“Indigenous Peoples” Are Not a Topic

When industry treats diverse humans and communities like a topic, an urgent opportunity is missed and harm continues.

Yes, companies must be inclusive of Indigenous communities. But more importantly, they must recognize the diverse and important nature of what’s going on outside their four walls.

Sorry we stole your car — now, how do we drive it?

I remember a conversation with my Mohawk friend Chuck. I asked, “Do you ever feel like we stole your car, and now we’re driving out of control towards a cliff with no operating manual, so we’re calling you to ask how to drive this thing?”

He gave me one of his long, penetrating stares before answering, “Yes.”

I am a white settler in Canada, born into a multi-generation settler family of varied European origins. While I have friends and connections with people from several Indigenous communities — who among other things are great at setting me straight — I am not showing up here as an “expert”. Rather, I am an observer of something that doesn’t seem right, sharing what I sense.

I have written (in “Truth Before Reconciliation”) about how my heritage has skewed me towards both a privileged, clueless path, as well as in “215”, where I express my concerns with how the media and public sentiment obscure more pertinent information.