IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

This presentation will address the role of colonial desire and exoticization in archival materials that capture and discuss Indigenous women in Treaty Eight territory and how I critically assessed for this interpretation while going through subject matter in the National Archives Canada. I will present specific examples of how colonial desire is present in Treaty specific materials and how Indigenous feminist analysis is best suited to highlight how sexism and misogyny influenced the signing of Treaty Eight and how this impacts Indigenous women today. Although Indigenous feminism is a burgeoning field of study in the social sciences, how to apply Indigenous feminist frameworks to archival research is seldom discussed. I aim to bridge this gap by using specific examples from my doctoral research (pertaining to the community my paternal family belongs to). In closing, I will name suggestions about using Indigenous feminist analysis in archival research that supports both critical historical interpretation and contemporary gestures toward transformative justice.