This is not the way Indigenization should work

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2024 (764 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before I reached out to the Free Press, I struggled with how to frame events that took place on June 2023 because I could be described as just another angry Indian. Because people have a lot of difficulty facing the truth when acts of racism are called out.

But, I’m not so sure we should be so gentle and apologetic when we talk about it and the impact it has had on First Nation, Black, and other people of colour.

Regardless of what anyone says, racism still exists at the University of Winnipeg and other institutions across the land.

In fact, I’m tired of all the talk about “indigenization,” “creating a safe cultural space” and the same tiresome performative gestures such as the “land acknowledgments.”

From where I sit, their use doesn’t absolve Canada and its institutions from the structural racist hegemony or institutional racism that still continues to wreak violence on many of our people across the country. In fact, racism and other acts of microaggression are still meant to preserve “white” power and privilege.

What took place in a June 2023 job interview wasn’t an isolated incident. In fact, I’ve talked to other First Nation women and men who’ve resigned from leadership and faculty positions across the country and each of them has struggled with racism. The sharing of power is never an easy thing.

To give the reader some context to the University of Winnipeg’s attempt to hire a tenure-track assistant professor in the Indigenous Studies department, I’ll share part of the advertisement for the position, which read in part:

“All areas of specialization will be considered; however, given our existing strengths and needs, we would prefer candidates who have expertise in teaching and research in Cree/Métis history, culture, and governance. Priority will be given to Indigenous candidates and those with lived experience or extensive knowledge of Indigenous ways of knowing.”

The advertisement itself could be seen as duplicitous and confusing because the words and intent were incredibly nuanced.

For example, could a non-First Nations person who has lived on-reserve be considered as having a “lived experience” or a non-First Nations person who has done life-long research within our communities be considered as having extensive “knowledge” of our ways of knowing? Or a white Canadian woman who has Treaty status because she married into Treaty prior to 1985 be considered? Or another white Canadian man who claims adoption into a First Nations family, community and nation meet the criteria?

As I pointed out, I struggled with how to frame all of this without disrespecting the other two candidates who were short-listed because I’m friends with both. I should point out that one is a white Canadian male, the other a Black woman. These candidates were given just consideration and respect, rightly so because they’re both good people.

I witnessed very subtle cultural and racial prejudice perpetuated against a nehiyaw-iskwêw (Cree-woman) scholar during her interview. This was incredibly bothersome for me and the other First Nations faculty member. We didn’t know at the time, but the nehiyaw-iskwêw scholar was the only person not invited for the in-person interview.

We asked why in a followup meeting and we were never given an answer.

In the aftermath of the interview process, the “white”wash and excuse-making exercises began. I was told that I was in “conflict of interest” because I knew the nehiyaw-iskwêw scholar.

In fact, I declared conflict at the outset, as I did with the two other candidates. None of the other personnel committee members were asked to do the same, even though each of the candidates were well known to them.

Following a short deliberation, a recommendation was made to hire the nehiyaw-iskwêw scholar. Within days, the department personnel committee was told that there were letters of dissent submitted.

In the spirit of transparency, I asked to see the letters of dissent drafted by faculty members who opposed the hire. An email to all faculty members asking that these letters be distributed. This email was never acknowledged, and no attempt was ever made to be transparent regarding this.

First Nations, Black, people of colour know that structural and institutional racism work hand in glove with each other. And that societal structures (government bureaucracy, institutions, and judicial decisions) have constructed a strange cult of citizenship over time.

We see this play out almost daily even with the Pretendian phenomenon. At the end of the day, the onus falls on our people to fix the issue of white privilege, entitlement and to tell everyone, “Hey, it’s OK. We’re fine.”

The University of Winnipeg and other like-minded institutions feel safe with their picture of “Indigenization”: a white canvas sprinkled with a little bit of First Nations “colour” for show.

When all was said and done, the other First Nations faculty member resigned his position and now heads the education department in one of the largest First Nations community in the country.

The Fontaine Family withdrew its scholarship and bursary donation for First Nations undergraduate and graduate students.

The political leadership including Sagkeeng Ogimaa E.J. Fontaine and Southern Grand Chief Jerry Daniels both agreed that we needed to pay attention to the lack of cultural sensitivity and racism at the University of Winnipeg and that we continue the push to establish our own post-secondary institutions in Manitoba and other parts of the country.

I resigned from the my position, and by the way, the nehiyaw-iskwêw scholar was offered positions at two other prominent universities. In the spirit of all of our ancestors who’ve resisted against racial and cultural violence. ahaaw sa. weweni.

Jerry Fontaine (Makwa Ogimaa) is a former chief, assistant professor and writer from Sagkeeng First Nation now living in Toronto.