Here we are, Halloween time again – and retail stores are once again trading in racism and appropriation by selling Halloween costumes that allow people to dress up like “Indians.” However, as we saw with this fall’s national conversation about the Cleveland Indians name and logo, the tide is beginning to shift, as non-Indigenous allies […]
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myths and stereotypes
Lessons In the Real World
Suzanne - Oct 20, 2016 - activity/lesson, community engagement, decolonized, myths and stereotypes, pedagogy, power and privilege, racism, reconciliation - Comments Off on Lessons In the Real World
Costumes and the Colonial Myth
Suzanne - Oct 30, 2015 - decolonized, Mythological Indian, myths and stereotypes, power and privilege, racism, reconciliation, women - Comments Off on Costumes and the Colonial Myth
Welcome to October: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has set up a National Research Centre at the University of Manitoba, the CBC is actually using the word “Indigenous,” and stores in Vancouver, Regina, Sudbury, and Truro, N.S., are selling Halloween costumes that allow people to dress up as a Warrior Chief or an Indian Princess. […]
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Classic Films on Power and Representation
Suzanne - Sep 21, 2015 - decolonized, Mythological Indian, myths and stereotypes, power and privilege, racism, recommended resource - Comments Off on Classic Films on Power and Representation
Welcome to the start of the new school year! To start September off in a good way, Dragonfly calls your attention to two short films, both of which highlight the ridiculousness of much of the “research” conducted on Aboriginal peoples. The first film, Babakiueria, is an Australian classic from the 1980s. Take a trip down […]
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Language Matters – Part 2
Suzanne - Jan 30, 2015 - culturally relevant and responsive programming, myths and stereotypes, pedagogy, power and privilege, racism - Comments Off on Language Matters – Part 2
In December 2013, the Canadian Museum of Civilization was renamed the Canadian Museum of History. This is important for several reasons, none of them good, and all of them related to the way Aboriginal peoples are positioned and understood in Canada. The Canadian Museum of Civilization has had several incarnations: it was first known as […]
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Language Matters – Part 1
Suzanne - Dec 30, 2014 - decolonized, myths and stereotypes, power and privilege, reconciliation - Comments Off on Language Matters – Part 1
As we near the end of the calendar year and the beginning of true winter, Dragonfly would like to call your attention to two words – “Aboriginal” and “civilization” – and how each word has recently illustrated the power relationships that so often underly the use of language in society. We’ll start this month with […]
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Perception Is Not Reality
Suzanne - Aug 27, 2014 - activity/lesson, myths and stereotypes, power and privilege, racism, recommended resource, reconciliation - Comments Off on Perception Is Not Reality
Winnipeg artist KC Adams is using her new portrait series, “Perception,” to change how Aboriginal people are seen in this country. Adams, an Oji-Cree whose artwork is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery in Ottawa, has taken photos of Aboriginal people living in Winnipeg. On the first of each paired photo, Adams uses […]
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Aboriginal Music and the Juno Awards
Suzanne - Apr 07, 2014 - dance, decolonized, music, myths and stereotypes, recommended resource - Comments Off on Aboriginal Music and the Juno Awards
A Tribe Called Red – the wicked-in-the-best-way Ottawa-based electric powwow group – won a Juno Award this month for Breakthrough Group of the Year for their CD “Nation II Nation.” In so doing, they have made history: they are the first Aboriginal group to win a Juno outside the Aboriginal music category. Composed of DJ […]
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The Reading List
Suzanne - Feb 25, 2014 - culturally relevant and responsive programming, history, myths and stereotypes, recommended resource, reconciliation - Comments Off on The Reading List
Dragonfly often gets asked for book recommendations or a reading list. People want to know what book they should read to learn about Aboriginal peoples and cultures, what book will give them details on certain Aboriginal experiences (such as residential schools), or what book will lay out Aboriginal perspectives on an issue or subject. There […]
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Female Indigenous Firsts
Suzanne - Jan 31, 2014 - activity/lesson, culturally relevant and responsive programming, history, myths and stereotypes, power and privilege, recommended resource, women - Comments Off on Female Indigenous Firsts
Wilfred Laurier University student Sally Simpson has updated her list of Aboriginal women trailblazers. First released last year as part of her scholarly research, Simpson continues to add to and revise the list. It now contains 92 entries detailing the accomplishments of Aboriginal women in all walks of life, from academia, justice, policing, arts, and […]
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Female Indigenous Trailblazers
Suzanne - Jul 19, 2013 - activity/lesson, culturally relevant and responsive programming, history, myths and stereotypes, power and privilege, recommended resource - Comments Off on Female Indigenous Trailblazers
Over the past few decades, feminist historians have successfully re-read and re-presented history from a female perspective, exploring a female viewpoint on history and demonstrating the significance of women’s actions and choices. The interdisciplinary field of women’s studies has, for its part, explored politics, society, media, and history from women’s perspectives through a lens that […]
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