Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2006. / Cover title. "April 2006." Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-25).

In this thesis, I explore the ways by which two indigenous peoples represent themselves in the context of national politics in Venezuela during the so-called Bolivarian Revolution. In particular, I offer an anthropological understanding of bodily practices and visual elements that the Wayúu and the Pume peoples use to index their indigenous identities in the context of televised meetings to commemorate the Day of Indigenous Resistance in Venezuela. In order to do so, I follow the theoretical approach proposed by Graham and Penny (2014) in which performances of indigeneity are understood as actions that (1) are representations of local and traditional performances that are historically and culturally contingent and (2) involve a creative process that connects local realities with national and global political agendas. Likewise, I draw on current anthropological understandings on the concepts of authenticity and folklorization. The data used to carry out this research was the footage of television programs that the Venezuelan state TV channel (Venezolana de Televisión) broadcasts every October 12 from 2002 to the present, as well as ethnohistorical information about the aforementioned indigenous peoples. Due to their particular socio-historical processes, as well as their current situation, the Wayúu and the Pume peoples have shaped the images of indigeneity at different levels. On the one hand, the Wayúu people have become iconic within the images of indigeneity shaped in the national political arena. On the other hand, the Pume people have been fairly absent in national politics. When present, they have performed their most important ritual – the tõhe –, a ritual that according to themselves is the ultimate expression of their identity as a group.

This research endeavour with Moose Cree First Nation provides insights into how emerging Indigenous methodologies are fundamentally grounded in an Indigenous epistemology that, for the purpose of this project, was found to be integral to youth and community wellbeing. More specifically, this project highlights an Indigenous perspective of health and wellbeing, milo pimatisiwin, that yields individual, collective and relational strengths with its focus on reconnecting youth to the land. This thesis offers methodological contributions in an effort to discuss research with Indigenous peoples beyond the participatory paradigm; it also develops on coming to know through the “visiting way” and elaborates further on Indigenous methods such as learning by doing concepts and conversational method. Discussing approaches of coloniality and settler-colonialism highlighted territoriality and land dispute issues, but most importantly here, these approaches established how the land is at the very core of the Omushkego people’s epistemology. Two land-based initiatives with Moose Cree First Nation were examined in this study. The initiatives provide insights into Indigenous resurgence as they relate to the land, to spirit, and to life stage teachings. The community experiences suggest how vital it is to center Indigenous knowledge in research and land-based initiatives for youth wellbeing as they contribute to developing, integrating and applying Indigenous methodologies, given this process is inter-related to fostering milo pimatisiwin. The Omushkegowuk people’s conceptions of health and wellbeing challenges colonial ideas and actions, and just as important, it allows for the production of knowledge within the context of Indigenous methods, experiences and wisdom.

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) has been described as both an epidemic and endemic in First Nation (FN) populations in Canada. Federally, culturally appropriate prevention and management programs funded through the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (ADI) can support those living with T2D within FN communities. Health Directors and administration staff working and participating in health services (n=6) were interviewed in order to describe the nature and variation of T2D supportive care services available within communities, and the extent to which ADI programs have been funded. Results indicated that participants perceived that capacities and barriers exist when accessing and implementing ADI funding and associated T2D services. These barriers derived from the policy structure of the ADI and varying degrees of community capacity in FNs. Findings from this study were used to develop recommendations for both the Federal and Territorial Government to improve equity in ADI funding and T2D supports for Yukon FN residents. / October 2016

The thesis “By Some Trick of the Light my Skin was Darker” explores the driving forces of my work. The title refers to a kind of primal scene in my youth when I first entertained the tensions of being half-native and half-Caucasian. I realized that through a trick of the light caused by the refraction of water I could be native in spite of my white appearance. Using the discourses of colonialism, cultural appropriation, identity politics and an expanded notion of painting that verges on the practices of presentation and display I interrogate the problem of hybridity. I argue my practice of painting is an externalization or literalization of an internal tension that is constitutive of the self. Through stories and experiences of my life on and off the reservation, inside and outside the studio, through written prose and poetic repetition I hope to help viewers better understand the esoteric elements in my work. / October 2016

This thesis is a study of rural development resulting from ethnographic research carried out in the villages of Mediriya, Therrapahuwa and Walamatiara in Moneragala, Sri Lanka. As rural villages are being drawn into increasingly complex relations governed by forces of globalisation, this study develops an understanding of the significance of these interactions within the context of development. In Sri Lanka, current (worldwide) concerns for 'sustainable’ development based on 'participation' in order to alleviate 'poverty' and 'empower' local people, must be examined against a historical backdrop in order to appreciate the significance of rural intervention today. I examine issues of knowledge and power emphasising how a variety of stakeholders negotiate, manipulate and form relationships in order to gain access to resources. This thesis tackles development issues on multiple levels. As part of a DFID (Department for International Development) funded natural resources project, focussing on the high density intercropping of banana with rubber, my role was to provide an in-depth study of livelihood strategies and factors influencing farmer decision-making within home gardens and smallholdings. I reflect on the advantages of Indigenous Knowledge Research, which provides a greater insight into how local people identify and tackle problems than previous 'top- down' efforts. However, the fine line between involving local people in development and 'extraction' are also highlighted. My experiences of working within a multidisciplinary team prompted me to reflect on the whole context surrounding the research process and consider the role of anthropology in development. It is argued here that while the involvement of anthropologists in development is not without its dilemmas, anthropology can usefully contribute using a holistic approach to examine the processes of development, placing natural resources research within a wider social and political context and highlighting the difficulties involved in trying to understand something about Others.

This study focused on exploring the key markers associated with how Indigenous Peoples living in the Nlaka'pamux Territory perceive success in sport. It was designed using Community- Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach and underpinned by decolonial theory that attempts to deconstruct colonial misunderstandings by drawing on the rich lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples in community. Six individuals from the Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly were part of a conversation circle that employed open-ended questions and a conversational interviewing style. An interview guide was also used alongside the broader research questions that specifically looked more in-depth at how the Citxw Nlaka'pamux Peoples define success in sport. By employing thematic analysis to identify common markers in the data, we were able to address the overall research questions. The key markers identified were zuʔzuʔscút (take courage, feel encouraged, courage), kn̓ ə́m (support help along, access), ceʔcʔexw (showing happiness/love, enjoyment), relationship, nk̓ seytkn (family, community, cohort,), wʔexw (Live, Be as you are, self-determination) and ƛ̓ əq̓ mey̓ t (cultural teachings, values, and principals, identity). The findings contribute important knowledge for grassroot sports organizations, through to provincial and federal sporting bodies, in addressing the lack of Indigenous voice currently existing in the conventional sporting environments. For success to be achieved, there is an urgent need to include more grassroot local level sporting experiences, and to ensure Indigenous Peoples’ voices are included at all planning stages for all levels of sport. / Graduate

In much of Canada, Aboriginal rights – including land rights – were never extinguished by treaty, and presumptively continue to exist. Jurisprudence has established that in Aboriginal groups' traditional territories, they will have Aboriginal title – the right to exclusive use and occupation - in those areas where they can demonstrate both occupation and exclusivity at the date of the assertion of Crown sovereignty, and that they will have hunting and fishing rights in areas where they can demonstrate occupation but not exclusivity. This leaves open the question of what right they have in areas where they can demonstrate exclusivity but not occupation. This thesis argues for the existence in such areas of a right that has not previously been recognized in Canada, namely a right to prohibit resource use or extraction. This right – here termed “Aboriginal dominion” – is argued to be analogous to a negative easement in European property law systems. Even drawing such an analogy, however, requires a level of analysis that has been lacking with regard to Aboriginal property rights in Canada, since courts have insisted that such rights are sui generis, unique. This insistence is here called into question, and an approach that analyzes property rights as being responsive to the needs of human beings in particular times and places is urged instead. To the extent that such analysis results in the recognition of new Aboriginal rights, including Aboriginal dominion, it may help to bring Canada in line with international norms, as embodied in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other instruments, and may contribute to achievement of the ultimate goal of Canadian Aboriginal law: reconciliation.

Statement of the problem: Indigenous youth in Canada are much more likely to be either physically and/or psychologically at risk than other population groups in the same age range. However, help for indigenous youth at risk frequently arrives too late: it often takes too long for family, friends, community, and government to identify the indigenous youth who are at risk. Another problem is that it takes some time for anyone who is voluntarily seeking help to inform their closely connected family and friends about their at-risk situations. Besides these barriers, some conditions are associated with social stigmas especially drug addiction and mental ill-health. The delayed identification of indigenous youth at risk poses great challenges for how to provide them with assistance and treatment. Research questions: This research aims to answer four questions: (i) How are indigenous organizations using Facebook to connect with youth at risk? (ii) How are urban indigenous youth expressing themselves on Facebook when they feel or are at risk? (iii) In what ways can the text mining of indigenous organizations’ Facebook data identify the risks among urban indigenous youth and at-risk individuals? (iv) How can the findings from the research question # 1, # 2, and # 3 be adapted to enable Facebook’s News Feed algorithm to address the needs of at risk urban indigenous youth? Research methodology: This research used mixed methods for data collection. Qualitative data was obtained from field surveys that were conducted in the form of interviews, focus group discussions and observations. For the quantitative data collection, I gathered and analyzed the Facebook usage data of indigenous community organizations to discover their Facebook patterns using text mining techniques available in the SAS Visual Analytics application. Lastly, all theparticipants in focus group discussions were asked to answer a survey questionnaire seeking information related to his or her demographic and personal Facebook usage behaviour. Significant findings: Many urban indigenous youths generate and share content on Facebook when they feel at risk physically or psychologically. Yet they do not see any content in their Facebook News Feed that is relevant or helpful to them for managing that risk, such as pointers to health and public services. This investigation also discovered that there are indicators such as the verbal tone of Facebook posts and images as well as changes in relationship status that could be used to help identify at-risk youth and provide them with helpful information. The research results also reveal that Facebook is a part of the problem insofar as it is a channel for such behaviours as cyberbullying, online harassment and the spread of harmful memes. Contribution: The results from this research, when deployed, may help to improve the lives of indigenous communities by enabling the detection of youth who are at risk physically and/or physiologically and provide the necessary indicators for Facebook to adapt its News Feeds to bias the Facebook walls of the youth at risk with items such as positive posts found in their own cycle of Facebook friends’ accounts and targeted news and advertising that can improve social outcomes for these populations.

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