Suggestions on Working with Indigenous Individuals, Communities & Businesses

You may be visiting Waaseyaa Consulting or Waaseyaa Cultural Tours because you want to learn more about Algonquin or Indigenous history, or maybe to make sure that you are working in a good way that not only acknowledge but also to appreciate the Indigenous territory that you live and work on. Please know that you are welcome here, and that I appreciate that you have ended up here.

Having the intention to learn more and to make a change toward appropriate relations with Indigenous peoples is good. Quite often, in our current context, it is the best place that you can start this process.

I won’t just hand over a list of “best practices” for engaging with Indigenous people, communities or businesses because it is much, much more complex than that. And I also want to start with offering you the knowledge that this is hard work. It is extremely meaningful, and it is extremely important. But it is hard work, and I am happy to work through this with you.

I will also offer to you that there may be times when we work together that you feel an emotion – perhaps it is guilt, or sadness, or even hurt. I want you to know that this is a good feeling to have when you are doing this work. You might be learning for the first time some of the intense truths that are associated with knowing truth about Indigenous culture and history on Turtle Island, particularly as it relates to colonization. Feeling those heard emotions is good – because it means that you are taking a step forward in learning more deeply about this history and how we can work to reconcile our shared past as we move into the future. 

In doing this work, there is not a day that goes by when I do not feel emotional about the things that I learn and the information and knowledge that I spend my time with. Often, when I learn the name of a lake that my ancestors called that place, I almost immediately forced to realize that those old names have been lost at the swift decision of those who re-named that lake without any recognition of the original people and name of that place. I am then forced to think of what the next steps must be that will allow for those names to remain in our knowledge base for our future generations. So that future generations will know these stories, know these names, and know their ancestors, that is why I do this work. This knowledge belongs to them.

You also have a role in this learning, and in ways that this knowledge is passed on to our next generations. By engaging with Indigenous people and communities in an effort to reconcile our shared and painful past, you are also helping to make a very positive and lasting change in the world for all of our next generations. But, like I said, it is hard work.

To begin, I encourage you to engage with Indigenous people, communities and organizations who can help you to understand the long, complex history of the area you live and work in. Ask us questions, engage with us. But please do not put the expectation on us – the keepers of this knowledge that has taken us years and years to learn and relearn – to hand it over to you, without us knowing that this knowledge is truly appreciated.  

A few things to keep in mind….

• As Anishinaabeg people, we are taught that before we ask for anything, or take anything, that we must approach with humility, expressing both our respect and appreciation. I encourage you to approach working with Indigenous people in much the same way.
  

• Without exception, pay Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers a similar wage that you would pay other consultants who work for you.
  

• If you have the opportunity, lets share a meal. A meal is a change to get to know each other, and to share stories.
  

• Approach us with humility. You are most likely starting out on this journey because you are wanting to make a good change in your own life or to do your business in the best way, with a good heart. Be patient with yourself as you are learning.
  

• Genuine conversations are always the most enjoyable. This work is very emotional, and creating a bond over a shared, common goal is best established through honest conversation. For example, let’s talk about the history of your organization, and why you want to do this work. From there, we can best decide on what the end goals will be, and how to achieve them.
  

• Always be sure that you are undertaking this work with commitment and genuine intentions. If you want to do this work and make these changes, be sure that you will implement actions to achieve these goals as best as you can.
  

• Do not assume that every Indigenous person or culture is the same, and avoid pan-Indigenization at all costs. Our cultures, which have histories that are thousands of years old, are extremely complex and unique. Please do not assume that by speaking with an individual from one Indigenous Nation that you have done your due-diligence with every Indigenous person and Nation. Our cultures are unique, and should be treated as such.
  

• If you are looking for ways to incorporate an Indigenous lens into your business, I will almost always give you the same advice:

  • Hire Indigenous people. Hire Indigenous people on your executive team. Hire Indigenous students.
    

  • Give Indigenous people a space to tell our own stories and share elements of our culture. If you have the ability to hold space for us – do that.
    

  • If you want to see what it means to hold space for someone, I invite you to remember when Jeremy Dutcher, a Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) member of the Tobique First Nation and a tenor, composer, musicologist, performer and activist, was giving his acceptance speech at the Junos – which spoke to honourable acts toward reconciliation - when he was cut off and forced to exit the stage. The Arkells, a Canadian rock band, gave Jeremy their allotted time on the stage. Visit this link to watch a clip of Jeremy’s speech, and the follow up with the Arkells. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2019/03/17/arkells-use-junos-win-to-give-space-for-jeremy-dutcher-to-finish-speech_a_23694065/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADzZeiebOuJwhgj03AsVN6KKz1NFrp3tUyH_psk0wCiQ-PSkrLKicF30P2qjCbx4YOQ7zWJwztjjRmR-Imtp91ShaDzgdbFkBKRyiU8Skx4lESFvt_etwjj-BL75PB1RsjXfQpz9EHWSPxLl4lwBd6WWU5hvFOs_d9UzusFTuveg

• Do your homework! Read books by Indigenous authors! By educating yourself through these publications, you will learn from a number of different Indigenous perspectives.

  • I always recommend these books as a good starting point:

    My Conversations With Canadians by Lee Maracle
    
    Legacy: Trauma, Story, and Indigenous Healing by Susan Methot
    
    The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King
    
    

  • Although this isn’t a book by an Indigenous author, I encourage you to read Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada by Paulette Regan.
    
    

  • I am always happy to talk about books, and keep an ongoing list of book recommendations that is updated every so often. If you’d like a copy of the list, please reach out!
    

• It is never, ever okay to culturally appropriate any element of Indigenous culture or heritage. Cultural appropriation can take on many, many, many forms. This is a whole conversation in and of itself, but know that there is work that can be done to help you to determine whether or not something could be appropriation, and the ways that you can respectfully change practices or other elements in order to be responsible individuals or organizations on these traditional territories, and respectful of Indigenous cultures and histories.
  

• The phrase “nothing about us without us” pretty much says it all. If you are going to tell Indigenous histories, or want to have a craft that is based on traditional Indigenous crafts, hire Indigenous people to do this work. This is the knowledge that was brought through our ancestors for thousands and thousands of years of oral tradition and cultural practice. This knowledge is ours to share, if we are comfortable doing so. Plus, this also links in to the point above about having Indigenous people as meaningful members of your organization.

 
Please know that the advice listed above are just starting points, and some very general pieces of advice. You are always welcome to learn more. If there is any way that I can help you, please know that you are welcome to reach out at any time.