Many promote Reconciliation as a “new” way for Canada to relate to Indigenous Peoples. In Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back: Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence activist, editor, and educator Leanne Simpson asserts reconciliation must be grounded in political resurgence and must support the regeneration of Indigenous languages, oral cultures, and traditions of governance.
Simpson explores philosophies and pathways of regeneration, resurgence, and a new emergence through the Nishnaabeg language, Creation Stories, walks with Elders and children, celebrations and protests, and meditations on these experiences. She stresses the importance of illuminating Indigenous intellectual traditions to transform their relationship to the Canadian state.
Challenging and original, Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back provides a valuable new perspective on the struggles of Indigenous Peoples.
This work is alive with insight and creativity. Simpson’s words dance through the heart of Anishinaabe resurgence with hope, grace and beauty. It is a must read for everyone interested in re-energizing Indigenous movement throughout Turtle Island.”
— John Borrows, Robina Professor in Law, Policy, and Society, University of Minnesota Law School
| Subject | Social Science/Ethnic Studies/Native American Studies |
|---|---|
| Published | April 2011 |
| Price | $19.95 CDN |
| Pages | 168 pp (Paper) |
| Dimensions | 5.5″ × 8.5″ × .5″ |
| ISBN-10 | 1894037502 |
| ISBN-13 | 9781894037501 |
View the electronic version of this book »
Related Titles
Reviews
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Christine McFarlane , in Windspeaker writes:
Dancing On Our Turtle’s Back: Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence And A New Emergence is a book that weaves many issues together but helps readers understand that in order for reconciliation to be meaningful to Indigenous people, we need to interpret it broadly and support Indigenous nations by regenerating everything that residential schools attacked and attempted to obliterate….. This book provides a valuable perspective on the struggles of Indigenous peoples but also highlights the rich and vibrant ways in which Indigenous people continue to engage themselves.
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Pegi Eyers, in The Link writes:
Leanne Simpson’s Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back is a beautifully crafted clarion call specifically directed to the Nishnaabeg Nation and the Mississauga Ojibway, the original inhabitants of the Kawarthas. Her new work is a blending of wisdom teachings from the Elders, stories that flow from myth and the oral tradition, illuminations of heart-knowledge (the Debwewin “truth”), studies on the Nishnaabeg language and stages of life, and solidresearch interspersed with brilliant observation.
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Damien Lee, in Briarpatch Magazine writes:
As Simpson discusses in the last sections of the book, true reconciliation will occur when new generations of Anishinabek and other Indigenous peoples are able to enjoy their cultures, languages, territories and political systems free of state interference. Reconciliation thus requires a complete cessation of Canada’s interventions in Indigenous communities, including, for example, ceasing to co-opt Indigenous peoples’ self-determination movements, so that our leaders are able to relate to Canada in ways that honour unique Indigenous political traditions.
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Zainab Amadahy, in Black Coffee Poet writes:
It took me quite a while to get through Dancing… Whipping through it would have been like gobbling down a gourmet feast. Instead, I savoured the experience, allowing feelings generated by the words to infuse my being, challenge or validate my thoughts and inspire me to new heights.
News
- Naomi Klein Interviews Leanne Simpson
Interview March 6th 2013 - Simpson and Samson on Escape Velocity Radio
Audio February 4th 2013 - Red Man Laughing Interviews Author Leanne Simpson
Audio May 11th 2012
About the Author
Leanne Simpson is a researcher, writer, and educator of Mississauga and Scottish ancestry. She is a member of the gidigaa bzhiw dodem and a citizen of the Nishnaabeg nation. Leanne holds a PhD from the University of Manitoba and is the past director of Indigenous Environmental Studies at Trent University.
Her research interests include Indigenist theory and methodology, Indigenous political cultures and traditional governance, Nishnaabeg women, Indigenous Knowledge, and Indigenous philosophies on land and the environment. Leanne currently teaches at the Centre for World Indigenous Knowledgeat Athabasca University and has previously taught at Trent University, the University of Victoria, the University of Manitoba, and Tampere University in Finland.
Also by Leanne Simpson
- This Is An Honour Song – Twenty Years Since the Blockades
- Lighting the Eighth Fire – The Liberation, Resurgence, and Protection of Indigenous Nations
