Full Description
On Dismantling Settler Colonialism challenges conventional approaches to reconciliation, urging Canadians to move away from the notion of assimilation - where Indigenous peoples are expected to conform to the values and structures of settler colonial society. Instead, this book advocates for a true reconciliation: one that fosters the creation of political, economic, social, and cultural spaces where Indigenous nations can self-govern, restore their traditional lands, and live in harmony with the earth according to their own values and beliefs.
Through deeply personal reflections on over five decades of activism in the communities of the Dene Nation, Grassy Narrows First Nation, Temagami First Nation and the Innu Nation of Labrador, John A. Olthuis shares his powerful journey of working to dismantle settler colonialism. He brings to light the many neglected blueprints for true reconciliation, including discussions of over 700 recommendations for systemic change put forth by the Penner Report, The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This book offers a powerful exploration of how the challenging work of dismantling settler colonialism can be a transformative and deeply healing process for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples alike.
Contents
Preface: Fifty Years of Walking with First Nations
1.The Dene Nation and the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline
2.Mercury Pollution and the Grassy Narrows Fight for Justice
3.The Aboriginal Peoples Constitutional Conferences
4.Paradise Threatened; the Innu of Labrador fight for their Homeland - Nitassinan
5.The Struggle of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai for Old Growth Trees and Their Land
6.The Struggle for Healing among Mushuau Innu of Labrador
7.The Road Home: the Innu of Labrador and Modern Treaty Negotiations
8.Exciting Blueprints for Reconciliation with Indigenous People and Nations
9.Doing Our Part for Reconciliation with HEART
