Thohahoken Michael Doxtater - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Michael Doxtater, (PhD, Cornell University) Associate Professor, Ryerson University, specializing in Indigenous Creative Practice.
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Papers by Thohahoken Michael Doxtater
Indigenous Policy Journal, 2009
There are over 100 descendants of my grandmother Belva, my mother June and my older sisters Franc... more There are over 100 descendants of my grandmother Belva, my mother June and my older sisters Frances, Lynda, and Lillian. Indian residential schools affected all these women’s lives. Some descendants made their way in the world. Our family has artists, social activists, professionals and business people. We also have members who are part of the casualty list found in Statistics Canada 2006 and in the National Aboriginal Youth Strategy (NAYS 1999) . So, we also have sick people, people in jail, poor people, and people with addiction problems. Whether my relatives went to residential school and on-reserve schools, we all received an Indian Affairs education that tried to extinguish the Indian in us. Indian residential schools and on-reserve schools were imbued with assimilation goals. The mission to “kill the Indian in the child” remains the dark proclaimed maxim of Indian extinction called by Canada’s superintendent of Indian Affairs in the early 1900s. Indian education manuals issu...
I coined the term ‘decolonial era’ to suggest that Indigenous Peoples resist subjugation and soci... more I coined the term ‘decolonial era’ to suggest that Indigenous Peoples resist subjugation and socialization to the dominant political hegemonies (Doxtater 2004). In many instances the neo-colonial view promoted by settler governments traps us in the 1800s. Escaping the 1800s means decolonizing an imposed identity and those of us who escaped the 1800s find something strange. Many of our innovations and inventions have been adapted to the contemporary world.
In this paper I describe an intervention requested by an Indigenous organization in northeastern ... more In this paper I describe an intervention requested by an Indigenous organization in northeastern North America. In this case the grief derives from the struggle to recover Kanienkeha—the endangered Mohawk Indigenous language. My model begins with the decolonizing methodology now accepted as healing historical unresolved grief to affirm the foundational principles of Mohawk culture and pays homage to the ancestors. Following this exercise delegates freely share their feelings about the ancestors and the value of Mohawk culture—and how that culture is communicated through Indigenous language. This collective memory exercise is especially relevant in facilitating a workshop about an organization with a mission to save a threatened Indigenous language.
Indigenous Policy Journal, 2009
Genealogy
Community engagement founded on Indigenous decision-making practices is essential in addressing i... more Community engagement founded on Indigenous decision-making practices is essential in addressing issues during turbulent times and ever-changing political landscapes. Indigenous leaders on this continent were instrumental in practicing democracy to address issues impacting local communities with the people, not in isolation. This paper highlights the Search Conference model as a community based participatory change model with Indigenous principles embedded in the process. Specific cases are presented to demonstrate lessons learned.
Indigenous Policy Journal, 2009
There are over 100 descendants of my grandmother Belva, my mother June and my older sisters Franc... more There are over 100 descendants of my grandmother Belva, my mother June and my older sisters Frances, Lynda, and Lillian. Indian residential schools affected all these women’s lives. Some descendants made their way in the world. Our family has artists, social activists, professionals and business people. We also have members who are part of the casualty list found in Statistics Canada 2006 and in the National Aboriginal Youth Strategy (NAYS 1999) . So, we also have sick people, people in jail, poor people, and people with addiction problems. Whether my relatives went to residential school and on-reserve schools, we all received an Indian Affairs education that tried to extinguish the Indian in us. Indian residential schools and on-reserve schools were imbued with assimilation goals. The mission to “kill the Indian in the child” remains the dark proclaimed maxim of Indian extinction called by Canada’s superintendent of Indian Affairs in the early 1900s. Indian education manuals issu...
I coined the term ‘decolonial era’ to suggest that Indigenous Peoples resist subjugation and soci... more I coined the term ‘decolonial era’ to suggest that Indigenous Peoples resist subjugation and socialization to the dominant political hegemonies (Doxtater 2004). In many instances the neo-colonial view promoted by settler governments traps us in the 1800s. Escaping the 1800s means decolonizing an imposed identity and those of us who escaped the 1800s find something strange. Many of our innovations and inventions have been adapted to the contemporary world.
In this paper I describe an intervention requested by an Indigenous organization in northeastern ... more In this paper I describe an intervention requested by an Indigenous organization in northeastern North America. In this case the grief derives from the struggle to recover Kanienkeha—the endangered Mohawk Indigenous language. My model begins with the decolonizing methodology now accepted as healing historical unresolved grief to affirm the foundational principles of Mohawk culture and pays homage to the ancestors. Following this exercise delegates freely share their feelings about the ancestors and the value of Mohawk culture—and how that culture is communicated through Indigenous language. This collective memory exercise is especially relevant in facilitating a workshop about an organization with a mission to save a threatened Indigenous language.
Indigenous Policy Journal, 2009
Genealogy
Community engagement founded on Indigenous decision-making practices is essential in addressing i... more Community engagement founded on Indigenous decision-making practices is essential in addressing issues during turbulent times and ever-changing political landscapes. Indigenous leaders on this continent were instrumental in practicing democracy to address issues impacting local communities with the people, not in isolation. This paper highlights the Search Conference model as a community based participatory change model with Indigenous principles embedded in the process. Specific cases are presented to demonstrate lessons learned.