DIVERSITY AND SOVEREIGNTY.

On Turtle Island (North America), Indigenous nations are sovereign and very diverse. There are more than 650 different Indigenous nations in North America alone, each with different ways of knowing, language and perspectives.

Do not engage in pan-Indigenism; each tribe/nation has a different culture and language and showing true respect is acknowledging our diversity. We invite you to demonstrate effort and engagement.

ASK, "WHO ARE YOUR PEOPLE?"

ASK FOR IDENTIFICATION.

I realize this may seem forward and you may be uncomfortable asking these questions (especially if you're not Indigenous).

But ask, please.

ID

• Certificate of Indian Status (held by recognized First Nations)

• Band Card from a recognized Indigenous First Nation

• Inuit land claim membership or

• Manitoba Métis Federation (official association for the Red River Métis).

You may also entertain other Métis membership cards but always remember that all Métis does not just translate as 'half' of something, it is an actual culture belonging to people who descend from Ojibway/Cree mothers and French fathers. These people created 'half breed or mixed blood' children. The word Métis evolved because of course, half breed/mixed blood are crude labels. The union of these women and men formed the Red River Settlement in Manitoba. Understand then that the Ojibway women are Indigenous and have lived in North America since time immemorial however the men are settlers, arriving on the continent only around the 1700-1800s.

If asking is hard, consider this.

People who do not like being asked for ID are most often the ones who don't have any.

People who will not answer your questions about their family or community, are likely the ones who are not connected. Generally speaking, if someone is not connected to their Indigenous community of heritage, they are not a reliable resource for Indigenous knowledge. Indigenous knowledge comes from Elders, family and community members; remember that.

If a person claims that they are not connected to their community or family, perhaps they are survivors of the Sixties Scoop or residential schools. If that's the case, they still usually have identification and if not and you still want to engage, then engage only on what it's like to be a survivor.

Don't expect cultural teachings from survivors if they are still not connected to family or community; we simply do not have them. We do not have them because the churches and government did an excellent job at displacing and assimilating Indigenous children. Many of us do not even have birth records. Some of us, like me, are lucky to have found our parents at a very young age (I was 18 years old) and so I've been connected for 37 years - others are still lost and it is a very lonely way of being.

ASK FOR REFERENCES AND CALL THEM

Follow through and call. People use other people as references even if they don't know that person. If someone you hire lists Indigenous peoples as references, call those numbers and get validation that the person actually knows them and that they are authentically belonging to an Indigenous culture.

REACH OUT TO YOUR CLOSEST INDIAN RESERVATION OR VERIFIED INDIGENOUS ARTS ORGANIZATION

Don't be uncomfortable to call. We love people who want to learn and especially those who are careful who they learn from.

Most band offices will be able to help.

If you're looking for an Indigenous artist for a workshop or speaking engagement, try INDIGENOUS ARTS COLLECTIVE OF CANADA. I am the president and founder and can assure you that I ask for ID. Each artist has an ID label on their profile page to verify their Indigenous community.

IACC has a special page dedicated to artists who do workshops.

IACC has 2 on line marketplaces where you can buy Indigenous art from verified Indigenous artists:

IndigenARTSY.com - An on line Indigenous arts superstore

Facebook Indigenous Art Market and Auction - Find our massive group on Facebook.