NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region, North Slave Region

Tags: traditional knowledge, traditional activities, hide tanning, indigenous government, indigenous women

Objective(s): To explore the work of an informal collective or network of (predominantly) Indigenous women who are regenerating Indigenous thought and political systems through hide tanning.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5345. This research explores the work of an informal collective or network of (predominantly) Indigenous women who are regenerating Indigenous thought and political systems through hide tanning. It is an Indigenous feminist research project that explores contemporary hide tanning initiatives amongst Indigenous peoples in order to document the knowledge being generated in these spaces, the implications of this knowledge, and how this knowledge is and can be practically applied outside of hide tanning camps. This project is an evaluation of Dene Nahjo’s hide tanning initiatives from 2014-2022 designed to identify the governance principles that inform hide tanning, and the impacts of hide tanning on Indigenous health, governance and communities. Research Questions include: Q1: What knowledge is being generated by hide tanners and hide tanning initiatives? What implications does this knowledge have for Indigenous governance? How can this knowledge be applied to governance and to Indigenous political institutions? Q2: What are the impacts of land-based programming on Indigenous governance? Are land-based learning initiatives facilitating the renewal and development of Indigenous thought systems? How can programs be evaluated to determine this? Should they? The research project begins with the rationale behind the chosen topic. This is a desire-based research project. Desire-based research captures desire as opposed to only pain, damage and trauma. One of the premises of desire-based research is a refusal of damage-centered research. Damage-centered research invites oppressed peoples to disclose only their pain. For example, the proposed research primarily explores the knowledge generated by hide tanners rather than the damage done by the Indian Act. In this sense, The principal investigator (PI) took a desire-based approach to select the research because the PI have witnessed transformative experiences that Indigenous people have at hide tanning camps and at other land-based initiatives. The PI is interested in why so many Indigenous women and two-spirited have taken up hide tanning to varying degrees in the past 5-8 years, and also interested in all the complexities embodied by the people and relations activated in a hide camp. The PI is also interested in the social impacts of land-based initiatives, or how the experiences, feelings, and values catalyzed at a camp are applied in the areas of governance, community-building, and political organizing. The PI will interview up to 10 individuals who have been involved in Dene Nahjo’s hide tanning initiatives, including learners, instructors and support staff. In partnership with Dene Nahjo, the PI will organize a group dialogue session for people who deliver hide tanning camps and programs. The PI will facilitate a discussion to draw out governance principles from hide tanning practices. Invitees will include people who helped to plan and deliver Dene Nahjo’s hide tanning programs. The PI will analyze Dene Nahjo’s program reports and evaluations to identify values and principles informing their work. Drawing from the Group Dialogue Session and Interviews, the PI will design an evaluation framework for Dene Nahjo’s hide tanning initiatives and then engage Dene Nahjo’s Steering Committee, Founding Members Council, and Elders Advisory Council to implement an evaluation that covers 6 years of hide tanning programs. The PI is already in communication with Dene Nahjo about the project and they write a letter of support. The PI will send quarterly updates to Dene Nahjo's Director. The PI will share consent scripts with potential interviewees at Dene Nahjo's hide camps. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from September 8, 2022 to September 30, 2022