The power of our words

I wonder if those who claim to be Irish Canadian and drink green beer on St. Patrick’s Day require a genealogical search in order to participate

What do I want for 2022? That people become more literate, more inquisitive, more discerning.

As a writer and professional editor, I work with the power of words. I question words; I question vocabulary and seek clarity in all forms of communication, verbal and written. For example, “community” is rarely defined in proper context, and being part of an “Indigenous community” is rarely explored.

“Community” can imply the Indigenous urban, scientific, LGBTQ2ST, ceremonialist, arts, gang, reserve, adoptee, off-reserve, Christian, reclaimed, homeless, academic and political groups of solidarity. But is a lone wolf denied its authentic existence if it abandons its pack?

Nature, including the human species, has its outliers. Are they “fraudulent?” Call-out culture is about accusing people who are not registered to any First Nation “community” (Indian reserve) of falsifying their identity, often combined with the imperfect science of genealogy. Some seriously want the accused to go to jail. I would hope the criterion for a guilty verdict would be clearly defined.

I think about “hypocrisy” too. I hear references to “ancestors” and how present they are, how they are called upon for strength and guidance, and how they must be remembered. Yet, if one’s lineage reveals an ancestor that is not close enough (based on whose criterion?), they are voted off the Indigenous Island — not by their own, but by outsiders from a different “community.” I heard a “real” Native woman state trauma can live in the body for 14 generations.

What about the increasingly popular measuring stick of Indigeneity as those “with lived Indigenous experience” — who manages that criterion? A lot of comparative trauma is being tossed around as the only gauge. If trauma is your good-to-go card, I worry about the next generation, never mind the next seven.

And, if plastic ID cards are the number 1 criterion for authenticity, a lot of good people are in trouble. I wonder if those who claim to be Irish Canadian and drink green beer on St. Patrick’s Day require a genealogical search in order to participate. I know where one should invest stocks: ancestry.com, because if these are the days of equity, every Canadian should carry ancestral records in their wallet, right?

The media has quoted some who say “pretendians” (a new word) have simply googled their cultural information. Is it that easy to feign Indigenous traditional knowledge? Could I simply google the term imam, then gain a role as one among “real” Muslims? Could I google Judaism, don a skullcap and then lead a flock at the local synagogue? Surely the “real” ones are able to distinguish authenticity among their peers — it wouldn’t take decades, or even a five minute genealogical search, to do so.

There are “fakes” among the “real” ones too. Hollywood Indians or popcorn elders (popping out of nowhere) with full Indian status from one of those wonderful, culturally grounded, spiritually healthy Indian reserves are terms for those guilty of “performing.” But that’s OK, because they flash their Indian status cards like a superpower over the masses and media hounds that exploit Indigenous peoples and their colonial scars.

Wisdom is yet another word to ponder. It means “the ability to reach intelligent conclusions,” but I only googled its definition. It doesn’t mean that I am clever or insightful, does it? This leads to “ego,” often confused with superiority, which typically links to power, money and manipulation — of which I have none. I only have words. Have I made myself perfectly clear?