Dancing On Our Turtle's Back : Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Description

Many promote Reconciliation as a “new” way for Canada to relate to Indigenous Peoples. In Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back: Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence activist, editor, and educator Leanne Betasamosake Simpson asserts reconciliation must be grounded in political resurgence and must support the regeneration of Indigenous languages, oral cultures, and traditions of governance.
Simpson explores philosophies and pathways of regeneration, resurgence, and a new emergence through the Nishnaabeg language, Creation Stories, walks with Elders and children, celebrations and protests, and meditations on these experiences. She stresses the importance of illuminating Indigenous intellectual traditions to transform their relationship to the Canadian state.
Challenging and original, Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back provides a valuable new perspective on the struggles of Indigenous Peoples.

Informations

• Publié par: Arbeiter Ring Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 6
• EAN13: 9781894037686
• Langue: English

Extrait

Dancing On Our Turtle's Back
Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence
by
Leanne Simpson
Table of Contents Dedication Gchi’Miigwech Nishnaabeg Resurgence: Stories from Within Theorizing Resurgence from within Nishnaabeg Thought Gdi-nweninaa: Our Sound, Our Voice Niimtoowaad Mikinaag Gijiying Bakonaan (Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back): Aandisokaanan and Resurgence Bubbling Like a Beating Heart: A Society of Presence Resurgence in our Political Relationships Protecting the First Hill: Nurturing Eniigaanzid in Children Shi-kiin: New Worlds About the Author
Dancing On Our Turtle's Back
Copyright © 2011 by Leanne Simpson

Arbeiter Ring Publishing
201E-121 Osborne Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3L 1Y4
www.arbeiterring.com
Copyright Notice
This book is fully protected under the copyright laws of Canada and all other countries of the Copyright Union and is subject to royalty. Any properly footnoted quotation of up to five hundred sequential words may be quoted without permission, so long as the total number of words does not exceed two thousand. For longer continuous quotations or for a greater number of words, contact Arbeiter Ring Publishing for permission. With the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council. ARP acknowledges the support of the Province of Manitoba through the Book Publishing Tax Credit and the Book Publisher Marketing Assistance Program. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.

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Dedication
For my next generation:
Minowewebeneshiinh, Nishna, Binaakwe, Aanjinokomi and Mkomiikaa.
Gchi’Miigwech
This book was written with support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, and was completed during a residency at the Leighton Artists’ Colony at the Banff Centre. This work was particularly influenced by the oral and written work of Asinykwe (Edna Manitowabi), Gdigaa Migizi (Doug Williams), Robin Greene-ba, Mark Thompson-ba, John Borrows, Wendy Makoons Geniusz, Neal McLeod, Kiera Ladner and the artistic works of Rebecca Belmore. Chi’miigwech to Ursula Pflug for encouraging me to fill out forms, and to Patti Shaughnessy for continuing to organize fabulous and inspiring events in my community.
Edna Manitowabi continues to have a deep and profound influence on my thinking, research and writing. Chi’miigwech to my Elder and friend Edna for her brilliance and power in sharing Nishnaabeg philosophies, traditional stories, language, teachings and songs. Over the past ten years I have learned a tremendous amount from Edna in terms of Nishnaabeg thought, philosophy and values, particularly from the perspectives of women. Edna’s teachings have made me into a better Nishnaabekwe. I particularly thank Edna for her contribution “Grandmother Teachings,” found in Chapter 2.
Gchi’miigwech to my Elder, teacher, intellectual mentor and friend Gdigaa Migizi (Doug Williams) who spent a great deal of time patiently engaging with me and gently answering my questions. From June to December 2010, we discussed nearly every concept found in this book, and Chapter 3 is very much based on Gdigaa Migizi’s knowledge. Gdigaa Migizi’s understanding of Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg philosophy, traditional teachings, language, and intellectual traditions is vast and complex. He has made me into a better Michi Saagiik Nishnaabekwe. I have tried my best to communicate the essence of both Doug and Edna’s teachings in a good way, any mistakes are all mine.
Chi’miigwech to language expert and Elder Shirley Williams who took the time to answer my questions about language and explain to me her understandings of the conceptual meanings encoded in our words. Through Shirley I was able to ground check words used by other Nishnaabeg scholars, words I found in dictionaries and words I learned from other Nishnaabeg. Any mistakes in the language however, are my own.
Chi’miigwech to Kiera Ladner, John Borrows, Christine Sy and Steve Daniels for providing me with feedback on previous drafts of this manuscript. John Borrows spent a good deal of time engaged with the manuscript in an intellectual, philosophical, spiritual and cultural way; and for that I am both honoured and grateful. Kiera provided intelligent and thoughtful insights on the manuscript and a lot of support during the writing phase. Christine provided detailed feedback that made the book better, some of which will require much more thinking.
Thanks also to the Arbeiter Ring collective for their commitment to liberatory politics and of course for continuing to publish Indigenous writing. I could not ask for better allies—particularly John K. Samson who has always believed in my writing and who has been very open and supportive of my work along the way; and Rick Wood for his patience and careful attention to detail. Finally, chi’miigwech to Steve Daniels, the one who accepts me most completely, and to our children Nishna and Minowewebeneshiinh, our greatest teachers.
Miigwech ndi-ninim.
Nishnaabeg Resurgence: Stories from Within
Note on chapter title. [1]
On June 21, 2009, a community procession of Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg [2] dancers, artists, singers, drummers, community leaders, Elders, families and children walked down the main street of Nogojiwanong. [3] With our traditional and contemporary performers gently dancing on the back of our Mikinaag, [4] we wove our way through the city streets, streets where we had all indirectly, or directly, experienced the violence of colonialism, dispossession and desperation at one time or another. Our drummers provided the heartbeat; our singers provided the prayers. Settler-Canadians poked their heads out of office buildings and stared at us from the sidelines. “Indians. What did they want now? What did they want this time?” But that day, we didn’t have any want . We were not seeking recognition or asking for rights. We were not trying to fit into Canada. We were celebrating our nation on our lands in the spirit of joy, exuberance and individual expression.
Our allies lined the streets offering smiles and encouraging shouts of approval. Flanked by huge, colourful puppets and a flock of sparkling bineshiinyag [5] made by local children, the procession was both strikingly disarming and deeply political at the same time. This was not a protest. This was not a demonstration. This was a quiet, collective act of resurgence. It was a mobilization and it was political because it was a reminder. It was a reminder that although we are collectively unseen in the city of Peterborough, when we come together with one mind and one heart we can transform our land and our city into a decolonized space and a place of resurgence, even if it is only for a brief amount of time. It was a reminder of everything good about our traditions, our culture, our songs, dances and performances. It was a celebration of our resistance, a celebration that after everything, we are still here. It was an insertion of Nishnaabeg presence.
As I walked down the main street of the place where I live with my family, I felt a mixture of strong emotions. As I saw my Haudenosaunee and Cree colleagues from the university walking with us, I felt a deepened sense of solidarity. This was a time in my life I felt most connected to my community. But I was also afraid. I was afraid of the response of the non-Natives in my community. I was afraid they would throw things at us, that there would be confrontations, that there would be violence. I was afraid that my kids, having only known joy and beautiful things from their culture, would suddenly have their bubble burst and they would see the violent assault my generation of Indigenous assumes as normal.
The idea of a celebratory community procession is incredible to my eighty-something Nokomis. [6] Growing up on the reserve, and then living in Peterborough, the idea of “Indians” marching down the main street in a celebratory fashion seems fantastical to her at best. She can’t believe that her great grandchildren feel proud, that in her words, “It is OK for them to be Indian.” And in many ways, that was the point of the procession. The Nishnaabeg have been collectively dispossessed of our national territory; we are an occupied nation. Individually, we have been physically beaten, arrested, apprehended, interned in jails, sanitariums, residential or day schools and foster care. We have endured racist remarks when shopping or seeking healthcare and education within the city. We have stories of being driven to the outskirts of our city by police and bar owners and dropped off to walk back to our reserves. But that day we turned inward to celebrate our presence and to build our resurgence as a community.
For me, it was a beautiful day. I’ve never walked in solidarity with all of our Nishnaabeg families before, regardless of our individual political orientation. I’ve never had the opportunity to celebrate our survival, our continuance, our resurgence: all of the best parts of us. For an hour that day, we collectively transformed the streets of Peterborough back into Nogojiwanong, and forward into Nogojiwanong. For an hour that day, we created a space and a place where the impacts of colonialism were lessened, where we could feel what it feels like to be part of a united, healthy community, where our children could glimpse our beautiful visions for their futu