Indigenous graduate programs release new book on indigenous resurgence in “everyday” settings

The Indigenous Governance (IGOV) Program at the University of Victoria and the Indigenous Politics Program (UHIP) at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa, to donate all book proceeds to Intercontinental Cry.

WINNIPEG, April 9, 2018  – Two widely respected Indigenous graduate programs are celebrating the release of Everyday Acts of Resurgence: People, Places, Practices.

More than two years in the making, the new book, published by Daykeeper Press, focuses on  indigenous resurgence in “everyday” settings – those often unseen, unacknowledged actions that renew our communities and the relationships that promote our health and well-being.

Everyday Acts of Resurgence emerged from a series of powerful collaborations with Indigenous peoples across the Pacific and a series of international exchanges between the faculty and students of Indigenous Governance (IGOV) at the University of Victoria and the Indigenous Politics Program (UHIP) at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa.

In 2015, IGOV and UHIP came together under the theme, “Piko: A Convergence of Resurgence,” to engage in land and water-based cultural practices and to strategize around future mobilizations for community resurgence. During this gathering, the students and faculty decided to write a book that would highlight how everyday actions can be important emancipatory sites for understanding the relational, experiential and dynamic dimensions of Indigenous resurgence.

It was then that the students and faculty of both programs agreed to donate all proceeds from their book to Intercontinental Cry (IC), a Winnipeg-based Indigenous newsroom that supports Indigenous voices and provides thought leaders in media and academia with the insight they need to inform, educate and inspire.

“I was deeply moved by their generous offer,” said IC Editor-in-Chief, John Ahni Schertow. “Universities don’t usually give back to the community, but in this one instance, two fantastic programs offered to help us make sure that we can continue to cover the stories of the world’s 5000 Indigenous peoples and nations.”

As the editors note in their introduction, daily actions are often overlooked during discussions of community resurgence, self-determination, resistance and decolonization. But these actions are just as vital as rallies, protests and blockades, “because our daily actions define how we live and the quality of the relationships we maintain internally and externally,” Schertow continues. “For that reason, it has been a great honour to be a part of this book project.”

“We hope that reading these powerful works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and activists will inspire you to take up everyday ways of regenerating and renewing our lived connections to land, culture and community,” adds Cherokee Professor Jeff Corntassel, an editorial board member at IC and the Director of UVic’s IGOV program.

The official book launch for Everyday Acts of Resurgence: People, Places, Practices will take place on Tuesday, April 10th, from 2-4PM (PDT) at the First Peoples’ House at the University of Victoria. This event will include Tsartlip First Nation Elder May Sam, as well as a number of contributors, including Jeff Corntassel, Nick Claxton, Jana-Rae Yerxa, Lianne Charlie and others, who will be reading passages from the book.

The UVic Bookstore will be selling copies of Everyday Acts of Resurgence, with all proceeds going to Intercontinental Cry. Light refreshments, coffee and tea will be provided. Everyday Acts of Resurgence can also be purchased on Amazon.

For further information: Dr. Jeff Corntassel, University of Victoria, ctassel@uvic.ca; Dr. Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua, University of Hawai’i, Manoa, goodyear@hawaii.edu; John Ahni Schertow, Intercontinental Cry, intercontinentalcry@gmail.com