Taiaiake Alfred

Jane Ash-Poitras

Herb Belcourt

Tony Belcourt

Bernd Christmas

Myra Cree

Billy Day

Andrea Dykstra

Wendy Grant-John

Shirley Firth Larsson

Jim Sinclair

Gladys Taylor Cook

George Tuccaro

James (Sakej) Youngblood Henderson

Shaping a better future is the only option

Article by Jean Paetkau

His Mohawk name means 'one who comes from the other side.' A traveller at heart, movement has always been a part of Taiaiake Alfred's life. Raised in Kahnawá:ke, Que., he now lives on the West Coast and teaches at the University of Victoria. Taiaiake Alfred is an instructor for the Indigenous governance program, and he has written three books on First Nations political structures. For his work in the field of education he has received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award.

As an educator, Taiaiake focuses on Indigenous people's philosophies and cultures. He offers alternative government system ideas based on the wisdom of ancestors. Students in the Indigenous governance program learn about pre-colonial treaties and current land negotiations. Taiaiake is trying to give Native people a better way to assert their rights.

"It's about Indigenous movements and resistance and different ways Native people can think about decolonization."

Taiaiake emphasizes the responsibility of students for helping to shape a better future.

"It's not a time when someone can sit back and be complacent or think that they don't matter. It's absolutely up to every individual because we're in that kind of historical moment," he said. He recognizes that young people have difficult decisions to make, but he encourages them to get an education and to stay healthy.

"Their choices, one way or the other, are gong to determine ...

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