Although the activism and historic contributions of Indigenous female leaders to urban Indigenous community development across Turtle Island are recognized, there remains a dearth in the literature regarding the specific mechanisms that enabled Indigenous women to successfully articulate cultural knowledge and inform their management styles by traditional ways. The article explores some of the contributions of female leadership to the governance and program design of a large, culture-based urban Indigenous non-governmental organization in Canada—the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC). We examine how the OFIFC’s Executive Director Sylvia Maracle (Skonaganleh:ra) has applied leadership principles grounded in Indigenous knowledge of her paternal grandmother and a Mohawk matriarch—Mary Ellen Maracle—to address specific challenges in urban Indigenous governance. We argue that the female-led articulation of Indigenous knowledge in organizational operations contributed to creating a community of service that respects distinct expressions of cultural and gender identity.

No abstract

In the midst of nation-wide efforts to forge a path to reconciliation, Canadian universities have been working to transform the academic structures that perpetuate colonial patterns of domination and the erasure of Indigenous knowledges. Indigenization efforts often embrace the transfer of Indigenous languages as one of the critical pieces of Indigenous knowledge rejuvenation. However, for many Indigenous peoples, learning an Indigenous language brings up pain associated with family history and the legacy of residential schools. Language reclamation in a university environment occurs within the ongoing impact of colonial oppression and historic trauma transmission and therefore requires a trauma-informed approach. Based on qualitative research conducted at the University of Guelph with a goal to learn about the current Indigenous language education needs and challenges of the campus community, this paper explores a language revitalization strategy that accommodates different motivations and types of interest in Indigenous language learning as opposed to a "one size fits all" approach. The findings of the study point to a self-directed, non-penalty learning model aligned with Indigenous pedagogies. Within this model, language learning occurs in the right circumstances and at an appropriate time while respecting different levels of motivation and varied capacities for knowledge intake. The paper examines how an academic institution can shape the future directions in post-secondary Indigenous language programming by creating supports that address the impacts of intergenerational trauma and respond to diverse learning needs.

Contemporary Slavery and the Struggle for Self-Determination: The Case of the Guaraní People from the Bolivian ChacoFor over a century, the Bolivian Guaraní people have been subjected to infrahuman treatment which involved practices such as slavery, forced labor and servitude. The new agrarian legislation, aimed at reversing the concentration of the economic and social power in the hands of a small regional elite, represented a shift in a state policy, facilitating the access of indigenous peoples to collective land property and thereby enabling them to break away from the conditions of debt bondage and forced labor. The article examines the current situation of the Guaraní and focuses on the changes and challenges that have been introduced to their way of life due to the implementation of the clearing title process which brought about a partial reconstitution of their territory. It presents the recent data on their struggle to redefine and reconstruct their cultural identity and places emphasis on specific cultural elements considered valuable by the Guaraní society: territorial management, native language, customary law and wider inclusion of women in decision-making structures within the indigenous political organization. Współczesne niewolnictwo i walka o autodeterminację: casus kultury Guaraní z boliwijskiego Chaco Przez ponad stulecie boliwijscy Indianie Guaraní byli przedmiotem nieludzkiego traktowania z powodu praktyk takich jak niewolnictwo, praca przymusowa oraz poddaństwo. Reformy agrarne, których celem była redystrybucja władzy ekonomicznej i społecznej, skoncentrowanej w rękach niewielkiej regionalnej elity, spowodowały zmianę w polityce rządowej, gwarantując dostęp ludów tubylczych do kolektywnej własności ziemi. Proces ten umożliwił przedstawicielom kultury Guaraní zerwanie zależności wynikających z systemu pracy przymusowej i więzienia za długi. Niniejszy artykuł jest poświęcony obecnej sytuacji Indian Guaraní, a w szczególności zmianom i wyzwaniom, którym muszą stawić czoło w związku z uzyskaniem tytułów własności ziemi oraz częściową odbudową utraconego terytorium. Omówione zostały aktualne dane związane z walką o ponowne zdefiniowanie i odbudowanie kulturowej tożsamości tej grupy, jak również specyficzne elementy kulturowe, uważane za wartościowe przez społeczność Guaraní, w tym zarządzanie terytorialne, język ojczysty, prawo zwyczajowe oraz szerszy udział kobiet w strukturach decyzyjnych ruchu indiańskiego.