Indigenous Allyship: A Guide

Indigenous Allyship Overview

• It explores what it means to be an ally, listing positive and negative practices

What Is An Ally

• Non-Indigenous people must actively engage in decolonization to qualify as allies
• Allies support social justice, promote the rights of non-dominant groups and want to eliminate social inequalities that allies benefit from
• Allies support meaningful relationships with people and communities of non-dominant groups to ensure accountability

Allyship as a Continual Process

• Becoming an ally is a continuous process involving constant re-evaluation and critical self-reflection to align with Indigenous people
• Allyship is a journey with the distant goal of 'being an ally' which is never truly in reach, as allyship is based on individual perception

Decolonization

• Decolonization manifests as broad social and political movements to challenge state agendas and authorities
• Decolonization starts with individuals gaining awareness of how their actions and lives benefit or contribute to the colonial structure and disenfranchisement of Indigenous Peoples
• Decolonization involves gaining awareness and changing behavior to challenge colonial relations

Positive Practices to be an Ally

• Build relationships
• Learn about privilege and oppression
• Learn the history
• People and the culture
• Land: Learning and understanding
• Listening
• Act: Allies have a responsibility to act

Building Relationships

• Building relationships with Indigenous People is the first step to decolonization due to colonization-driven distrust
• Relationship building involves acting in solidarity and allowing Indigenous people to make decisions, not taking the lead
• Meaningful coexistence relies on accountability and responsibility generated by relationships

Privilege and Oppression

• Learning about oppression and privilege is important including the history of colonization, Indigenous people, cultures, and the land
• Oppression is embedded structurally and systemically within Canadian systems and institutions
• The Canadian government has embedded inequitable systems that disadvantage Indigenous people while privileging settler populations
• It is important to understand that one cannot truly comprehend the oppression Indigenous people feel
• Privilege determines success based on positionality (race, ethnicity, gender, etc.) and intersectionality, not solely on hard work
• Privilege is when people and groups gain unearned advantages that increase their power at others' expense

History

• History needs to be viewed from the perspective of Indigenous people, not the dominant society
• History is always political because the mainstream education system imparts the colonizer's view.
• A lot of shared history remains unacknowledged, especially history from Indigenous perspectives
• Conflict over resources has fueled racist and genocidal policies and laws over the past 200 years to assimilate Indigenous populations

Peoples and The Culture

• Understanding the 'other' comes from relationship building and interaction
• Learning Indigenous cultural practices, histories, beliefs, and languages contributes to the re-indigenization of Indigenous peoples
• Learning about Indigenous culture resists colonization by keeping knowledge alive

Land

• It is important to understand the ontological and epistemological significance of Indigenous cultures' relationship with land
• Indigenous relationship with the land differs completely from the Western/Canadian perspective
• Western/Canadian relationship with land is hierarchical, but the Indigenous people and cultures relationship with land is horizontal and based on respect and reciprocity
• Mohawk College sits on traditional Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe land, legally recognized as Haudenosaunee land through the Haldimand Treaty of 1784

Listening

• Relationships require listening and understanding with an open mind and heart
• An inability to value other cultures is embedded Western and Canadian culture
• Allyship involves supporting Indigenous people and valuing their voices, not leading
• You must want to listen to listen effectively

Act

• Accountability is promoted through solidarity action with Aboriginal people and communities
• Educating non-Aboriginal People on privilege and oppression is essential
• Reflect upon the intentions and motivations of why you are an ally
• Allies can advocate for self-interest (protecting loved ones), altruism (white/settler guilt), or addressing the root causes of oppression through a philosophy and commitment to better society

Approach Political Representatives

• Use your voices to contact the government and offer support to the process of decolonization
• Use your rights to vote, mobilize, to demand government to make change

Negative Practices to Being an Ally

• Cultural Appropriation
• Take Leadership
• Interfere
• Seek emotional support
• Have Expectations

Cultural Appropriation

• Acquiring intellectual property, cultural expressions or artifacts from another culture, is cultural appropriation
• Unauthorized use of another culture's dance, music, language, medicine, or ceremonial practice is cultural appropriation
• Source community being oppressed or exploited in other ways is harmful when objects of significance are considered
• Cultural appropriation can be overt or subtle

Take Leadership

• It is disempowering for non-Indigenous people to take the lead or act on behalf of Indigenous people
• Speak in public for Indigenous people only if asked
• Taking over is related to the "Western savior Complex" stereotype

Interfere

• Indigenous peoples and Nations are not homogenous
• There is diversity within and between different Nations, which produces conflict
• Allies should never intrude or interfere during community struggles without explicit invitations
• Allies should allow Indigenous people to make important decisions, and should not attempt to take over a situation
• Interference limits self-determination

Seek Emotional Support

• Do not seek emotional support from Indigenous people
• Indigenous people need their energy for their own struggles
• It is disrespectful and counterproductive to add on to their burden
• Seeking support from a friend is different than seeking that from an Indigenous person

Have Expectations

• Do not be grateful to have Indigenous people as allies
• Harmful practices have created a climate of distrust and hesitance
• You should not expect to be welcomed warmly
• Building community and trust takes time, dedication, humility, and consistent commitments