Indigeneity
by
We have our own names. Placing and _Re_placing Terminology Indigeneity is a word in English that refers to the state of belonging to a Place or a Peoples. The word is linked in origin to the perspectives of colonizers. Regarding terms such as Indigeneity or Indigenous that refer to belonging, Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson (Goenpul from Minjerribah, Quandamooka First Nation) explains, “Who belongs, and the degree of that belonging, is inextricably tied to white possession” (2020, 18). And yet despite centuries of colonization, we have our own names and ways of belonging that are unique to each of us. Across Turtle Island, there are 574 Native American Nations in the areas now known as the United States and more than 630 First Nations, as well as the Métis Nation and the Inuit, in the areas now known as Canada. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes more than 370 million people as “Indigenous,” but respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights to name themselves, the authors purposely do not define “Indigeneity” or offer any suggested qualifiers to establish what makes a person “Indigenous” (UN General Assembly 2007). We have our own ways of referring to our People that translated...
This essay may be found on page 121 of the printed volume.