Open Collections

Abstract

This thesis investigates how land contributes to Indigenous cultural identity formation in spite of continued land loss and dispossession in what is currently called Canada. A part of this investigation will involve considering the implications of slow violence on cultural identity formation, looking in particular at the lingering impact of climate change on Indigenous cultural practices within communities. The slow violence of climate change hinders cultural continuity, as the process contributes to declines in land-based practices and the transmission of traditional ecological knowledge. This loss compounds preexisting inequities, which further compromises cultural identities and senses of belonging. This thesis will consider the importance of land to maintaining, developing, and nurturing cultural identities as discussed in poetry collections and personal memoirs by Métis writers Maria Campbell, Marilyn Dumont, and Katherena Vermette. The inclusion of these literary forms is critical to understanding the cultural significance of land to identity formation, as this kind of literature provides thoughtful insights into past and present lived experiences. This kind of writing contextualizes land loss in a way that makes the pain visible, with the perspectives woven into this literature helping guide contemporary conservation efforts in Canada.