Asé tsi Tewa:ton, “We will renew Ourselves” - The Mohawk Approach to Environmental and Cultural Restoration

Conférence du professeur Taiaiake Alfred (Université de Victoria) dans le cadre de la 6e Semaine annuelle de sensibilisation aux cultures autochtones sur les effets de la contamination environnementale sur la culture, la langue, la santé des peuples autotchtones.

[En anglais seulement]

This presentation will focus on the effects of environmental contamination on Indigenous people’s culture, language and health, and on an approach to addressing these cultural harms through the restoration of land based practices. Dr. Alfred will discuss this issue with reference to the concept of Indigenous Resurgence and the experiences of the Mohawk Nation in the modern era, with specific reference to the community of Akwesasne’s participation in the U.S. Natural Resources Damages Assessment (NRDA) process and their establishment of a land-based cultural and language apprenticeship program.

About the Speaker:

Taiaiake Alfred is from Kahnawá:ke in the Mohawk Nation. He is a Professor of Indigenous Governance and Political Science at the University of Victoria. He is the recipient of a Canada Research Chair, the award for best column writing by the Native American Journalists Association, and a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. Taiaiake has served as an advisor on land and governance issues to his own and other First Nations’ governments on Turtle Island and internationally since 1987, and before that he was an infantryman in the United States Marine Corps. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Concordia University and his MA and Ph.D. in comparative politics and political theory from Cornell University. He is the author of three books: Heeding the Voices of Our Ancestors and Peace, Power, Righteousness from Oxford University Press, and Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom, from the University of Toronto Press.

In Partnership with: Indigenous Law Student’s Association