will be the place to be for Indigenous students, staff and faculty and will have an impact on anti-Indigenous racism within our professions.
Staff, Faculty & Students who would like to connect with Professor Lavallee and Indigenous Resurgence are encouraged to visit the Indigenous Resurgence page, and connect with her through the Contact page.