Let’s Grab a Coffee - Access to Indigenous Knowledge

I spent a weekend this past year traveling to the city to do some work for my research, catch up with Native kin, and meet with a well-meaning academic about their new project. As I wander into the meeting with the academic, late, I'm greeted and asked variations of the same set of questions I've been asked since high school. "How do we help Native communities? How do we get to know community members? Can you introduce us to Elders?" I strategically answer their questions, and assess how much I can push the boundaries of their knowledge on Tribal sovereignty and anti-colonial research practices. Simultaneously, I reflect on how high school or early college Ray would have answered their questions without hesitation. How a younger version of myself would have spilled his heart out and tried his best to answer their questions with the hope they would finally see the systemic problems and they could come to the rescue. 

I cycle through all of these thoughts and try my best to fulfill obligations as a researcher in academia, but one statement solidifies this interaction, 'We noticed a lack of Native American representation in the field of work.' I think to myself, 'Ah, here it is.' This work isn't being done out of the kindness of their heart or through a connection to a community member but there is data that is missing and they can be the first ones to observe, extract, and publish on the topic. A common theme in University settings where this work can be a feather in the hats of students, researchers, professors, etc. to complete their degrees, make their grant stand out, and/or get the pat on the back of helping an underrepresented group. This individual and others may be familiar with anticolonial approaches but the fact this idea wasn't born out of community raises a red flag. 

How many times has this happened where I was invited to a focus group, asked to have a chat over a cup of free coffee, or personally invited to an exclusive event so my brain could be prodded and novel information to Settler Science could be extracted and put on a pedestal with the generic label of, "unnamed Native American community member, circa 2016." I think back to reading a social media post from a fellow minoritized individual about this method of those in power positions inviting minoritized folks for cups of coffee so their information could be extracted. What's worse in this most recent interaction, I paid for my own cup of coffee! Feeling like a deflated balloon after this interaction, I pondered how many more times I'd have to experience this continual practice of people sucking out my expertise, and I receive zero, citable credit for this work. In a career where your citable work plays the biggest role in your continued success, I finally decided to write about this experience and my thoughts on the subject, especially as a reference for fellow Indigenous students and junior researchers.

A 2021 article by Shorter and Tallbear in the AICR journal talks about this trope used by researchers in “what harm could come from ‘only listening?” This practice of coming into a community or targeting a community member to "just listen" is a loaded and pointed practice. I was at a public talk given to my Tribal community by a researcher based in the Midwest, and their opening talked about how their original project, which had no Native community input and focused on a Tribally relevant plant, was a mistake. This realization only came to them after being openly called out on the harms they were causing and they realized they shouldn't be doing this work in that manner. The way they solved this conundrum was to, 'go into community, with no agenda, and just listen.' I remember the furrow on my brow when they said this. I'm not sure about everyone else's practices but I personally don't show up uninvited into a community that's not my own "just for fun." If I'm somewhere where I'm not from or not invited into, I have a reason and agenda for being there. 

This person masked their harmful practice of Indigenous exploitation by playing and citing innocence, and used passive and positive language to mask the real harms they have and still cause. It's not their fault they happened to meet the right people who could give Indigenous credibility to their work. They were just at the right place, at the right time, just listening. Right? A version of this is applicable for the ‘Let’s grab a coffee’ scenario. What’s the harm in asking the single Indigenous student in a class, cohort, or department for just a cup of coffee, lunch, or a beer? What are the acknowledged and unacknowledged intentions behind these interactions? What are the immediate and long term effects of this interaction on the Indigenous student and the person in power? Settler Science would argue that this is building interpersonal relationships and is a legitimate method for understanding and doing research, systemic problem solving, or community-based research, but, again, I think about where this work was born from. Born from academic resource extraction, not from Indigenous communities for Indigenous communities. A method to gain access to Indigenous lands, minds, and ideas, usually with minimal feedback from the community and shallow short-term and long-term benefits for the community.

As I've matured and realized the pieces of myself that I had given to people who didn't and still don't understand Indigenous struggles, I wonder how much of those pieces of myself have been warped and shaped into something to appeal to non-Indigenous audiences. Or, how much of that knowledge has been commodified and strategically used to further someone’s arguments and non-Indigenous agenda. I know some individuals would say I should just be compensated more for the work I put into these conversations, but I'm at the point now where I don't want to have those conversations. I can spend ten more years having these basal levels of discussion and hone my communication skills to engage Settler Science, but what I truly desire is to have additive and nuanced discussion with researchers or students who experience a positive "ah ha!" moment to push back against settler-colonial practices. I want to see the flowering of Indigenous knowledge and research with fruits ready to be plucked and handed to the next generation. I'm tired of planting the same empty husks of seeds, sucked dry by bored predators to further their own individual growth, and expecting a forest of Indigenous knowledge to flourish.

Cited Sources:
Shorter, David, and Kim, Tallbear. 2021. “Introduction to Settler Science and the Ethics of Contact.” American Indian Culture and Research Journal. 45(1), 1-7.

Post-Politics - A Period of Ojibwe Creativity and Production

In October 2024 I finished up my term as a LdF Tribal Council member! Soon after the initial announcement of the upcoming 2024 Tribal Election, I made a single post on Facebook that I would not be running for re-election this term. I was doing some major reflection a few months before this post and was trying to plan which path to take in this fork in the road. Being a Tribal Council member had been a personal goal of mine since I was a child and I greatly enjoyed and found fulfillment in contributing directly to strengthening my Tribe's sovereignty through policy and decision making. At the same time, I'm at a stage in my academic career where I’m still technically a trainee and it’s vital I produce and produce more scholarship to further my career.

For those unfamiliar with research careers in Science, in order to continue on the track I'm on to hold a faculty/ professor position, I'll need to write articles on my research that are peer-reviewed and present my work through research presentations. At the same time I'm doing this work, there is an overwhelming need and want from Indigenous communities for more media (books, podcasts, art) made by Indigenous peoples for Indigenous peoples. To use the phrasing by the AICR journal’s upcoming special issue, Indigenous communities are going through an Indigenous Renaissance. After immersing myself in the Native creative space these past few years, I see and feel the many different ideas, thoughts, and creations that Native artists/academics are making and I agree that an Indigenous Renaissance is in motion. 

At the same time, the broader Native community is going through a reckoning of ousting Pretendians (people who claim Native American/Indigenous ancestry but either completely make it up or base it off of unproven claims by family stories or through genetic ancestry test) who have contributed to the scholarship of the Native community. Just the other day I was reading a book that cited intersectional work that I wanted to read but when I checked the citation and searched the name, it was someone who was pretending to be Native American. UW-Madison, the school I’m doing my postdoc at, also recently went through a high profile Pretendian case (search Kay LeClaire).

Though I feel that I had been able to create and assist in curating and pruning multiple policies and ideas in my time as a Tribal Council member, academic institutions and the broader Native communities would not be able to recognize the immediate importance of my work and contribution. Though I've authored multiple Tribal resolutions that have passed and I worked hard alongside other Tribal Council members to make important and difficult decisions, a majority of this work isn't recognized and relevant for my academic CV. I have also found that writing non-fiction to be almost impossible while so deeply engaged in governmental duties. For those who have written extensive non-fiction before, you'll know it's an all-consuming task. I attempted a few times during my term to write up an article I had been thinking about since graduate school but my input on pressing topics related to the Tribal government was needed as well, which also required reading, writing, and thinking in a vein usually completely different from what I was writing for Science. As someone who wants to continue to contribute to Native media and scholarship, I made the difficult decision to not run for re- election this term and focus on my writing and creating but also to not do a disservice to my Tribal community and the position itself.

The title of this post is very tongue-in-cheek for those who know me or are familiar with my readings and work in Science. It may come off as that I'm "not including politics" in my work anymore or that my formal political career is over, but it's just the opposite. I'm now even more familiar with how politics (commonly used as a shortcut for upbringing, respective culture, bias, ideology, etc), especially Tribal, state, and Federal, is present within the broad work I do. What I mean by post-politics, is that my formal governmental title is no longer directly attached to me and I’m focusing on other topics. My former position will haunt me as I move forward in this next stage, not in a malicious or bad way but in a way that can't be forgotten and will be there to guide and inform me as I travel down this road. I also aim to run again in the future for LdF Tribal Council and hope to bring even more experience and knowledge into the position.

These past few years, I've been able to read, learn, and research and I'm bursting at the seams to create. I have created a few beadwork pieces these past few years but that's been my major outlet. Along with dozens of beadwork ideas, my ideas for writing fiction and nonfiction are also overwhelming me, along with the urge to pick up painting and podcasting again and the desire to learn new techniques like weaving and embroidery. While I've been thinking about how I want to approach my creative phase, the 2024 elections and a huge increase in BlueSky users moving over from X (aka Twitter) has happened in the background. This has served as a reminder that it's important for me to provide some updates and maintenance to my public facing social media and personal website and that my Ojibwe thoughts and ideas are important for work now, in the future, and for Indigenous youth who may be inspired by me, like I was and still am by the Native scholars and community members that came before me.

I write this post to serve multiple functions. First and foremost, it's a way for me to remember what I was thinking and planning! I've read a few things I've written pre-2022 and it's mind boggling to me how I've forgotten about interesting ideas and goals I put forth. Second, it's serving as an announcement that I'm going to be posting to this blog post on my website more often and that I'm going to be co-publishing this on my brand new Substack (@raylallen). I don't picture this blog and Substack having a huge following but I think it's important for folks who want to cite my work. And finally, I'm currently drafting up some longer manuscripts and finishing up some bigger artwork projects that have been on the back burner for months, and I really needed something to warm up my writing and something I can finish to give myself some confidence! To quote a famous fictional plumber, "Let's Go!"

Engaging technology for Tribal support and innovation

As a kid, the impact of the internet was becoming increasingly apparent. During my time in high school, internet video gaming was booming, and the power and availability of “smartphones” was taking off. In 2022, the amount of technological achievements are amazing and vast, ranging from: Artificial Intelligence (AI) work, affordable sequencing of human genomes, foldable phones, and live-streaming of high-definition recordings. Unfortunately, the Lac du Flambeau community, along with other “rural” Native nations are left behind in receiving these technologies, benefiting from them, or are directly harmed by these technologies.

We need to prioritize the integration of newer technologies into our everyday lives and at Tribal workplaces. Technologies that allow all of our Tribal members and descendants access to high-speed internet, user-friendly devices for elders and disabled, and formal and informal training access to learn about and use these technologies. The world is moving at high speeds and if our members can’t search or download the needed information for their education (e.g., journal articles, books), attend a virtual meeting or classroom to learn or network, or operate their online business, we run the risk of our members being forced to move from our homelands to accomplish their personal and career goals. 

As a part-time student at Lac Courte Oreilles University, I’ve greatly benefited from being able to take my courses online via Zoom. Combining the school’s devotion to having hybrid courses and having access to a working computer with a camera, I can seamlessly hop into class and learn Ojibwemowin and meet fellow Anishinaabe. How will our Tribal members who want to stay closer to home get trained if their only option is to be in-person and move far away for an unknown amount of time? Will our current and future Tribal elders be left behind as some older technologies become less common and supported, like cable TV?

Another problem we run into is the number of jobs in Lac du Flambeau are finite and limited in scope. Tribal members on the reservation are capped in what level and type of work online they can do on and near the reservation. For example, Native artists in the area have to rely on locals, who are limited in their  numbers, and tourists, who are around seasonally. Native artists throughout the continent are benefiting from high-speed internet and website building access through their online shops or social media pages. At the same time, Native content creators are building careers from home by streaming content such as beading circles, interviews, video game playthroughs, podcast productions, or tutorials. And we have Natives who can work in technology, project management, writing, and teaching from our Lands!

By increasing the training opportunities, and access to high-speed internet and shared tools (e.g., computer programs like Microsoft Word), we will increase the possibilities for Tribal members to (1) build careers that can be done remotely on the reservation, (2) increase technology competency so our Tribal membership can learn about new technologies and teach each other about them, (3) understand and critique new technologies so we can make informed decisions about their use, and (4) be a leader in technology for other Tribal nations to follow. We must move beyond past expectations of moving far away to accomplish all of our goals, and that all technology will benefit us equally.

Key Issue: Anti-colonial and Indigenous Centered Research

Too often have Native folks been the subjects of research, and not given the space and resources for being the researchers themselves. At the same time, Natives are taught research methods in education systems based in Western values that clash with Indigenous ways of thinking, knowing and practices. For us, they have clashed with or pushed out Ojibwe practices of gathering knowledge.

I aim to focus on and build the research capacity of the Tribe itself. Not just research in Western institutions but research that takes place everyday for our Tribal citizens who hunt, fish, and gather on the Land. At the same time, we need to stop researchers from coming into our community without our permission and with our permission but no expectations of how we benefit. When Western researchers do come in, they take our resources, our knowledge, our time and give nothing we find important to us! It is a one-sided relationship where we get the bare minimum.

In the immediate future, we need to be the ones who define what research questions are important to us, we need to be the ones spearheading the research, and we need to benefit more than Western researchers do in this relationship (equitable not just equal). We must be compensated, given authorship and resources, and given the resources and training so we can do the work ourselves.

The information, relationships, groups, and junior Ojibwe scientists in the community exist for us to start Ojibwe-led research initiatives. We as a Tribe need to take the major steps to do so!

My learning in this area of anti-colonial research from my Indigenous peers comes from Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Max Liboiron, Jessica Hernandez, Kim TallBear and many others!

Tribal Council Candidacy Announcement

*The original announcement of Ray’s candidacy was on July 27, 2022 on Facebook and this was the following content

I’m ecstatic to announce my running for one of the four council member seats in the 2022 Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indian’s Tribal election!

Running for council has been on my mind since I was in gradeschool. It is one of the most visible, praised, and critiqued ways fellow tribal members can give back to the Tribe. It’s a job that requires continual engagement with the community, a large breadth of knowledge ranging from treaties all the way to the newest technologies, and public accountability at the Tribal and nation-to-nation level.

With the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in Standing Rock and many other protests to protect Native Land throughout the world, recent Supreme Court decisions taking away abortion rights and limiting Tribal sovereignty, the human-caused climate change and its affects on animal and plant relatives, the full brunt of a global pandemic harming Indigenous folks, and the continued theft of our Indigenous children, ways of knowing, and cultural practices, I can no longer offer support from the side.

“Making kin, not capital” is the phrase I will use to define what I aim to accomplish as a tribal council member. I am interested in representing anti-colonial and decolonial issues and practices, and in strengthening and building new relationships to Lac du Flambeau tribal members so we can continue to resist settler-colonial practices and center our Ojibwe ways of knowing. I am NOT interested in building social and physical capital, especially at the expense of my relatives, both human and non-human.

I hope to be transparent about this process. Though I am an expert in certain Western academic fields, I know that my fellow Tribal citizens have many more experiences and knowledges that can only be learned by spending their time interacting with and living on our Lands. I aim to respect and center peoples’ respective expertise, mentor our LdF youth, and pass on the knowledge of this process to future generations of engaged tribal citizens.

If you would like to know more about my history and key issues I hope to address, please check out my campaign website page. This blog page will be the main area for topics and points I want to address as a Tribal Council candidate. Stay tuned for more posts!