The following is a collection of stories from an unforgettable time spent in the Yukon.
A Toronto Star article by Hayden King, an Anishanaabe person of the Beausoleil First Nation on Gchi’mnissing in Huronia, Ontario presents devastating statistics on Indigenous coverage in the media.
“Journalists for Human Rights has found that in any given year between 2010 and 2016, less than half of 1 per cent of news stories in Ontario focused on Indigenous issues." The article also says “34 per cent [of Canadians] have never read about residential schools."
The Journalists for Human Rights study, conducted from 2010 to 2013, holds other troubling statistics. What little stories there are of Aboriginal people are told through a negative lens.
The small number of stories focused on contraband tobacco, missing and murdered Aboriginal women, the salaries of chiefs, and deaths in residential schools among other negative stories. The study says 33% of stories were negative, and 43% were neutral, with only 24% of coverage being positive.
These statistics show a disturbing state of affairs and allowed me to come to one solid conclusion; there is a complete lack of positive media coverage of Indigenous queer people in Canadian media. This project is an attempt to combat the narrative that Indigenous people can only be included in media coverage for negative stories or not at all. I hope that by featuring queer people and scholars from the north, I can use my privilege as a white person to shine a light on queer Indigenous voices.
Importantly, this piece does not attempt to claim any expertise or argument regarding queer indigeneity or experience. What it is, is a recognition of a lack of cohesive and positive coverage of the queer experiences of Indigenous people of the north, how those experiences relate to Indigenous history and culture, and how those identities are being revived in an age of reconciliation. As a white journalist, I do not believe these stories are covered enough. This project is my attempt to be a part of a journalism industry which is inclusive, informed, and gives space to those who are often not heard from.
Click here to meet Vincent Asquiro, of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation who identifies with the term two-spirit.
Click here to meet Luke Campbell, of the Champagne Aishihik First Nation. He is a gay man who works with his First Nation to revive the language (Southern Tutchone) and culture of his people.
Click here to hear from Harlan Pruden, a First Nations Cree scholar and activist.
He’s studied the interactions of queerness, Indigenous culture, and colonial influence.
Click here to meet Ronnie Young, a transgender woman of the Kaska First Nation who has studied Indigenous origins at the University of British Columbia.
About Stories North & Ethics of the Project
Stories North was created by Carleton professor Kanina Holmes as a direct response to Article 86 of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
The course involved approximately 25 students and staff travelling to Whitehorse, Yukon, for five weeks this past summer. We were based in Whitehorse at the Yukon College, and did day or weekend trips out to various communities including Carcross and Atlin among other places.
We attended a course called First Nations 101 taught in part by Joanne Lewis, executive director of the Northern Institute for Social Justice. The course was an in-depth educational experience taught and led by First Nations people meant to teach us a brief overview of Yukon First Nations and tell us about the history and culture of Yukon First Nations people from pre-contact to today. We were educated on the various languages and nations of people as well as told about ethical media coverage.
We attended a course called Residential School Awareness. In this course we were allowed to hear from three survivors of residential schools, two who had attended and one who grew up with a mother who had attended residential school. We were so blessed because the elders were very open to us. There were also support people from the community who stood by to assist the elders with emotional turbulence as they told their stories.
Most, if not all, of our experiential learning was led by and taught by First Nations people. We also spent a lot of time at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse, where we had the opportunity to go through many historical exhibits and talk to many First Nations people.
We toured the site of a former residential school led by Ingrid Isaac of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. We met with chiefs and elders who taught us about their hopes for reconciliation and their journey to self-governance. We only went where we were invited, and we were lucky enough to meet people who were very open to talking to us and sharing their experiences.
While students had the opportunity to work individually from the group, we were always under supervision from an instructor, all of whom had gone through the same workshops and in some cases additional training. We were fortunate enough that we were in the territory for a little over a month which meant we were able to build connections with people. Personally, I have maintained many of the connections I made in the north and hope to return soon.
To learn more about Indigenous rights look at the United Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples here, or look at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.