Thread by @cvpedri

🧵 abt “traditional talking circles” in settler colonial institutions. 1/ while I do support bringing in ways of communicating/relating/working through tough topics that r customary within many #indigenous nations (sharing/talking circles)…1/5

2/5 I do challenge the idea that these customs just automatically make the shared spaces equitable and safe for everyone participating simply because they r “indigenous” and therefore it is presumed that “everyone is is equal within the circle”…

3/5 I mean, one is not entering an alternative reality when joining a circle…it doesn’t matter who is leading it, if an Elder is present, etc. As #indigenous ppls settler colonial histories & current realities shape our lives so differently according 2 race, gender, class, etc..

4/5 Sadly so many racialized indigenous ppl, #n8tv women, 2spirit and non-binary folks have stories of being gaslight, silenced…further marginalized & oppressed in “Indigenous spaces” that are meant to do the very opposite…

5/5 A good reminder that our customary cultural practices don’t always put #intersectionality into practice and we need to be open and willing to provide alternative ways for ppl to be involved so that they are respected and the potential for further harm is reduced.