What is Indigenous Feminism? What You Need to Know?

Indigenous feminism could be described the umbrella under which theories, as well as practical paradigms related to the issue of gender equality, intertwines with the decolonization of the indigenous individuals. In addition to being considered as a theory, indigenous feminism is an activist movement that focuses on dimensions that are political, cultural, or economic nature. 1 In this light, the fundamental objective of indigenous feminists involves the maintenance of traditional status of sovereignty, self-determination, as well as the equality of their statuses. It is possible to consider indigenous feminism as a variant of feminist groups. However, this theory encompasses a wide variety of perspectives that would be difficult to represent using simplistic descriptions. In spite of this consideration, a fundamental understanding of indigenous feminism is based on the provision that it focuses on the manner in which race and ethnicity interconnect with the concept of gender in an indigenous context. Indigenous feminists in Canada focus on developing a model for the observation of human rights, which can be applied to the indigenous women in different places around the world.

The conceptions or beliefs that indigenous feminists hold in different parts of the world could be considered as different to the beliefs or focus of the liberal feminists. For instance, liberal or white feminists primarily focus on provisions that include gender oppression, which is an indication that they overlook other issues such as racial issues. In this light, it would be essential to analyze different provisions or elements that characterize the indigenous feminists in Canada. To understand their focus or objectives, it will be essential to assess the different indigenous feminist movements in the country, conversely looking into the manner in which they express their autonomy within their communities. However, one of the most vital elements to take note of is that indigenous feminists in Canada enact their principles through the deployment of active silence, which makes it possible for other entities to attend to the social justice objectives of the communities in the country.

Intersections of Canadian Indigenous Women 

Indigenous women in Canada experience a considerable number of intersections. These intersections are inclusive but not limited to concepts of race, gender, being part of the LGBT community, relying on commercial sex as a source of their income, drug addiction, and living in poverty. Some of the communities in the country consider indigenous women, such as those from Downtown Eastside, as outsiders. Using this example, a vital assumption is that the indigenous women living in Canada come across disproportionate levels of marginalization. For instance, indigenous women in Canada are 14% less likely to attend post-secondary education than their non-indigenous counterparts are. 2 Conversely, they have low numeracy as well as literacy scores. In this light, it is possible to determine that the indigenous women in the country endure a considerable number of disadvantages than the non-indigenous women do.

The intersections are not only limited to the identified socio-economic disadvantages. The other elements that could be used to describe them include their customs and relations with their environment. In this regard, indigenous individuals exercise practices that are inclusive of kinship roles exhibited in their relationships with their bioregional habitats. The roles are manifested through their cultural rituals, ceremonies, as well as beliefs that value biodiversity. 3 This description is indicative of the idea that it is possible for indigenous individuals to recognize themselves with their tribes or a family, which is dissimilar to the way foreign governments recognize them. Through their cultural provisions, indigenous individuals continually practice their native spirituality, which is a derivative of their bio-habitat.

Systems That Affect the Indigenous Women in Canada 

Several elements affect the Canadian indigenous women, most of which lay in line with the focus of the indigenous feminists in the country. The oppressive systems that affect this group are inclusive of capitalism, patriarchy, colonialism, as well as white supremacy. Based on the identified systems, there is a possibility of arguing that the colonial and white supremacy systems could be used to explain different elements that the indigenous feminists focus on. For instance, during Canada’s colonization, Europeans considered indigenous women in the region as sexually immoral savages. 4 This narrative has dominated different spaces of movements spearheaded by the indigenous feminists in the region. In this light, an individual is likely to consider the construct is still stigmatizing the sex workers to this date, based on their relations with the non-indigenous women in the country. For this reason, colonialism is presumably the most pernicious of all the constructs and institutions in the Canadian society since it encapsulates the indigenous individuals.

Colonialism could also be identified as the system responsible for gender binary. In this case, the Europeans forced their patriarchal culture to the indigenous population, consequently leading to practices that continuously deem the women as inferior beings. On the other hand, the colonizers used capitalism as a tool for furthering the silence and oppression of indigenous women. This idea could be supported by arguments indicating that indigenous women are among the group of people that are significantly affected by economic globalization. The interlocking forces of the identified systems that led to the birth of indigenous feminism are heightened as well as informed by cheap labor, globalization, market expansion, as well as principles of liberalization. All these provisions lead to the militarization of violence and environmental principles, which threaten the self-determination of the indigenous population. However, the most affected group among the indigenous population is the indigenous women, which are considered as the main subsistence providers in most of the cases. Even though the systems function separately, all of them overlap to create disproportional effects to the indigenous women. 5 

In spite of the pain, the suffering, and the violence endured by indigenous women in their society endured by indigenous women in their society, most of them are still capable of pushing back against the oppressive systems. In this regard, most of the indigenous feminists engage in activism. One of the examples of such an engagement is the Women’s Memorial March the takes place annually on 14 February. This march usually takes place in Downtown Eastside and reveals that the women in indigenous feminists in Canada are continually becoming resilient and tenacious in their quest. 6 This example is inclusive of the activities that the indigenous feminists use to draw a huge crowd for the commemoration of the epidemic in the region, which is characterized by missing as well as killed indigenous women. 7 The event could be cited as one of the settings that the indigenous women use as a platform for pushing themselves into being recognized by the public, making sure that the people hear their voices, and participate in their right to assemble, which might be considered as a political approach.

The fact that the indigenous feminists can manage to stage and execute their activism and resistance around different contexts is an indication that they are not only selfless but also compassionate and strong as a group. The need to use such methods is a derivative of the idea that indigenous women face traumatic and systemic oppression, which also calls for the need to use different systems to function appropriately. Their involvement in indigenous feminist movements is by itself an interpretation of the negative effects that the oppressive systems have on their lives. Working against the oppressive systems and institutions is also burdensome to the indigenous feminists. In this case, some people can interpret their involvement in these movements and activities as one way through which the indigenous feminists are working against the white populist feminism. 8 In spite of the numerous obstacles that they are likely to face, the indigenous feminists in different regions, including Canada, are working towards influencing other women to join them in voicing the need to combat the marginalization of the vulnerable indigenous women.

The Political Exclusion of the Indigenous Women 

Indigenous women have continually been excluded from leadership as well as political position. It is possible to tie the exclusion to concepts such as sexism, which has worked in the western society in the past. Even though it might be difficult to determine whether sexism was non-existent before colonization, it is possible to argue that colonization reinforced this cultural provision in the Canadian society. Consequently, the native cultures have confirmed the introduction, leading to the maintenance of this culture in the contemporary society. Colonialism introduced sexism in the society, which influenced the men in the society, did not agree to engage in economic or political negotiations with the women in the society. Following the introduction of sexism in the society, the exclusion of women from negotiations and leadership position have become normalized over time, which might be considered as a provision that led to the sprouting of indigenous feminism.

Currently, indigenous women are experiencing political domination in different spheres that were characterized by their exclusion from the Canadian constitutional development, legislative development, Canadian government institutions, and policy development. 9 An example of such an exclusion could be witnessed in the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), which is continually dominated by males, which is a characteristic that falls in line with Aboriginal governance. 10 These examples provide that the Canadian society has continually adopted patriarchy, which is an element that the indigenous feminists are also trying to fight against. On the other hand, the Canadian government has continually denied the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) participation in constitutional forums. 11 The denial disregards the provision that this organization is still considered as an Aboriginal organization. The fundamental reason for the denial is presumably a derivative of the idea that the organization only represents a section of the Aboriginal population, which means that it would not provide information or opinions that could be representative of the entire nation.

The Contributions of the Indigenous Feminists to the Feminist Theory 

The fundamental objectives of indigenous feminists in most parts of the world involve self-determination and sovereignty. They focus on these provisions by placing the de-colonial struggles as the foundation of their feminist politics and activities. 12 On the other hand, these women question the legitimacy of the nation-state that is used by the Canadian authority as a governing model. These provisions have influenced scholars and other activists to question different actions of the government. However, they tend to avoid questions regarding whether they are legitimate governments. For instance, Sium, Desai, and Ritskes argue that in Canada, the legitimization of the authority of the nation-state can only take place through the use of homogenizing language to erase the colonial history. 13 

In the light of the ways through which indigenous feminists contribute to the feminist theory is through the implementation of their de-colonial struggles. In addition to struggling with decolonization, the indigenous feminists in Canada focus on the questioning of the concept of repatriation in its entirety. 14 For instance, Aboriginal feminists have developed a complex method through which they could assess the colonial ideologies within the traditions of the country. After the acquisition of this information, the feminists combine the information with the NWAC’s process that assists in the identification of legal and policy strategies that could be used for the development of resistance strategies. 15 In the global arena, movements that focus on the decolonization of their societies primarily use women as their markets for explaining the existing cultural differences as well as tradition, which means that they focus on the regulation of their participation in public life. 16 For this reason, it is possible to determine that the Canadian feminists focus on developing models that other feminist movements in different parts of the world could adopt and fight for the restoration of their human rights.

Over a considerable number of years, the Canadian Aboriginal women have been fighting for the elimination of racial as well as gender discrimination. The indigenous feminists have been forced to alter their strategies for resisting the patriarchal colonial culture. Before they altered their strategies, the feminists were initially focused on following traditional fundamentals that were based on the principles of sharing, being honest, kind, and caring. 17 In this light, the indigenous feminists have continually embraced innovative adaptations, which are inclusive of advocating for gender-based methods for decolonization. By working towards finding ways that would challenge and create solutions to the discriminatory nature of the society, the indigenous feminists in Canada are setting the stage for the promotion of sovereignty, which is one of the fundamental agendas of indigenous feminist organizations around the globe.

Conclusion 

To conclude, it would be essential to restate that the primary focus of indigenous feminists in Canada is to develop a model for the observation of human rights, which can be applied to the indigenous women in the international realm. The intersection of oppressive systems such as capitalism, patriarchy, colonialism, and white supremacy has led to the demeaning of women in the Canadian society, which might be considered as a factor that influenced the birth of indigenous feminism in the given society. From the birth of these movements, the indigenous feminists are developing solutions that would take care of the discriminatory tendencies within their society. For this reason, it would be possible for an individual to argue that the indigenous feminists are setting the stage for a sovereign agenda that will restore the society to observing practices that are not discriminatory or demeaning to the female gender.

Bibliography

Bychutsky, Rebecca. "Social Denial: An Analysis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada." Masters, University of Ottawa, 2017.

DH Vancouver Staff. "Women's Memorial March Draws Thousands to Downtown Eastside." Dailyhive.Com , 2018. http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/womens-memorial-march-downtown-eastside-vancouver-february-2018.

Lavoie, Josée G. "Policy Silences: Why Canada Needs A National First Nations, Inuit And Métis Health Policy." International Journal of Circumpolar Health  72, no. 1 (2013): 22690.

Phillips, Cryatal. "Theorizing Aboriginal Feminisms." Masters, University of Lethbridge, 2012.

R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.  Aboriginal Peoples And Post-Secondary Education: What Educators Have Learned . The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, 2004.

Robbins, Julian A., and Jonathan Dewar. "Traditional Indigenous Approaches to Healing and the Modern Welfare of Traditional Knowledge, Spirituality and Lands: A Critical Reflection on Practices and Policies Taken From the Canadian Indigenous Example." The International Indigenous Policy Journal  2, no. 4 (2011).

Sium, Aman, Chandni Desai, and Eric Ritskes. "Towards the ‘Tangible Unknown’: Decolonization and the Indigenous Future." Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society  1, no. 1 (2012): I-XIII.

Snyder, Emily. "Indigenous Feminist Legal Theory." Canadian Journal of Women and the Law 26, no. 2 (2014): 365-401.

Suzack, Cheryl. "Indigenous Feminisms in Canada." NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research  23, no. 4 (2015): 261-274.

The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS), and The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC). "Women And The Canadian Legal System: Examining Situations of Hyper-Responsibility" 26, no. 3-4 (2009): 94-104.

1 Cheryl Suzack, "Indigenous Feminisms in Canada," NORA - Nordic Journal Of Feminist And Gender Research  23, no. 4 (2015): 261.

2 R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.,  Aboriginal Peoples and Post-Secondary Education: What Educators Have Learned  (The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, 2004), 33.

3 Julian A. Robbins and Jonathan Dewar, "Traditional Indigenous Approach To Healing And The Modern Welfare Of Traditional Knowledge, Spirituality And Lands: A Critical Reflection On Practices And Policies Taken From The Canadian Indigenous Example", The International Indigenous Policy Journal  2, no. 4 (2011).

4 Ibid

5 Julian A. Robbins and Jonathan Dewar, "Traditional Indigenous Approach To Healing And The Modern Welfare Of Traditional Knowledge, Spirituality And Lands: A Critical Reflection On Practices And Policies Taken From The Canadian Indigenous Example," The International Indigenous Policy Journal  2, no. 4 (2011).

6 DH Vancouver Staff, "Women's Memorial March Draws Thousands to Downtown Eastside",  Dailyhive.Com , 2018, http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/womens-memorial-march-downtown-eastside-vancouver-february-2018.

7 Rebecca Bychutsky, "Social Denial: An Analysis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls In Canada" (Masters, University of Ottawa, 2017), 58.

8 Cheryl Suzack, "Indigenous Feminisms In Canada," NORA - Nordic Journal Of Feminist And Gender Research  23, no. 4 (2015): 272.

9 Josée G. Lavoie, "Policy Silences: Why Canada Needs A National First Nations, Inuit And Métis Health Policy," International Journal Of Circumpolar Health  72, no. 1 (2013): 22690.

10 CAEFS and NWAC, "Women and the Canadian Legal System: Examining Situations of Hyper-Responsibility" 26, no. 3-4 (2009): 13

11 Ibid., 13

12 Cheryl Suzack, "Indigenous Feminisms In Canada," NORA - Nordic Journal Of Feminist And Gender Research  23, no. 4 (2015): 272.

13 Aman Sium, Chandni Desai, and Eric Ritskes, "Towards the ‘Tangible Unknown’: Decolonization and the Indigenous Future",  Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society  1, no. 1 (2012): VII.

14 CAEFS and NWAC, "Women and the Canadian Legal System: Examining Situations of Hyper-Responsibility" 26, no. 3-4 (2009): 100.

15 Ibid., 94

16 Emily Snyder, "Indigenous Feminist Legal Theory," Canadian Journal of Women And The Law  26, no. 2 (2014): 365-401.

17 Cryatal Phillips, "Theorizing Aboriginal Feminisms" (Masters, University of Lethbridge, 2012), 14.