Transforming and Grappling with Concepts of Activism and Feminism with Indigenous Women Artists

Transforming and Grappling with Concepts of Activism and Feminism with Indigenous Women Artists Julie Nagam, York University and the Tensions and contradictions exist University of Manitoba, is situated in between the social locations of feminism multiple locations of community, race, class and activism among Indigenous women and identity. artists. A dialogue needs to be created to grapple with these concepts in an Abstract Indigenous context, one that would engage This essay reflects on the multiple relations with the relationship between Indigenous between the socially constructed terms of women and the cultural politics of their art activism, feminism and Indigenous artists practices and provide discourse surrounding and whether such reflections connect to a feminism and activism in the context of the larger discussion surrounding colonization, artistic practices of the original inhabitants of hegemonic western art practices and the Turtle Island. To that end, this essay reflects lack of female Indigenous artists in the on the complex relations between the mainstream art world. socially constructed terms of activism, Résumé feminism and Indigenous artists and Cet article est un réflexion sur les multiples whether such reflections connect to a larger relations entre les termes construits discussion surrounding colonization, socialement d'activisme, de féminisme et hegemonic western art practices and the d'artistes indigènes et si ce genre de lack of female Indigenous artists in the réflexions se relient à une plus grande mainstream art world. discussion sur la colonisation, les pratiques Indigenous struggles rooted in d'art occidentales hégémoniques et le decolonization and self-determination manque de femmes artistes indigènes dans historically have a distorted relationship to le monde d'art conventionnel. the terms activism and feminism and while Indigenous thinkers and scholars advocate for self-determination and decolonization, these terms are situated in different frameworks. Decolonization is an internal and external process, which allows the colonized to oppose or change the "conquest and control of [their] people's land and goods" (Loomba 2005, 8). Self-determination is rooted in Aboriginal peoples governing their own nations and the devolution of their social and political welfare. Grace Ouellette argues that, "the concepts of racism and Eurocentrism have not been adequately addressed by feminist writers analyzing the status of Indigenous women in the global community" (2002, 12) and her point is a valid one because until www.msvu.ca/atlantis PR Atlantis 33.1, 2008 73 recently feminist writers did not deal with the colonial Canadian (or any) society by concepts of racism and colonization. providing individuals with tools to resist in However, in the last two decades, a whole local struggles. Devon Mihesuah's use of new generation of feminist theorists have the term activist and her argument that other focused on anti-racist, Indigenous and women who identify with feminist politics are women of color feminist issues and theory. activists rather than feminists, perpetuate As examples we can look to the work of distorted views of feminism (2003). This is Chandra Mohanty, Gloria Anzaldua, Lee an injustice to the feminist movement, Maracle, Joyce Green, Christine Welsh and including those feminist activists who are Shirley Bear. struggling to end all oppressions and who In the past and the present there are engaged in decolonizing practices. Yet have been numerous difficulties when women such as Ouellette and Mihesuah Indigenous people commit to feminist also support feminist issues, including the politics. This happens because there is a environment, land, childcare, education, disconnection in the understanding of health care and so on. Ouellette and feminism, caused when Indigenous people Mihesuah's writings focus on these assume that feminism does not take up concerns which are haunting Indigenous issues of Indigenous sovereignty, women in our present day realities of social self-determination and self-government. The dislocations and oppression. The struggle tension between Indigenous issues and for Indigenous women to find a location in feminism exists when people want to feminism is difficult because, as these separate these embodiment practices. As writers indicate, there are complications for Devon Mihesuah, an American Indigenous Indigenous people to identify themselves as scholar argues, not all Indigenous women feminist. However, as both writers argue, it reject "white" feminism and "when they is acceptable to be an activist but not an [Indigenous] identify themselves as advocate for feminism because they face 'feminists,' they often mean they are 'Native less criticism from other Indigenous people Activists,' concerned with more than female in naming themselves "activists" instead of marginalization. Indeed, they fight for "feminists." This is an extremely problematic fishing, land, water, and treaty rights and at stance as both terms were created out of a the same time, they have no desire to be Eurocentric framework and need to be called inferior by anyone because they are discussed further. This is a concern which women" (Mihesuah 2003, 162). The will be addressed later in this paper. concepts behind activism and the use of the The past works of Rosanna term as a vehicle to end oppression and Deerchild, an Indigenous writer, and Lita create social change is enabling people to Fontaine, an Indigenous artist, both deal bypass the politics of feminism. This is with "approaching feminism with a cultural highly problematic because it proposes that lens" (Deerchild 2003, 100). Fontaine feminists are not activists or that Indigenous defines herself and her work as "tribal first people who use and identify with feminism because first and foremost my Aboriginality are not really feminists at all; they are Native is important, but feminist because I have activists. The concept of activist in my work adopted some of their ideals" (Deerchild has been re-named "social change agent" (I 2003, 100) and she has borrowed the term use this term in order to find a different tribal feminism from the Paula Gunn Allen ideology that is not embedded in social from her book The Sacred Hoop that also constructions of the frontline radical activist) deals with feminist ideology through a and I developed it out of my understanding "cultural lens." Deerchild states, "Tribal that the role of an activist, feminist, social feminism argues that matriarchy gave way change agent and, I would add, artist, is to to patriarchy within our business, community transform dominant racist, sexist and and governing structures, and women lost 74 Atlantis 33.1, 2008 PR www.msvu.ca/atlantis their status and their leadership roles" (Allen Deerchild are attempting to do, then there 1986, 101). This kind of thinking is what can be coalition building, and many complicates past understandings of Aboriginal people can find a place within the feminism and the effects colonization have feminist movement, feminist art and its had on Indigenous women's gender roles accompanying theoretical body of within their own communities. It is knowledge. courageous of Fontaine and Deerchild to Fontaine's most recent work, The demand a redefinition of past constructions Sacred Feminine, deals with various issues of white/middle-class feminism and at the and complexities related to the beauty of the same time they ask for a re-examination of body and its gendered experiences. She Indigenous women's role in their own has combined ideas of land, body, beauty communities and Canadian society in and energy into a marvelous piece of general. Fontaine argues that it is not only artwork. At the same there is a sense of Euro-Canadian society that needs interplay that exists which relates to the idea re-examining; she "began to discover that of the feminine. This work begins to grapple these 'isms' also exist in Aboriginal societies with the existing tensions between and traditions" (Deerchild 2003, 100). An art/beauty and the embodiment knowledge example of such an encounter in Aboriginal of being an Aboriginal woman. Fontaine society would be the experience of women's states, "The one thing about The Sacred place around the drum. Feminine was to honour my own femininity Fontaine has created artwork that within myself and to bring out the beauty in brings to light the very issue of a woman's our culture" (Manitoban Online 93.22). This place around the drum. One of her earlier kind of honour needs to be at the forefront pieces of artwork, The Women's Drum, has of feminist movements and embraced by four images of the upper female torso in the Aboriginal peoples who know women form four directions, surrounded by a large drum the backbone of their communities, nations in the center. At each corner of the drum and families. Therefore, the struggle to there are feathers and stones sitting in each resist dominant ideologies of the feminine direction. The creation of this project was stems from western education and intended to challenge some of the gender colonization. This is where art is not created divisions in her community and in Aboriginal just for aesthetic or avant-garde purposes; it ways of doing. Fontaine states that she has social and political context for Aboriginal began to "confront what she sees as people. This does not mean a total rejection patriarchy that has seeped into these of avant-garde or aesthetic practices for long-held beliefs, ceremonies and gender Aboriginal artists, since there are artists who roles" (Deerchild 2003, 100). This is a focus on these forms of expression. significant shift in thinking for Aboriginal However, there are different implications for women about a contentious issue, with Aboriginal artists because their artwork is many Aboriginal theorists arguing that always locked into a political position or Aboriginal men's struggle for a better place stance because of the historical implications in Canadian society is similar to that of of a white settler colony. As Fontaine states, Aboriginal women.

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