Blog #10: Indigenous Engagement: Part 2: Who, Where and How

In my previous Indigenous engagement blog #9, I shared engagement insights I learned from my mentors that answer what, why, and when. In this blog #10, I share Indigenous engagement insights that answer who, where and how. In subsequent blogs, I will speak to engagement preparation and principles.

Who: My mentors were adamant. Engagement must take place with First Nations members because they hold the Treaty and Indigenous (Aboriginal) rights. You might think, as I did initially, that the Chief is the head First Nations decision-maker. That is incorrect. The Chief is the voice of the community. Decisions come from the community to the Chief. That is another reason why it is necessary to engage with the entire community.

Photo 1: An engagement information meeting with Eabametoong First Nation members, in the school gym, Fort Hope, Ontario, Canada, April 1, 2004.

Where: You engage with First Nations people in their community, usually on their reserve. Of course, many First Nations individuals live off reserve, so it’s important to ensure the engagement process, jointly developed with the First Nations, accommodates both on- and off-reserve members. Engagement takes place inside and outside the boardroom, during community events, on the community’s streets, as well as during formal meetings.

Photo 2: The remote First Nations community of Webequie, in the homeland of Webequie First Nation, seen from a plane, Ontario, Canada, Sept 11, 2006.

How: Ask the First Nations you are engaging with and they will tell you how to engage with their community. Each First Nations community is different. They each have different histories, cultures, world views, traditions, and, likely, language dialects. The engagement model I offer here was taught to me by Andy Yesno (RIP; Eabametoong First Nation). In my experience, elements of this model were used by many First Nations. Engage with the entire community by reaching out to three community groups: chief-to-chief, technical-to-technical, and community-to-community. I describe these groups in greater depth in Walking Together (Story A2 First Nations Engagement Model). Here is a brief summary.

Photo 3: Mentor Andy Yesno (Eabametoong First Nation), taught me his engagement model. Oct. 4, 2013.

Chief-to-chief: Chief-to-chief connection is important to endorse, initiate, and sustain engagement. Boardroom meetings are likely. The senior people for the First Nations are generally the chief, deputy chief, and council. The senior people for an organization wishing to engage with the First Nations may be the president of a company or a research vice-president for an academic or professional organization. A cabinet minister may be the senior person for a government. Their role is to commit to work together, confirm an engagement process, identify respective interests, clarify and monitor issues that surface and need to be addressed, and identify types of collaborative projects. The leaders define the extent of decision-making authority for their respective engagement team members. Typically, the senior people delegate day-to-day engagement activities to others. Notwithstanding delegation, there will be issues or events where the participation of the senior individuals is expected. These events may be social, issue-based, or ceremonial.

Photo 4: Chief David Mathews (RIP)(Washaho Cree Nation) presents a gift to the Honorable Minister Rick Bartolucci (Ontario Government), in the community of Fort Severn, Ontario, Canada, Sept. 11, 2006.

Technical-to-technical: Once the engagement process is established and the relationships are strong, technical experts become involved. In my experience, the First Nations’ technical interests were represented by a councillor with the lands and resources portfolio, a head trapper, or a committee of trappers. For the engaging organization, a senior manager responsible for technical decisions or a principal investigator for a research initiative is involved. For initiatives involving one or more related projects, the project technical lead(s) should also be involved as they are the day-to-day face of individual projects. Exchange of technical information takes place in the office and on the land.

Photo 5: A technical engagement meeting with the trappers committee, Kasabonika Lake First Nation, in the band office, Kasabonika Lake, Ontario, Canada. Left to right: George Anderson, Ken Albany, John George, and John Gregg, Oct. 13, 2004.

Community-to-community: connection with community members takes place outside the boardroom with individuals, families, and groups. Groups can include Elders, trappers, women, and schoolchildren. The goal is to get to know people as people, in informal settings, to establish trust, and even to informally answer questions. Communication approaches likely vary considerably. Sharing of technical information with an Elder group, whose first language is not English, is an art and a skill. Engagement takes place at community events, if you are invited, and just by walking around. The entire First Nations community membership is involved, if they so choose. This engagement starts as soon as an engagement team member sets foot in a First Nations community. Everyone from the organization wishing to engage with the First Nations has a role. Community-to-community engagement takes time (months to years).

Photo 6: Community engagement by walking around and meeting people on the community street. Noah Ooshag and Caroline Bois, Eabametoong First Nation, Fort Hope, Ontario, Canada, April 12, 2011.

It is naive to look for a single engagement model to apply across all First Nations. Each First Nation is different, if only subtly. The First Nations will guide you by sharing their engagement expectations and their practices. Engagement involves a spectrum of people, from Elders to children, from Chiefs to technical experts. Engagement takes place everywhere: inside the boardroom, in the community arena, on the land, wherever people gather. Community engagement is necessary to inform community decisions. Community engagement also benefits you by increasing your understanding of the community’s interests, issues, positions, divisions, culture, and traditions.

Engagement takes time and resources. But, engagement is an investment.

Other resources:

Bob Joseph, Founder & President of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc, (https://www.ictinc.ca/ict-team/bob-joseph) provides excellent resources to guide engagement and collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.

Mafalda Arias, Founder of Mafalda Arias and Associates, an organization that coaches organizations and individuals to interact, communicate and manage differences effectively. The company’s innovative training programs help build trust, reduce misunderstandings, leverage diversity, and introduce collective empowerment through culture: https://www.idiinventory.com/our-team/mafalda-arias-m-a