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Thursday, December 29, 2016

A Very Incomplete Thought on the Whole Boyden Thing

Why does this whole Boyden controversy matter? Why are we so obsessed with this whole identity thing? I wish I could say it doesn't but unfortunately that would be a lie because we live in a society that seeks to categorize us by who we are or aren't and permits us our identity as Indigenous peoples within some narrowly defined parameters. Parameters that are defined by the Settler Canadian majority and impressed upon us by their acceptance of the few voices that non-Native Canada chooses to privilege with "authenticity." The rest of us are forced to defend our own Indigenous authenticity to non-Natives in constant, repeating cycles while those granted a voice are permitted a straight course of acceptance within Canadian society. As a result, when we, needing to decide regularly if we want to go through the fight again and again, see inconsistencies in the one privileged by Canada with a voice, we want to question said inconsistencies because that free pass he has may have been granted as a result of him being the Indian they want, not the Indian we are.