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Yellowhead Institute

@miskoaki.bsky.social

Critical Indigenous Policy Perspectives. Based at the Faculty of Arts, Toronto Met. University | linktr.ee/yellowheadinstitute

67 Posts492 Follower8 Folgt
Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Throwback to our Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) program this past May. We’re grateful for the gathering of students, faculty and Yellowhead School team members for MAKE 2026 – swipe through for a few moments of joy, learning, and community-building! 🌏🙌

Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In our fourth and last virtual session of Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE), we continue to explore themes of “Hyperlocal Worlding.” In this session, led by Jade Nixon, we examined the imbrications of abolition and decolonization, and their relationships to waterways.

Image of notes describing abolition and decolonization. Text: A MAKE 2026 SNAPSHOT. Session 04 Abolition and Decolonization with Jade Nixon.” Text: How are decolonization and abolition connected? ‘Thinking about abolition and decolonization is mandatory to understand how to create the world that makes life a resource where all people are accountable to indigenous sovereignty and futurity,’ Dr. Jade Nixon says, in our fourth and last virtual MAKE session of 2026. ‘To me, abolition and decolonization are the absolute best when Black, Indigenous, and racialized people are interweaved together.’” A photo of Jade Nixon. “MEET JADE! Jade Nixon (she/her) is a Caribbean Black feminist scholar. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Collaborative Indigenous Research with Communities and Lands and serves as Assistant Director of the Visiting Lab at NYU.” Text: “Solidarity and resistance: Abolition and decolonization are distinct but interconnected. Making abolition as a part of everyday life reveals prison abolition requires people to join across many sites of struggle. For example, building prisons in rural areas places enormous pressure on the land and water systems. Drawing on Dr. Leanne B. Simpson’s idea of Sintering, a process where snowflakes create bonds: how can we think of sintering as a method of solidarity in strengthening and renewing connections across communities of struggle towards new constellations of co-resistance?” Bottom left: Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange logo. Bottom right: “A YELLOWHEAD SCHOOL PROGRAM.”
Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In Week 3 of Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE), we continue to explore themes of “Hyperlocal Worlding.” In this session, led by Harsha Walia, we examined carceral borders on Indigenous land. Here’s a brief recap of our session reflections and learnings.

A collage of art. Under this, text reads: “A MAKE 2026 SNAPSHOT. Session 03 Carceral Borders on Indigenous Land with Harsha Walia.” At the bottom left, a logo with caribou and sunbeam with text reads “Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange”, and text on the right reads “A YELLOWHEAD SCHOOL PROGRAM.” Text: Harsha Walia: “Our clothes are largely produced in sweatshops, our phones are made in the tears of blood of children in the Congo...We are connected to all peoples in this world.” We are not connected in conditions of relationality but rather of extraction. There are other ways to be in a relationship with each other.” A photo of Harsha Walia. “MEET HARSHA! Harsha is a Punjabi Sikh community organizer, author and parent living on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ lands. She is the award-winning author of Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism (Haymarket, 2021).” Text: “Borders are inseperable from colonial violence. Borders are completely intertwined with colonialism. We often normalize the nation-state borders when in reality they are relatively recent social constructions. ‘Migrant’ is a state-imposed, colonial category that marks groups of people as “not belonging”. Migrants face intense violence and racism, scapegoated and held responsible for the housing crisis, the crisis of austerity, and lack of jobs.” Bottom left: Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange logo. Bottom right: “A YELLOWHEAD SCHOOL PROGRAM.”
Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In Week 2 of Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE), we continue to explore themes of “Hyperlocal Worlding.” In this session, led by Dr. Autumn BlackDeer, we examined understandings of queerness and feminism as they relate to colonialism. 💡 What does it mean to decolonize conceptions of queerness?

A collage of art. Under this, text reads: “A MAKE 2026 SNAPSHOT. Session 02 Indigenous Feminisms and Queer Perspectives with Dr. Autumn BlackDeer.” At the bottom left, a logo with caribou and sunbeam with text reads “Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange”, and text on the right reads “A YELLOWHEAD SCHOOL PROGRAM.” Text: What are core concepts of gender and sexuality? ‘Desire does not exist in a vacuum,’ Dr. Autumn Blackdeer says, in our second virtual MAKE session of 2026. ‘It is often fundamentally tied to socially constructed colonial ideologies of desire.’ For Indigenous peoples, variability in interpretations of gender and sexuality have changed over time and have served different purposes.” A photo of Dr. Autumn BlackDeer. “MEET AUTUMN! Dr. Autumn BlackDeer (they/she) is an Indigiqueer anti-colonial scholar-activist from the Southern Cheyenne Nation (Tsistsistas). Currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at York University, their scholarship illuminates the impact of structural violence on Indigenous communities across Turtle Island.” Text: “What is Compound Colonialism? Racism and homophobia intersect to create compound colonialism on queer and Indigenous peoples. Colonialism has tried to interpret queerness within Indigenous communities, using settler logics to impose and define desire and kinship. As Dr. Blackdeer says, ‘the earth is queer and nature is too.’” Bottom left: Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange logo. Bottom right: “A YELLOWHEAD SCHOOL PROGRAM.”
Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Minh Do examines the legal and political dimensions of Gitxaała v. British Columbia. The case considered B.C. 's mineral claims system – which permits companies to acquire rights to Indigenous lands without consultation or consent. Read the full brief: yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/the-pol...

The Politics of Process: B.C.’s Mineral Claims Regime and the Threat of an FPIC Freeze

In this Brief, Minh Do examines the legal and political fallout of Gitxaała v. British Columbia, tracing how B.C.’s mineral claims system permitted companies to acquire rights to Indigenous lands with...

yellowheadinstitute.org

Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) 2026 is underway!  In our first session, led by Dr. Megan Scribe and Nazbah Tom, we oriented ourselves towards hyperlocal worlding, and ways in which we can relate to ourselves and others. What does hyperlocal worlding mean to you? 📍🌏

A collage of art and magazines. Under this, text reads: “A MAKE 2026 SNAPSHOT. Session 01 Orientating Ourselves to Hyperlocal Worlding with Megan Scribe & Nazbah Tom.” At the bottom left, a logo with caribou and sunbeam with text reads “Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange”, and text on the right reads “A YELLOWHEAD SCHOOL PROGRAM.” At the top of the image, text reads, “Yellowhead school Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange 2026.” Text reads: “How do we orient ourselves towards hyperlocal worlding? In our first virtual MAKE session of 2026, Nazbah Tom reminds us: ‘It is a project of dispossession to disconnect us from our bodies and each other. When we practice the Sacred Pause — an intentional moment of presence — we listen and become aware of how our bodies are responding, and what that means for how we show up.’” On the bottom left, a photo of Nazbah Tom. On the bottom right, text reads: “MEET NAZBAH! Nazbah (they/them) uses conversation, breath work, gestural work, bodywork, and somatic skills to guide individuals and groups through a process of embodied transformation. They have been a MAKE Faculty member three years in a row!” At the top of the image, text reads, “Yellowhead school Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange 2026.” Text reads: “How can a neighbour mentality transform collective relations? ‘Neighbour relationships are sometimes an undervalued relationship,’ says Dr. Megan Scribe. ‘When we think about community we think about the relationships we prefer; but what happens with the relationships that you don't prefer, but you’re proximal or reliant on each other for whatever reason?’” On the bottom left, a photo of Megan Scribe. On the bottom right, text reads: “MEET MEGAN! Megan Scribe (Ininiw iskwew, Norway House Cree Nation) is an interdisciplinary Indigenous feminist researcher, writer, and educator. Megan created the MAKE program in her role as founding Education Director for Yellowhead School, and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University.”Against a backdrop of students at a Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange lecture, text reads, “What does the term ‘hyperlocal worlding’ mean to you?” followed by the image of the book, Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba. An arrow pointing to the book reads, “Megan's recommended reading.” At the bottom left, a logo with caribou and sunbeam with text reads “Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange”, and text on the right reads “A YELLOWHEAD SCHOOL PROGRAM.” 
Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Anton Clark highlights the role of the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), built on decades of Indigenous advocacy, to enact these principles by supporting Indigenous creators and shaping international diplomacy and the circulation of their stories. Read the full Brief on our website, linked in bio.

Top half of the image displays a photograph from the movie, Wrong Husband by Zacharias Kunuk. A red line across the image beneath the photo. Within the line reads: “The Yellowhead Brief”. The bottom half of the image displays the brief title information: Sovereignty and The Indigenous Screen Office: A Proposal to Reshape Canada’s International Cultural Strategy. The YI logo is displayed on the right side of the image.a quote is bordered by a dashed red line. A quotation mark sits at the top centre of the border and “The Yellowhead Brief” is placed in the bottom centre of the border. Inside the border reads: Canadian cultural exports depend not only on which stories are told, but also on which institutions ultimately hold decision-making authority.Image is of a dark blue background. A dark red text box is displayed in the top centre of the image, white text reads, “Learn More”. White text in the centre of the image reads:In Canadian cultural institutions, how can the ISO be empowered to ensure that Indigenous creators control the funding, production, and global circulation of their stories? Below this, smaller white text reads the title information: Sovereignty and The Indigenous Screen Office: A Proposal to Reshape Canada’s International Cultural Strategy by anton clark. A dotted red line separates the title information from the Yellowhead Institute logo displayed in the bottom centre of the image.
Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Across Canada and beyond, Indigenous Peoples are reclaiming and rematriating place names – not just as acts of recognition, but as assertions of law, governance, and jurisdiction. Read the full special report on our website, linked in bio

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Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Kalaallit voices are once again pushed to the margins. Vivi Vold & Kunuk Inutiq offer context to Kalaalliit Nunaat's (Greenland's) re-emergence in the centre of global geopolitics, centering Kalaaliit perspectives on colonial trauma and solidarity. Read the full Brief, linked in bio.

Top half of the image displays a digital collage of Ivinguak Stork Høegh's artwork. A red line across the image beneath the photo. Within the line reads: “The Yellowhead Brief”. The bottom half of the image displays the brief title information: Is Kalaallit Nunaat for Its People? Inuit Reflections on American (and Danish) Colonization. The YI logo is displayed on the right side of the image.a quote is bordered by a dashed red line. A quotation mark sits at the top centre of the border and “The Yellowhead Brief” is placed in the bottom centre of the border. Inside the border reads: This incessant imperialism is set against the backdrop of actual people in the Arctic living their everyday lives: with their families and communities speaking their language and with cultural integrity, with desires to live free.Image is of a dark blue background. A dark red text box is displayed in the top centre of the image, white text reads, “Learn More”. White text in the centre of the image reads: Amid renewed American imperialism and fraying international alliances, Kalaalliit Nunaat (Greenland) is at the centre of geo-political news – but where are the voices of Kalaallit?. Below this, smaller white text reads the title information: Is Kalaallit Nunaat for Its People? Inuit Reflections on American (and Danish) Colonization by vivi vold with kunuk inutiq. A dotted red line separates the title information from the Yellowhead Institute logo displayed in the bottom centre of the image.
Yellowhead Institute@miskoaki.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Check out the Yellowhead Treaty Map's new Indigenous Treaty-Making Layer. While the inter-dimensionality of Indigenous-led treaties cannot be fully captured in any map, the new layer breaks the user away from the Treaty Map boundaries into an immersive digital experience. Linked in bio.