To White people, the inherent value of the land is based on resource extraction which equals money which equals power. In western society, the more land one controls, the more power one has. This is why defending property and land can be used as an excuse to be violent towards Black and Indigenous peopl...
Photo: Cover art from “Indigenous” by Sinematic As the days grow shorter and we prepare for the winter ahead, MUSKRAT has new Indigenous music to add to your playlist. Here are seven vibrant Indigenous songs to lift your spirits and keep you cozy and warm. INDIGENOUS (MÉTIS & CREE)...
“Every person was born with a set of spiritual instructions or understandings… It’s what we do with it that defines us as human beings.” ― Aimée Craft (Métis), Treaty Words: For as Long as the Rivers Flow In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the significance of establishing relationships across...
The Maya were experts in thinking critically about our relationship with time. Their calendars demonstrate sophisticated knowledge around the intersections of cyclical rhythms found among the stars, on the Earth and within our bodies. In Part 1 of this series we looked at the significance of establishin...
We are waking up to our history from a forced slumber We are breathing it into our lungs so it will be a part of us again It will make us angry at first because we will see how much you stole from us and for how long you watched us suffer we will see ...
Still from Reservation Dogs | Image credit: FX Network The highly acclaimed Reservation Dogs is being praised in the Indigenous community and beyond. A comedy television series showcases Indigenous youth lives on an Oklahoma reservation, the first series to be filmed entirely in the United States. Creat...
Film still from Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics | Image credit: tiff.net Each year the Toronto International Film Festival premieres talented Indigenous filmmakers in different stages of their careers. This year TIFF screens newcomers sharing semi-autobiographical stories about their loved ones, es...
Clockwise from top-right: Zainab at the Centering Race in Gender Advocacy event; Zainab at the Caribbean International Film Festival; headshot of Zainab. “While we see anger and violence in the streets of our country, the real battlefield is inside our bodies. If we are to survive as a country, it is in...
Zainab at the Black Speculative Arts Movement event at University of Toronto | Image source: Zainab Amadahy “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” Audre Lorde As someone of mixed race (including African American, Cherokee an...
Tannis Nielsen has been a part of the Toronto arts community for over twenty years. Her work includes research, teaching, and a range of visual arts. Her art focuses on anti-colonial theory, natural law/Indigenous governance, Indigenous arts activism(s), and the relative investigations of Indigenous sci...
