Blackfoot Woman Manifesto

I have been influenced by many worldviews and people in writing this manifesto. I can sense their beauty, courage, bravery, and resiliency in the words they wrote. They have been courageous enough to share pieces of their truths and created tools to help challenge the world of sociology to see the perspective of other racialized people. I have learned the importance of experience from Patricia Hill Collins and Diane Million. I have learned about Indigenous resistance and how that can look in contrast with Indigenous and Western perspectives from Leanne Simpson. I have learned how to put together a “Killjoy Feminist Survival Toolkit” from Sara Ahmed. All these great feminist theorists have helped shape and fine tune my “tools” to see the world and how it may look with all the different perspectives it has to offer. Because when we are able to see the world through different lenses, we are able to appreciate the true beauty of different cultures; opposed to the western Eurocentric patriarchal perspective that has been embedded into society. It is only then that someone can call themselves a sociologist. When they are open to seeing different worldviews, especially those that challenge the norm.

I am proud to be a Blackfoot woman. Being a Blackfoot woman is something that I am very proud of because of my ancestors. Leanne Simpson (2017) says it best when she wrote “My ancestors struggled, sacrificed, and fought much worse than I have to get me here, and I have the same responsibility to my future relations” (6). They were feared warriors among many Indigenous tribes, not only because of their size, but because of their strength. It was not only the men who were feared but the women as well were considered feared warriors. Women were held with great respect and their voices were heard within the tribe. They were seen as equals or held at a higher status than the men because of their ability to create life. It was not until colonization set in that this perspective changed and our matriarchal system became a patriarchal system, and women were pushed aside, unequal, and unheard from. Let’s fast forward to today. I am a part of a generation that is attempting to break intergenerational trauma and cycles. I am a part of a generation whose voices are not silenced and are slowly being acknowledged and heard, no matter what gender you are. This is what makes me proud to be who I am and to know where I come from. My roles include being a daughter, sister, mother, auntie, girlfriend, student, friend, and advocate. I take all my roles very seriously. I like to create awareness for Indigenous issues and educate those who are willing to listen. Especially those who are oblivious to Indigenous culture. I will say that I do not speak for other Indigenous tribes or people, I can only speak of my own story, experiences and from my own knowledge. But when it comes to issues such as housing, water, healthcare etc. there are many similarities like these across Indigenous communities.

As I sit here and write my manifesto, I am thinking about my life and all the roles I have. Sometimes, I feel silly when I share my personal experiences with non-Indigenous people because it is heavy! I feel like at times people will think I am making it up or I am lying. And that is fine, they do not have to believe me because it comes with privilege and the worldviews they are exposed too. Unless they are Indigenous themselves, then I feel a little more at ease because at some point they have a shared experience or know someone who has experienced something similar. Daily life in mainstream society as a Blackfoot woman, and for many other Indigenous people is not easy. Especially within an academic setting. Everyday is a challenge. All my roles are affected because of the connection and the constant flux (Little Bear, 2015). For myself, the role of being a student gets pushed further down the line because being a mom and auntie comes first. I love my nieces and nephews deeply and I work hard with a fierce commitment to their well-being. At the same time, I am raising my beloved daughters, and I am currently pregnant. All while trying to maintain being a student. So, when I say my life is chaotic, it truly is. But I would not have it any other way because my children (when I say my children, my niece and nephew are included) are my responsibility. They are my whole world and my pride and joys! Everything I do is for them. One day I hope I can share enough knowledge with them so they will be able to establish their own toolkits and become fierce warriors too. When this day comes, I hope they will use the term “warriors” instead of “killjoys” (Ahmed, 2017) because let’s face it, it has more of a ring to it. This is my own manifesto based on my personal experiences within a two-paradigm worldview.

Principle #1: I will always be aware that I walk in two different worlds.

Dr. Leory Little Bear explains the “Native Paradigm” (The Banff Centre, “Indigenous Knowledge vs. Western Science,” YouTube, 2015). He gives insight into the perspective of the contrast between Indigenous and western society worldviews. I am aware that everything in my world is connected to one another, whether it is animate or inanimate. Because everything is connected, it also means that all of it can impact one another, like a ripple effect. For example, if one of my children gets sick, then there is a good chance the whole household will at some point catch the same cold, which will impact my schoolwork because I need to care for my children to ensure their wellbeing before I can attend to my studies. This explains how what happens in one part of my life ends up affecting another area of my life and so on. As much as I try to be proactive to avoid what is to come, I will feel the impact in all areas whether big or small because I understand my world to work this way, whereas in the western world I would be naïve to think I can have complete control over everything.

Principle #2: I will always share my knowledge and educate those who are ignorant of my culture.

The history of Indigenous people is a hard one to swallow. Even today, with the reconciliation campaigns that happen, people in mainstream society get uncomfortable or very plainly just state “get over it.” (Prete, 2022).  Which never ceases to amaze me because if only it were that simple. I do not think anyone from an Indigenous family asked for first-hand or intergenerational trauma. Personally, I never asked for addictions to play such a big role in my own family’s lives. And I never asked for the words “I love you” to be so hard for my family to say to my sisters and me. Which is why I make it a point to say it to my children each and every chance I get. Leanne Simpson (2017) writes, “It is not happenstance or luck that Indigenous peoples and our lands still exist after centuries of attack. This is our strategic brilliance. Our presence is our weapon, and this is visible to me at every protest, every mobilization, every time a Two-Spirit person gifts us with a dance at our powwows, every time we speak our truths, every time we embody Indigenous life.” (6). The simplest gestures or what would be considered first nature as a parent were also the hardest for Indigenous people because they were stripped of these actions and gestures during their time at Residential Schools. Today, it is astounding to find the lack of empathy our society has towards Indigenous people and the impacts of intergenerational trauma visibly seen all around us such as addictions, poverty, homelessness, etc.

Principle #3: I will always remind my children of where they come from.

When Leanne Simpson talks about her children she says, “I see strength in them that I don’t see in myself. I see an ability to point out and name colonialism, resist and even mobilize to change it” (1). This is spot on when describing how I see my children and myself. They give me so much courage and strength, that I do not think I will ever be able to explain. As I mentioned above, I will always share my education and knowledge about my culture with my children. Growing up I did not have someone to tell me why my parents and family were the way they were. I thought it was normal for people “like me” to go through the things I went through. I knew I was different from my peers at school because they were white and wealthy. It was not until I started my post-secondary journey that I started to learn more about where I came from and why things were the way they were. My experiences should not be “normal,” but they are a part of every other Indigenous student’s life. To know who you are is to know where you come from. To ‘belong’ is a Blackfoot value and it is an important aspect of every Indigenous person’s life because it creates wholeness within an individual. Which explains why so many Indigenous people get lost with addictions because they search, or they have never found or felt that belonging to their community or within themselves. As my children grow up, they know they belong to my heart, our family, and our community. I do my best to instill the sense of knowing they belong and are a part of this world we live in, and they are important, and they matter!

Principle #4: I will break inter-generational trauma and cycles.

Modern day Blackfoot woman warrior right here. I live a healthy positive lifestyle. I do not allow alcohol or drugs to be in or around my children or house. I would like to think I am providing my children with opportunities that I never received such as playing different sports, being able to have regalia to dance at pow wows and having access to our traditional ways like smudging and ceremony. I tell my children when they wake up, leave the house or my side, or before they go to bed, how much I love them and how I am proud of them. I do not blame my family for being the way they were when I was growing up because they lived in a different world. Just like my children are growing up in a different world than I did. My family did not have access to the resources they have now and instead their truths and hardships were silenced. Million (2009) writes “we cannot do this without going through the past, and watching ourselves and analyzing ourselves, because we are carrying a pain that is 400 years old. We’re carrying the pain of our fathers, our mothers, our grandfathers, our grandmothers-it’s part of this land” (72). Now, society is aware that there are thousands of Indigenous people who have a shared experience of colonization and Residential Schools. It is important for Indigenous people to continue to carry on their traditional knowledge and teachings with the younger generation. It may be a small or big action being done, such as being saying “I love you” or becoming a society member, but that is exactly what our Ancestors fought so hard for. It was for younger generations to be able to reclaim their power, strength, and identity as an Indigenous person within western society. It is then that Indigenous people can begin to heal and break intergenerational cycles.

Principle #5: I will not be afraid to stand up and speak against institutional abuse and violence.

It is no surprise that there is institutional and systematic racism set up to be used against minorities, especially Indigenous people. Colonialization, assimilation, and the government have all been designed to eradicate Indigenous people. There are structural inequalities and obstacles put in place for people like me to jump through. This creates defeat from the very start. Everything from the justice, education, health, and welfare systems are all designed to set Indigenous people up for failure. For example, Martin and Walia (2019) highlight how “Indigenous women’s over-representation in the criminal justice system is, therefore, directly connected to the intergenerational legacy of residential schools including child apprehension, loss of land and culture, and impoverishment” (129). Collins (2021) notes these systemic inequities when she writes “institutions, paradigms, and other elements of the knowledge validation procedure controlled by elite white men constitute the Eurocentric masculinist knowledge validation process” (261).  Today’s society is very male dominated which makes it “harder” to challenge but not impossible. I have fought hard to keep children out of the custody of the state, so that they are with extended family, where they belong. But I am going up against the court system. In this context, my voice, and the voices of those I fight for, are not heard. It is a sad reality that we must deal with this process, but it is also sadder because the stress and struggle are also coming from our own people. Abuse of power makes the process difficult; trust is broken even within our own tribe and I feel anxious and fear what our future holds. Residential Schools are another example of institutional abuse and violence. Health care system is another example of people in power taking advantage of the vulnerability of Indigenous people, which ends up with them having a high percentage of diabetes or chronic health conditions. The “Red Women Rising” report (2019) states “Indigenous women’s health is inseparable from the social and economic context within which Indigenous women are born, develop, live, and age. The poor health that Indigenous women suffer is due to a lack of appropriate and equitable care in a colonial system. Indigenous women’s health is particularly influenced by the trauma of child apprehension and forced family separation, as well as sexual violence” (145). I am not sharing my experiences to seek pity. Instead, I want others to know it is not shameful to fight a corrupt system to ensure the safety of family. I will continue with this battle until I can be sure loved ones are safe and secure and with the people that love them.

Principle #6: I will use my life experiences to educate others.

Sometimes when I share my story, I feel like people do not believe me or they think I am making it up. I remind myself that I owe no one any explanation because who is anyone to judge someone when they do not know what happened behind closed doors. I have been through many situations in life I did not ask for. However, everything that has happened to me up until this point in life has helped shape me into who I am today. Ahmed (2017) states, “what we learn from these experiences, might be how we survive these experiences” (235). I was given tools, and I will continue to “sharpen” them (Ahmed, p 242). I prepare my tools in case I must utilize them again or hand them down to my children in the event they need a tool to help them along the way. Like I mentioned above, Indigenous people have shared experiences. If I can share my story with another to help them navigate through their path, then I will do that. There is a reason for everything, good or bad. Our experiences give us our stories, and our stories are our truths.

Principle #7: I will utilize my voice. My voice is powerful, and I will speak the truth, even if it makes others uncomfortable.

In class, one of my peer’s discussed another class with Professor Chloe Cross Child. My peer said something along the lines of having the uncomfortable conversations, even if they make you uncomfortable. That really resonated at the time and even now, because why should I adjust how to speak my truth or expect someone else change their truth just so we can be comfortable talking about it? I find those uncomfortable conversations are where you get the rawest truth of the story the individual is sharing. We, as in mainstream society, seem to have gotten too comfortable avoiding the harsh reality of the society we live in. When in fact, our country and society is based on one of the darkest histories that has happened to humankind. But we do not acknowledge the actual truth of it because elite white men said “no.” Sara Ahmed (2017) writes, “When we speak, we are often heard as sharp. Hear her: shrill, strident, the killjoy voice. A voice can be a tool” (242).

My manifesto is the guiding principles of my daily life. I learned from many scholars this semester whose ideas share similarities with Indigenous worldviews. Sociologists need to study and view the world through all of the different worldviews that make up our society. We need to steer away from colonial mindsets that have been instilled and enforced into society. We need to remember and acknowledge every culture’s history because spaces were occupied prior to contact. This is why there is “colonization.” I do not mind being a killjoy to create awareness for others to become educated with my own ways of knowing. I would like to come across other killjoys to educate me in their own culture’s history because I know there can be other or similar ways, they view the world just like I do. I am raising the next generation of killjoys who can create their own toolkits and manifestos. Dr. Leory Little Bear (2015) says, “there is more than science and there is more than one way of looking at the world we live in, what was known back then is now being used” as if that is a new discovery. I want to point out that I do not share my story to seek attention such as pity. I share my story because I know I am not alone when I walk and navigate through today’s society. I know there are others who can relate or have similar experiences especially being a Blackfoot student at a western institution. I share my story to inspire others to dig deep down and know how resilient, strong, brave, and courageous. You are furthering your education. It is not easy to walk in two different worlds, when you feel like an outsider in one. But it is possible to persevere and be successful despite all obstacles that happen. I, for one, have high hopes for my children to grow up and know their own strengths and power they have. I want them to know they are capable of being everything and anything they choose to be. I want them to be better than me and go further than I have. I want them to be proud and know they are powerful beings, to know they can be Blackfoot modern-day warriors.

References

Ahmed, Sara. 2017. Living a Feminist Life. Durham and London: Duke University Press.

Collins, Patricia Hill. 2021 [1990]. “Toward an Afrocentric Feminist Epistemology”. In Social Theory: Roots & Branches edited by P. Kivisto (5th Ed.), 260-269. New York: Oxford University Press.

Little Bear, Leroy. 2015. “Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science.”  Youtube. Filmed at The Banff Centre, January 14, 2015, 21:32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJSJ28eEUjI.

Martin, Carol Muree and Harsha Walia. 2019. Red Women Rising: Indigenous Women Survivors in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Yellowhead Institute. https://dewc.ca/dewc-news/red-women-rising/

Million, Dian. 2009. “Felt Theory: An Indigenous Feminist Approach to Affect and History.” Wicazo Sa Review, 24(2), 53-76.

Prete, Tiffany. 2022. “The Kainai Stolen Children Era.” YouTube. Filmed at The University of Lethbridge Public Professor Series, October 28, 2022 1:19:47. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMIPaYpx1po

Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. 2017. As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press.

Smith, Dorothy. 1974. Women’s Perspective as a Radical Critique of Sociology. Sociological Inquiry, 44(1), 7-13.