Mkadengwe: Sharing Canada's Colonial Process through Black Face Methodology

by Lynn Gehl

This book begins with a discussion of the methodology relied Mkadengwe, which translates to Black Face. Afterward, a collection of twenty-six short chapters on the land claims and self-government process, and the sex discrimination in the Indian Act regarding Indian status registration is offered. The intersection of ongoing colonial policy, Indian status registration, First Nation band membership, First Nation citizenship, and the land claims and self-government process becomes apparent. This book also offers a collection of photographs in two interludes. The first highlights the 2005 twenty year anniversary protest of Bill C-31 and includes Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell and Sandra Lovelace. The second interlude highlights the 2010 Marche AMUN protest of Bill C-3 and includes Michèle Audette and Sharon McIvor. This book ends with the author’s final thoughts on what she has learned in her twenty-seven year process of participating in, and observing, the Algonquin of Ontario land claims process and the two remedial legislative changes to the Indian Act that took place in 1985 and 2011. Purposely written for a broader audience and community members – Indigenous people, Canadian citizens, settlers, descendants of settlers, new immigrants, and allies to Indigenous people – this book addresses common textual barriers for new readers and persons with disabilities offering clear, concise short chapters, a larger font size, many visuals, and greater white space.

93 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Lynn is an author, advocate, artist, and public speaker. Her work encompasses both anti-colonial work and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge. She challenges Canada’s practices, policies, and laws of colonial genocide such as the land claims and self-government process, sex-discrimination in the Indian Act, the continued destruction of Akikpautik / Chaudière Falls–an Anishinaabeg sacred place, and Canada’s lack of policy addressing Indigenous women and girls with disabilities who are bigger targets of sexual violence. She weaves wampum belts, builds petro-forms, and paints. She also has several professionally published peer reviewed books: “Gehl v Canada: Challenging Sex Discrimination in the Indian Act” (2021), “Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit” (2017), “The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process” (2014), and “Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts” (2012). She has several academic contributions in journals and chapters in books; 140 community contributions in magazines, websites, news papers, and op-eds; as well as 150 personal blogs. Lynn is frequently called upon as an expert by various media outlets to offer commentary on Indigenous issues.

Reviews

[Luce Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is formatted so that a very complex, and therefore often confusing topic becomes easily understood and much more approachable by the layman. Written in large print, and in short, highly informative articles , it brings to light many issues such as colonial power, Indian status, land claims, and self-government. However, as the readers proceeds with this book, the broader issue of the Indian Act and how it disfavors individuals with unstated paternity becomes evident. A good source of crucial information for anyone interested in First Nations status in Canada.