For Settlers Who Say That They Support Decolonization ... But Wish It Weren’t So Hard

There has been much discussion as of late about the relationship between Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples – with a particular focus on truth-telling, colonization, decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization. Over the past 500 or so years, under British and French then Canadian rule, and through a process of colonization, the settlers who immigrated to (what is now known as) Canada have directly and indirectly participated in the elimination and assimilation of Indigenous peoples through physical, biological, and cultural genocide. The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) counsels that: The following piece, For Settlers Who Say That They Support Decolonization ... But Wish It Weren’t So Hard, is modelled after Pat Parker’s 1970s poem, For The Straight Folks Who Don’t Mind Gays, But Wish They Weren’t So Blatant. This piece is intended to challenge settlers’ beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and, most importantly, privilege. It was written for settlers by a settler - because we, as non-Indigenous peoples, need to take responsibility for cleaning up our messes and doing things differently. I began work on this piece in 2017 and have edited and revised it over the years as my awareness and understanding grow and change, and as our collective discussions of colonization, decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization shift and expand. I have incorporated feedback from Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, colleagues, teachers, and mentors, as I reflect on and challenge myself think critically about: 1) who is a settler and the differing positionality of non-Indigenous peoples (particularly Black and other People of Colour); 2) the impact of pretendians (who benefit from false claims of Indigenous identity and ancestry), including heated debates around who is Indigenous and who determines Indigeneity, and the resulting confusion, distrust, and lateral violence; and 3) how we as settlers can be more critically self-reflective and responsible allies. I continue to struggle with the politics of the term settler and who is included therein. I know that I am not alone in that struggle. “Terminology [around identities] regarding both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can be complex and problematic, given dynamic and changing landscapes of understanding and the shifting politics of anti-colonialism and decolonization” (Carlson-Manathara & Rowe, p. 29). There is much debate and discussion regarding whether the term settler can be applied to racially marginalized peoples, refugees, recent immigrants, descendants of slaves, and other oppressed peoples – a question that cannot be fully explored within the confines of this piece of work. I invite readers to interrogate your relationship with settler colonialism and to adopt terminology that fits with your own experience, intersecting relationships to oppression and privilege, and relationships with/to Indigenous peoples on the lands now known as Canada. While not written in response to the Ally’s Bill of Responsibilities (2012), this piece incorporates a number of the responsibilities described by Dr. Lynn Gehl. As you read For Settlers Who Say That They Support Decolonization ... But Wish It Weren’t So Hard, you may notice some commonalities – for, in the end, this piece is a tongue-in-cheek look at allyship; how settlers behave in ways that are, at best, not supportive and, at worst, wholly destructive; and how non-Indigenous peoples can behave as responsible allies on our collective journey toward decolonization and reconciliation. To contextualize this piece, and where it is rooted, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sheri McConnell. I am a genderqueer lesbian feminist white settler. My ancestry is a mix of English, French, and German on my mother’s side; Irish and Scottish on my father’s side. I have lived on the traditional lands of the Métis and many First …