SMUDGE THIS: ASSIMILATION, STATE-FAVOURED COMMUNITIES AND THE DENIAL OF INDIGENOUS SPIRITUAL LIVES

Authors

  • Vanessa Watts McMaster University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs.71201615676

Keywords:

spirituality, materiality, place, locatable knowledges

Abstract

This paper will examine how the transformation of Indigenous places has interrupted the inheriting processes of Indigenous communities. The primary contention of this inquiry is that the spirit world for Anishnaabeg is place-based. Amidst colonialism and the introduction of Christianity during contact, the spiritual lives of humans, non-humans, and therefore place were damaged. The ability of we Indigenous peoples to inherit elements of our cosmologies amidst these transformed, industrialized places has also been compromised. Issues of material, spatial, and spiritual disembodiment as related to localized, ceremonial practices will be explored. Specifically, meaningful ceremony versus “boardroom smudging” will be examined as it relates to the assimilationist agenda of the state.

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Published

2016-02-10

How to Cite

Watts, V. (2016). SMUDGE THIS: ASSIMILATION, STATE-FAVOURED COMMUNITIES AND THE DENIAL OF INDIGENOUS SPIRITUAL LIVES. International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 7(1), 148–170. https://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs.71201615676

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Articles

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