Allyship in Indigenous Research
Decolonization doesn’t have a synonym (Tuck and Yang, 2012)
This post will seek to answer the following question: what are characteristics of a good ally in Indigenous research? This question stems from one of the original objectives of these blogposts, one of which was to understand how non-Indigenous people can participate and engage meaningfully in Indigenous research and communities.
Allyship
I would like to first being by unpacking the term ‘allyship’ and what the word implies in the context on Indigenous research. Jaworsky (2019) argues that allyship is based on context specific relationships and is not a permanent condition or a credential that is awarded. These relationships require on-going re-negotiation and allies have a continuous responsibility to the marginalized group to prove themselves as an ally (Jaworsky, 2019). When engaging in Indigenous research, allies are regarded as collaborative parties that support the autonomy of Indigenous communities and engage in research that aligns with the priorities of community members (Jaworsky, 2019).
Mullen (2022) and Jaworsky (2019) write that allyship also encompasses resisting imperialism and colonialism through the reconciliation of present and historical wrongdoings. However, research has historically been conducted on Indigenous peoples without their informed consent and has worked to reinforce discriminatory colonial agendas (Jaworsky, 2019). Additionally, when institutions recognize and attempt to ameliorate historical injustices, land acknowledgements are simply not enough (Mullen, 2022). Instead, institutions must devise a plan to strengthen Indigenous sovereignty by restoring land to the original Indigenous nations and address the violent history and current realities of land dispossession (Mullen, 2022). In allied based research, the focus is on engaging with Indigenous communities while supporting research done by Indigenous peoples (Jaworsky, 2019).
If allies want to participate in decolonization, being critically conscious of colonization is not the only requirement for meaningful change (Mullen, 2022). Allies must learn to ‘stand with’ Indigenous communities and not only show support to a specific issue experienced by another group (Jaworsky, 2019). This requires allies to humbly and sincerely engage with Indigenous discourse not as an expert or specialist and to go through their own process of decolonization (Mullen, 2022). Researchers must also be critical of their own research questions, methods, institutions, and intentions when conducting their research and how this might perpetuate the oppression of Indigenous communities (Jaworsky, 2019). In order to rectify this, we must also highlight the strengths of Indigenous communities, their culture, land, and language to re-frame research (Jaworsky, 2019).
Decolonization in Indigenous research
A concept that came up repeatedly while researching for this post, was the idea of decolonization. This is a difficult and daunting word to begin to understand, but while reading I came across this quote from Mullen (2022): ‘decolonial work requires the willingness to traverse spaces of discomfort, including difficult conversation’ (p.497). It is not that writing about decolonization makes me uncomfortable, but I do think that it is a complicated and difficult topic to discuss since it is such a contested subject. However, in the spirit of working towards a decolonizing framework, I will dissect decolonization in the following section.
Tuck (2015) repeatedly emphasizes how settler colonialism desires Indigenous land for capitalist endeavours by turning Indigenous peoples into ‘chattel slaves’ and stripping them of their humanity. Invasion of Indigenous lands in settler colonialism is not only an event, but also a structure that eradicates Indigenous peoples through assimilation and re-education (Tuck, 2015). Additionally, this colonial structure destroys Indigenous claims to land by using violence (Tuck, 2015). Because of this, the driving force of the decolonization movement is the return of stolen land, reparations, and the agency of Indigenous peoples (Mullen, 2022).
Tuck and Yang (2012) define decolonization as ‘repatriating land to sovereign Native tribes and nations, abolition of slavery in its contemporary forms, and the dismantling of the imperial metropole… Decolonization is not equivocal to other anti-colonial struggles’ (p.31). Mullen (2022) adds that in addition to having Indigenous land returned, decolonization requires a recognition of Indigenous rights, collective Indigenous sustainability, and a future with possibility. Ally activism is needed in the process of decolonization to fulfil these goals, in order to achieve Indigenous sovereignty and sustainable lives (Mullen, 2022). Decolonization aspires to eradicate the extermination of Indigenous lives and for institutions to perceive colonialism as cultural genocide (Mullen, 2022).
In Canada and other settler-colonial nation-states such as Australia and the United States, one of the most prominent examples of cultural genocide are the forcible placement of children in residential schools (Mullen, 2022; Tuck and Yang, 2012). These schools were established with the intention to ‘kill the Indian, [and] save the man’, through forcibly assimilating Indigenous peoples into white, Christian society by purging these children of their identities, languages, and culture (Mullen, 2022; Tuck and Yang, 2012, p.54). These events contribute to ongoing generational trauma and oppression (Mullen, 2022). The creation of residential schools was driven by the capitalist desire for native lands and was a legalized campaign of genocide by the federal government (Mullen, 2022). This is why returning land to its original owners is so central to decolonization. Settler colonialism needs Indigenous land to continue accumulating capital at the expense of Indigenous wellbeing. Returning Indigenous land back to communities would allow Indigenous peoples to rekindle their relationships with the land and would force governments to acknowledge its role in cultural genocide.
Furthermore, Tuck and Yang (2012) argue that the foundation of decolonization is not the adoption of Indigenous politics from a Western axiom of liberation, or the charitable process of helping the poor, or is a universal term for fight against oppressive structures. The groundwork of decolonization is the restoration of Indigenous land, language, culture, and life (Tuck and Yang, 2012).
An Allied Research Paradigm
For allies to engage in the decolonial project, we must re-frame how we think about research and adhere to the principals of Indigenous knowledge. In a settler colonial context, curricula based on elements of decolonization must address issues of power imbalances in relationships and slavery (Mullen, 2022). For example, implementing radical ideologies, dismantling settler mindsets, decolonizing classroom learning, and introducing Indigenous reform initiatives (Mullen, 2022). The basis of these strategies must be grounded in Indigenous worldviews and social issues. In my previous posts I highlight the holistic understanding of the world that is the premise of Indigenous knowledge and the importance of reciprocal relationships in Indigenous research. Mullen (2022) argues a similar point by stating that Indigenous frameworks such as story work and principals of respect are necessary for challenging dominant stories in universities. The role of an ally must focus on creating the space for decolonization to happen beyond educational settings by adopting antiracist mindfulness and solidarity, supporting rights-based education, and by promoting Indigenous freedom and reparation (Mullen, 2022).
Indigenous Futurity
In Indigenous scholarship, the concept of futurity is centered around decolonization and Indigenous sovereignty (Mullen, 2022). A future where reconciliation, healing, apology, reparations, and the recognition of the extent of the violence of imperialism is imaginable (Mullen, 2022). Indigenous futurity does not advocate for the foreclosure of occupancy of Indigenous land by non-Indigenous people, but does advocate against settler colonialism and existing imperial structures (Mullen, 2022). There is a strong sense of hope and agency around Indigenous futurity and the process of decolonization, to being the healing process of education systems and to amend structural violence and inaction (Mullen, 2022).
Conclusion
This blogpost started with a question: what are characteristics of a good ally in Indigenous research? What I learned was that the basis of allyship is rooted in a decolonization framework that promotes similar ideas to what I have been writing about in my other blogposts. For example, the emphasis on allies adopting the same worldview as Indigenous communities and approaching research through relationality. Another element of this post that stood out to me was the need for allies in decolonization work, and how there can be a fine line between being inaction and being a good ally. Being an ally goes beyond a critical consciousness of ongoing colonial structures and the violence they have caused. Allyship requires continuous action and re-assessment of our own positionality within research.
References
Jaworsky, D. (2019). An allied research paradigm for epidemiology research with Indigenous peoples. Archives of Public Health = Archives Belges de Santé Publique, 77(1), 22–22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-019-0353-1
Monkman, K. (2017). The scream [Acrylic on canvas]. Denver Art Museum, Denver.
Monkman, K. (2007). The triumph of mischief [Acrylic on canvas]. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
Mullen, C. A. (2022). I Write as an Uninvited Guest on Indigenous Land: Recentering Allyship in Education. Educational Studies, 58(4), 495–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2022.2079090
Tuck, E. (2015). Indigenous Land and Decolonizing Curriculum. In The SAGE Guide to Curriculum in Education (pp. 439–446).
Tuck, E., & Yang, K. W. (2012). Decolonization is not a metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 1(1). http://decolonization.org/index.php/des/article/view/18630>
WALKING ALONGSIDE. (2017). In Brandon University. https://www.brandonu.ca/research-connection/article/walking-alongside-looking-at-allies-of-indigenous-peoples-through-a-poetic-lens/
