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.