All My Relations: Reclaiming the Stories of our Indigenous Grandmothers
Keywords:
Metis, Decolonization, Resurgence, AncestorsAbstract
In this paper, I document conversations I engaged in with my Métis grandmother (Grambear) and the process of compiling her teachings into a handmade book. Drawing on theory in the flesh and felt theory, I explore the significance of my grandmother’s teachings for me personally and for Métis women more generally. For me, this project was not only about honouring my grandmother and her stories, but it is also about the process of Indigenous revitalization, resurgence, and decolonization.
This paper won the Women’s and Gender Studies et Recherches Féministes (WGSRF) Undergraduate Essay Prize in 2014.
Résumé
Dans cet article, je décris en détail les conversations que j’ai eues avec ma grand-mère métisse (Grambear) et le processus de compilation de ses enseignements dans un livre fait à la main. En m’appuyant sur la théorie de la chair et du ressenti, j’explore l’importance des enseignements de ma grand-mère pour moi personnellement et pour les femmes métisses en général. Pour moi, ce projet ne constituait pas seulement un hommage à ma grand-mère et à ses récits, mais il concernait aussi le processus de revitalisation, de résurgence et de décolonisation autochtone.
Cet article a remporté le Prix de l’essai (1er cycle) de l’association Women’s and Gender Studies et Recherches Féministes (EGFRF) en 2014.
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