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Best Practices for Writing about Indigenous Peoples

Best Practices for Writing About Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian Legal Context: An Evolving Style Guide for the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University

The written word constitutes one of the most powerful tools we have as legal professionals; what we write matters and how we write about it matters. This is especially true when we are writing about people. Legal professionals must therefore take particular care when writing about people whose lives and voices have been historically marginalized. As Aboriginal and Indigenous law are gaining more attention within the legal profession, it is important to be informed about best practices when writing about these topics. This evolving style guide offers best practices when writing about indigenous peoples particularly within the Canadian legal context. The guide was developed at the Schulich School of Law and was officially launched in June 2024. It is freely accessible online.

New Hand-Crafted Table in the Ko’jua Okuom

On Wednesday, October 18, a blessing took place in the Ko’jua Okuom at the Killam Library for the recently completed hand-crafted table created by Jim and Cheryl Walsh.

The bench-style, wood slab table was designed and constructed by Jim and Cheryl, who worked with raw materials from their own saw mill. They inlaid items in memory of past elders into the many natural crevices and contours, honouring and memorializing them into the wood slabs. It was a labour of love for Jim and Cheryl, and their dedication to the project is apparent in all its intricacies and details.

“This bench-style table was lovingly and painstakingly worked from raw materials cut with our saw mill, flattened using a router and router sled, and hand-sanded with an orbital sander using 40-grit sandpaper going up to 3000 grit. Then many items were epoxyed into the natural crevices in the wood. These items reflect the lives of past elders, immortalized into the wood slabs.

Knowing the depths of the honour they bestowed for the white birch tree, we could start with no other base. Some locally sourced items were meticulously layered into the wood: a feather, porcupine quills, pebbles from Partridge Island, a variety of shells, sweetgrass, and other stones and crystals.

The lightning figures were burnt into the wood to create the patterns using a tool known as a Lichtenberg wood burner. Here 10,000 volts of electricity travels from probe to probe, determining the path the figure takes. Research on Mi’kmaq Petroglyphs determined the symbols used. Then a storyline was wood-burnt along the Lichtenberg figures on each side of the table.

The painstaking process of protecting the wood with seven coats of polyurethane was next. Once the table was assembled, it was worked on tirelessly to ensure such a heavy object as this hardwood table with cast iron legs remains solid and sturdy. Many add-ons were added to ensure the table’s structural integrity. As we were working on the middle section of the table, we both saw a Mother Crane and under her is a faint image of a baby crane… all in the natural fibers of the wood.

This truly was a labour of love. We both were thrilled to have the opportunity to do such a project which reflects our love and appreciation for all the elders, current and past. I personally leaned into their support for the artistic component of this project. We do home to make them proud and bless all that sit around her. Wela’lin”

– Jim and Cheryl Walsh

Featured in the above photo: Nancy Melvin, Susan Hagen, Nellie Renzelli, Florence Walsh, Catherine Martin, Jim and Cheryl Walsh, Elaine MacInnis, Samantha Adema, Sarah and Malachi Knowles, Sandra Dwyer, and Michael Vandenburg.

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

September 30, 2021, marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The day honours lost Indigenous children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. It is a day for national reflection on the historic legacy and present-day consequences of residential schools, which is critical to reconciliation.

Reconciliation is the process of healing relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians and addressing the wrongs of the past. This requires building meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities, embedding Indigenous needs and perspectives in decision-making, and recognizing Indigenous sovereignty and the inherent right to self-determination.

We encourage you to learn more and read about events and resources available for the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation.

While there will be no classes and the university will be closed on Saturday, September 30, however, two locations of the Dalhousie Libraries that have Indigenous Community Rooms will be open:

  • Ko’jua Okuom at the Killam Memorial Library: 1–8 p.m.
  • Indigenous Community Room at the MacRae Library: 12–5 p.m.

 

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