Many people believe that being an ally isn’t something one can claim for themselves. It is something that is bestowed on you by people who see your actions and the results of your endeavours toward righting wrongs and establishing a new order.
Lynn Gehl, PhD, is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe. She is a writer and artist. Her 2014 book based on her doctoral work “The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process“ was published with Fernwood Publishing. Her 2017 book, titled “Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit“, explores her journey deeper into Indigenous knowledge and was published with the University of Regina Press.
Ally Bill of Responsibilities:
Dr. Gehl has a 16 point document in pdf format – here are the first 2 as a sample.
1. Do not act out of guilt, but rather out of a genuine interest in challenging the
larger oppressive power structures;
2. Understand that they are secondary to the Indigenous people that they are
working with and that they seek to serve. They and their needs must take a
back seat;
Indigenous Allyship: An Overview ~©2015 Office of Aboriginal Initiatives, Wilfrid Laurier University
The opening of this 20 page pdf gives an outline of what is included:
This document will act as a resource for non-Indigenous people seeking to becomeallies to Aboriginal people. To help allies understand the struggle for decolonization and nationhood and what effective allyship to Aboriginal peoples means. The following document will provide a condensed summation of what academic and popular literature has to say about being an ally, including positive practices (what aspiring allies can do) and negative practices (approaches that are discouraged), and will conclude with a list of resources for further learning.
Indigenous Ally Toolkit
In this Indigenous Ally Toolkit (Montreal Indigenous Community NETWORK 2019), you will learn the role that an individual occupies and plays within the collective experience and SO MUCH MORE!
Resource Links
ALLYSHIP (2015). The Anti-Opression Network. Retrieved from https://theantioppressionnetwork.wordpress.com/allyship/
A guide for the Building Trade but relevant to all https://buildtogether.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/BT-IndigAlly_Booklet_WebCopy_ENG.pdf
Laurentian University provides a full list of Books, Articles, Websites, Blog posts, Podcasts and a Poster https://laurentian.ca/indigenous-programs/how-to-be-an-ally