Cultural Protocols and Academic/Indigenous Projects/involvement:

Cultural Protocols and Academic/Indigenous Projects/involvement:

Hey newbs,

Okay, to some this will sound real jaded, or this or that, but I think it needs to be said, it's a warning I guess for others new in the art world or creative world, to be careful. I'll share advice now and then about different topics and experiences navigating the art world without direction or a mentor really, which we could all use from time to time. A lot of us start out on this infinitely wide path without direction and some of us get lost and used along the way. Find a good mentor, and you might fare better than others. Without further ado, let's get started on this topic:

So, from my experience, you gotta be real careful with colonial institutions, academics and academic artists. Why? Well, if you’re the only indigenous person involved in a project, it’s quite likely because they need someone indigenous involved and you’re a check mark on a grant or project application somewhere. That's a red flag. Secondly, you could be befriended then you’re being groomed for something, and in all likelihood, it's done to advance their careers, a project, an exhibition or a festival even and it happens, don’t kid yourself and think it doesn’t happen. I still get colonial academics a few times a year asking to use my art, or my writing or my films in their MFA or Ph.d for whatever purpose and I used to help.

But I stopped because they never seemed to give back to the Indigenous community or acknowledge protocols or territory or anything really once they had their degree paper, they disappeared. To hell with that I say.

Don’t be afraid to voice your concerns over ANYTHING in a project, say you’re going to another territory and you’re going to take something? Plants. Foods. Bones like deer or raptors or anything really, then you need, YOU NEED to find someone from that territory and reach out to them and ask what the protocols are around that, because that shit needs to stop. That’s continuing a cycle of colonialism and you are being used to make it happen. If it FEELS wrong, then it likely IS WRONG. Go with your gut instincts. 

When you go out on the land, and you’re an urban Indigenous person, try to follow some basic protocols. In reality, a lot of settler, colonial people don’t know shit about us, the land or our culture really. It’s okay to admit to yourself you don’t know any sort of protocols, but please, PLEASE FIND OUT some of them. Find someone in your community, a knowledge carrier or an elder respected in the community with traditional knowledge is a great place to start. Offer them some tobacco and tell them what's up. They'll have some thoughts to share hopefully and guidance as well. Not ALL elders have traditional knowledge, we're in the 5th (?) generation of Residential School Survivors, and this means that they were institutionalized and quite possibly only now able to reclaim their language, their culture now that it's a reasonably safe time to do so. My mum and dad are examples, they went in and came out washed of their language and culture to a large degree. But, traditional knowledge carriers are out there, just ask around and a name will pop up, someone who does land acknowledgements at events, or does sweats, gathers medicines on the land or whatever it may be. 

So, a basic protocol when you go out on the land, is to put down some tobacco (any tobacco!) and say a prayer for your safety and the safety of others with you. You can tell them what you're going to do, and say it quietly to yourself or just in your head. Just let them know to be quiet and respectful and even join you with some positive thoughts and prayers. Now, if you get asked to take something from the land, like sage, or cedar or sweet grass or whatever, try to make a food offering. A sandwich, an apple, a freaking granola bar, anything because you’re harvesting something, give something back, hell even water is an offering, but be careful, don’t carelessly dump it out or flick it around, because you can be inviting storms and bad weather. Pour it gently on the ground.

And don’t act like an asshole, like you’re in a movie and make grand gestures to try to impress your settler, colonial people. You’ll look stupid and then set them up to expect that from every goddamn indigenous person, LOL, so please, don’t do that.

Always try to find out who you should be connecting with in another territory if you cross into another territory. Protocols such as that should and must be followed. Again, you could unknowingly be setting up your non-indigenous, settler colonial people to think USING YOU to go to another territory to take something, claim something or document something without a person from that territory’s permission is somehow okay, but really, it is not good.

It’s because if they go public with that project, art or research and you’re name is attached to it, then you, YOU will look like an ass and you will get scrutinized and that’s what the non-indigenous, settler, colonial academic or artist is or could be doing by involving you in any sort of creative endeavor or project. If you try to hide behind ignorance, you will look all the more like an ass and you’ve been had. Remember what I said at the start, you might be, unknowingly being used to check a box in a grant application form or research grant somewhere. Cover your ass, because that’s what they are doing by involving you. Sometimes settler colonialists seem to think involving ONE of us in something is equal to involving and justifying it to ALL of us indigenous people and that ain’t the freaking case!

Now I’m not saying this happens all the time, but is has happened to myself and many, many others in the past and it continues happening to this day, which is why I’m writing this down. Always take care of yourself and always follow your gut instincts, we survived thousands of years on it, if it feels WRONG it likely is WRONG so don’t do it. If you don’t have a nagging sensation in your gut or in your head, cautiously move forward and enjoy yourself and have a good experience. Sometimes that’s what it really is and you will learn from it and hopefully have a great time!? Until next time, always tread cautiously in new ground and take care of yourself!