Decolonizing Mi'kmaw Memory of Treaty: L'sɨtkuk's
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DECOLONIZING MI'KMAW MEMORY OF TREATY: L’SƗTKUK’S LEARNING WITH ALLIES IN STRUGGLE FOR FOOD AND LIFEWAYS by Sherry Mae Pictou Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia April 2017 © Copyright by Sherry Mae Pictou, 2017 For Destiny Wasuek and L’sɨtkuk In Memory of Joey I hear our laughter as it were yesterday in the brook where we escaped to be children alder fishing poles strung with worms swimming with blood suckers then basking in sun— our hearts free fireflies in hands running between summer rain storms— our mud soaked feet became our freedom Sherry Pictou ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED ............................................................................................ vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Finding the Right Tree ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Why Indigenous Struggle and “Neoliberal colonial capitalism”? ......................................... 5 1.3 Indigenous Struggle and Decolonization? ........................................................................... 11 1.4 L'sɨtkukewey a'tuwaqn (A Story from L’sɨtkuk) ................................................................ 16 1.5 Purpose of the Research ....................................................................................................... 25 1.6 Indigenous as Researcher/Activist ....................................................................................... 28 1.7 Weaving and Organizing the Chapters ................................................................................ 33 CHAPTER 2: ELIGPETE'GET ..................................................................................................... 35 2.1 Eligpete’get (Pounding The Ash) ........................................................................................ 35 2.2 Indigenous (Mi’kmaq) Relational Worldviews and Allied Theories .................................. 36 2.3 Mi’kmaq Ancestral Relational Understandings and Anthropological Perspectives on Treaty ............................................................................................................... 39 2.4 The Made-in-Nova Scotia Process, “Modern” Treaty Making and Other Negotiations with State Governments ..................................................................................................................... 46 2.5 Internalization of neoliberalism, colonialism, and capitalism: political and knowledge economies .................................................................................................................................. 56 2.6 Decolonization and Indigenous Resurgence as Critical Learning ....................................... 65 2.7 Ligpete'gnpil (Splints) ......................................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER 3: ELISQAPEKA’TU’N ............................................................................................. 69 3.1 Elisqapeka'tu'n (To Weave The Bottom) ............................................................................. 69 3.2 Researching Back: Unarticulated Knowledges, Critical Place Inquiry and Relational Validity ..................................................................................................................... 71 3.3 Toward Mutual Decolonization with Allies ........................................................................ 80 3.4 Indigenous Research Design ................................................................................................ 83 3.4.1 Indigenous Methodology and the Conversational Method .......................................... 84 3.4.2 Critical Autoethnographic Approach and Extended Case Method .............................. 86 iii 3.4.3 The Interviews (Conversations and Stories)................................................................. 88 3.4.4 Sharing Circles ............................................................................................................. 90 3.4.5 Participant & Site Selection, Analysis, & Timeline ..................................................... 91 3.4.6 Site Selection & Participant Observation ..................................................................... 92 3.4.7 Analysis (themes) and Relational Validity ................................................................... 93 3.4.8 Ethical Considerations and Informed Consent ............................................................. 94 3.5 Interweaving and Naming the Voices of L’sɨtkuk and Allies as Decolonization (Confidentiality and Potential Risks) ......................................................................................... 95 3.6 Language and Other Articulations ....................................................................................... 98 CHAPTER 4: ELISKNUEY (AND) ELISKNUET ..................................................................... 101 4.1 Elisknuey (I Am Weaving) And Elisknuet (She/He Weaves) ........................................... 101 4.2 Intergenerational Learning (Ancestral Sharing) ................................................................ 102 4.3 Capitalization of Places v. Weaving Names and Place (Land) .......................................... 104 4.4 Relations, Sharing and Belonging ..................................................................................... 109 4.5 All My (Our) Relations, ‘Eating the Landscape,’ and Healing ......................................... 114 4.6 Colonialism and Capitalism Toxins ................................................................................... 122 4.7 Treaties, Spirits and Freedom ............................................................................................ 126 4.8 Treaty Practice v. Treaty Rights ........................................................................................ 133 4.9 Learning and Knowledge Production: Resurgent Relations? ............................................ 138 4.10 Decolonizing and the work of Reciprocal Spiritual Intelligence ..................................... 141 4.11 Challenges and Visions for a Living Curriculum (living learning) ................................. 145 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 155 5.1 Elokwistoq (Put On A Basket Hoop) ................................................................................. 155 5.2 Basket weaving as a research framework .......................................................................... 166 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................ 169 APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW GUIDE (L’sɨtkuk Participants) ................................................... 192 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW GUIDE (Allies-Participants) ....................................................... 194 APPENDIX C: SHARING CIRCLE GUIDE .............................................................................. 196 APPENDIX D: CONSENT FORM ............................................................................................. 197 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Ash tree, photo courtesy of Frank Meuse ............................................................ 15 Figure 2 Pack Baskets, Sherry Pictou Collection .............................................................. 15 Figure 3 Birch bark star (2017), photo courtesy of Todd Labrador ................................... 41 Figure 4 Container Ship (Halifax, NS) Sherry Pictou Collection ...................................... 75 Figure 5 Snow shoes, photo courtesy of Frank Meuse ...................................................... 81 Figure 6 Louis Harlow 1930, Warren Miller Collection, courtesy of Mike Parker ........... 99 Figure 7 William Harlow 2015, Sherry Pictou Collection ................................................ 99 Figure 8 Clam-shell, photo courtesy of Terry Wilkins .................................................... 126 Figure 9 Joey's Pack Basket, Moose Hunt 2015, Sherry Pictou Collection .................... 167 v ABSTRACT Treaty negotiations in Nova Scotia have been triggered by the Supreme Court of Canada decision in 1999, based on the Donald Marshall Jr. case, upholding a Mi’kmaq treaty right to fish for a livelihood. These negotiations are known as the Made-In-Nova Scotia Process. This dissertation explores questions about what the community of L’sɨtkuk has learned with our allies in struggle within multiple contexts to assert treaty rights, since 1999. What knowledge has evolved and what are the learning successes, challenges, and potential for realizing social change? In order to explore these questions from the perspective of L’sɨtkuk and our allies, I utilize the Mi’kmaq art of basket weaving as a way to center our voices against formal negotiation frameworks. Through the