Indigenous feminism: what is it and what does the future hold?

One of Tasha Spillett's earliest memories is of being pulled on a sled by her mother to join a protest at the Manitoba Legislature. It's a tradition that she hopes to one day continue.

Spillett, along with other panellists, dropped by CBC Indigenous Thursday to talk about Indigenous feminism and what it means to her.

"It's an affirmation that Indigenous women have always had inherent sovereignty over our bodies over our spirits and land bases," said Spillett.

"[Indigenous feminism] honours our relationship with the land, our kinship relationships with the animals, and the water." 

Spillett, who is a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan, said she recognizes that some reject the term Indigenous feminism outright, but said it encompasses the struggle that Indigenous women face in North America.

"[Indigenous women] are intrinsic to the reconnecting of our families, ending the abduction of our children from the custody of the child welfare system," said Spillett.

"So that's the goal of Indigenous feminism: protecting our land and waters, and putting our families back together again."

Futures symposium

Indigenous thinkers, artists, and scholars from across the country are in Winnipeg this week for the third annual symposium held by the Initiative for Indigenous Futures.

The CBC Indigenous panel on Indigenous feminism was inspired by the Indigefem discussion taking place Friday morning at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Karyn Recollet, a University of Toronto associate professor in women and gender studies, travelled to Winnipeg for the symposium.

She hopes that conversations on feminism spark a better understanding in Indigenous communities.

"For me, Indigenous feminism, has always and will always maintain that integrity towards the love of Indigenous lives and lands," said Recollet.

Recollet was a part of the Sixties Scoop and didn't connect with her Cree family till she was an adult.

She talked about backlash that Indigenous women face when talking about things like patriarchy and misogyny within the Indigenous community.

"How do we talk about the repair of our bodies, our communities, our aunties and sisters?" asked Recollet.

"How do we nurture these spaces where we can talk about these things without feeling afraid to discuss them?"

She has researched and written on a young, but growing scholarly work known as Indigenous futurisms, the focus of which is to imagine what the future of Indigenous peoples holds.

For Recollet, that means dreaming of radical love and radical hope for her future descendants.