Essentialism and the Role of the Non-Indigenous in Native Studies

Brianne, Tapwewin

Essentialism: the view that categories of people, such as women and men, or heterosexuals and homosexuals, or members of ethnic groups, have intrinsically different and characteristic natures or disposition¹ 

Is Native Studies an essentialist-based discipline? Should only indigenous members of a community study their culture, tradition, and relations? Is there room for non-indigenous individuals within the realm of Native Studies?

First, I argue that Native Studies is not grounded in essentialism. My first reason is simply that there are too many Euro-American scholars in the field for it to be considered essentialistic. Secondly, I will take the standard philosophical approach, that states for there to be Native Studies, there must in fact be recognized an especial group of people called Native, Aboriginal, Indigenous etc. And for this group to be especial, there must also than be another group of non-Native, non-Aboriginal, non-Indigenous etc. And I argue that both the Native and non-Native groups, by being not of the same group will therefore have different discourses of Native Studies and what Native Studies is.
Because there then exists non-Native discourses of Native Studies, Native Studies cannot be open only to the Native population of scholars. Additionally, the changes in non-indignous society and culture have as much to do with Native Studies as Indigenous adaptation over time. Therefore, the Native Studies as a discipline cannot function in isolation, "teaching about whiteness, how whiteness frames Indigeneity and how Indigenous people know whiteness should stand as a central component of the discipline of Indigenous studies."² 

So "No," I do not believe that Native Studies is exclusive to Indigenous scholars. I believe that if a Cree scholar is researching Blackfoot people and knowledge (as Ladner did in A Bunch of Dots in a Circle or Writing the Circle: A New Understanding of Blackfoot Governance³), that the wall of essentialism is broken down. As human beings we have the ability to transmit and accept knowledge and the methodology of transmission and acceptance are more important than who is giving and receiving said knowledge. ALL people are intrinsically different. From our genetic make-up to our experiential learning, to our perception of the senses, it cannot be known just how different and individual humans truly are. And in our utter lack of uniformity we can be loosely grouped in human, ethnicity, nationality, occupation etc. However, I find there to be nothing essential about these groupings that truth, acceptance and experience cannot rearrange. Our intrinsic different(iation) lies within our person.

So now that I have claimed the space of the non-indigenous within Native Studies, I would like to share some of what I have learned regarding the role of a non-indigenous person in Native Studies. Because of individual differences and differences of categories stated above, not all areas of Native Studies are accessible for non-indigenous scholars. In fact Champagne states that "most contemporary theories of group action can provide only partial explanations for the conservative cultural and political organization of indigenous peoples and for their cultural and political continuity to the present."⁴ And non-indigenous scholars are not able to capture, I believe anyway, the true essence of being indigenous, just as indigenous people are not able to know what it is to be Euro-American. This conversation can go on for eternity as an individual argues that you cannot know what the other feels, sees, hears, and believes. So instead we use various methodologies to try and create the best picture and clearest lines of communication. We admit in the beginning that respect grounded in humanity is what we share.

Role: the function assumed or part played by a person or thing in a particular situation.⁵
I will focus on the function assumed by a non-indigenous person in the realm of Native Studies. This is the crucial part to be mindful of in today's world of oppression, power imbalance, and racism. The best intentions can lead to horrid results if a person is not continuously conscious of his/her role in a given situation.

Below is a list of the possible (probable) roles a non-indigenous Native Studies scholar may be asked to assume.⁶ (Remember: We are above all else individuals, with different experiences, temperaments, beliefs, and connections. This list is not exclusive or inclusive to ALL non-indigenous Native Studies scholars. We will all be assuming our own unique role.)

• Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer in the oil & gas, forestry, and mining
• positions in health & wellness;
• environmental management;
• consultants and project manager;
• educational policy research and planning;
• teaching/educator;
• government employees or representatives;
• lawyer 

However, non-indigenous scholars in Native Studies need to aware of their actions and function. Theories such as White Privilege and Agency need to be foremost in a non-indigenous scholars mind. A good example is in the entertainment sector - White Characters and the Question of Agency. Therefore, it is more important how a non-indigenous scholar theorizes and acts versus what position he/she holds. Non-indigenous scholars can/should assume the following roles without stealing the intellectual, political, and geographical space⁷ of indigenous people;

• supporter
• motivator
• listener
• learner
• honourer
• advocate⁸
• negotiator⁹
• communicator¹⁰

This is my conclusion after 4 years of studying Native Studies and Aboriginal Partnership and Governance at the University of Alberta. Non-indigenous scholars must be careful not to smother indigenous initiatives and individuals. They must allow for indigenous people to govern and assert themselves. Whiteness coincides with indigeneity, but must not consume it. And above all else, we are all humans.
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End Notes  

1. Oxford American Dictionary, "Essentialism."

2. Chris Andersen, "Critical Indigenous Studies: From Difference to Density." Cultural Studies Review, Vol. 15, No. 2, (2009): 94. 
http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/csrj/article/view/2039 

3. Kiera L. Ladner, "A Bunch of Dots in a Circle or Writing the Circle: A New Understanding of Blackfoot Governance." 

4. Duane Champagne, "In Search of Theory and Method in American Indian Studies." The American Indian Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 3, (2007): 353.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/aiq/summary/v031/31.3champagne.html 

5. Oxford American Dictionary, "Role."

6. Faculty of Native Studies, "Will a Native Studies degree get me a job?" Question and Answers. http://www.ualberta.ca/NATIVESTUDIES/home/nsqna.pdf

7. Taiaiake Alfred, Peace, Power, Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto, 2nd ed. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press, 2009 (pp. 19).

8. Jason D. Brown and David Hannis, Community Development in Canada, 2nd ed. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2012 (pp. 73).

9. Ibid.

10. Ibid.
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