A keynote presentation from Dr. Deborah McGregor at the Indigenous Economics Conference, June 10-12, 2021

This video and blog is part of a series sharing the themes from ICA's "Reclaiming the Sacred" Indigenous Economics online conference held June 10-12 2021. This conference was held in partnership with the Canadian Society for Ecological Economics.

Wrapped in storytelling and real life examples, Dr. McGregor shared her perspective and knowledge of what Indigenous peoples’ experience can offer, and what it can’t.  Indigenous communities, according to Dr. McGregor, have endured atrocities and changes that came about from the commodification of western practices. Indigenous people survived this and have faced annihilation through genocidal policies. Therefore, the wider society needs to embrace indigenous knowledge and cherish the core values of balance, harmony, reciprocity, and sustainability which can guide us in our transformation to heal the planet. This is no longer a choice, but a dire necessity for us to survive as a species. 

At the same time, it should not be a case of history repeating itself. Indigenous people’s rights must be valued and their knowledge should be extracted without proper recognition.  There is still a lack of acknowledgement of colonialism including in emerging disciplines like environmental economics. This needs to change. Decolonialization must be considered in all facets of life and sectors. Therefore, this journey of healing the planet for Indigenous peoples needs to begin with themselves before helping others to heal the planet. A great way to start is to find and create platforms for those voices that we don’t get to hear in mainstream conversations. They also happen to be from those who are the most severely impacted.

Indigenous peoples’ relationship with nature is not about taking from earth, but allowing ourselves and the land to flourish together. Accept nature’s gifts with humility and gratitude instead of taking them for granted. 

Some think Indigenous peoples could not exploit the land due to lack of resources or technology. Dr. McGregor thinks otherwise. She suggested, Indigenous people had the choice, but chose not to exploit the land. It is different approach, but Indigenous peoples chose to fight the temptation of taking more than they needed. They have a different way of thinking. They take direction from nature to what they can handle. They are empowered by ethics that guide them to this way of life. Language and identity are therefore very important.

What You Can Do: 

Professor McGregor encouraged everyone to think deeply about the pause offered by the pandemic.  She recommended that everyone reflect on what they take, and how they interact with large scale and small-scale economic systems.  

She suggested that people consider the practice of taking only what you need.  She said to restrain yourself, avoid giving in to luring market strategies.

Most importantly, Dr. McGregor talked about the value of sharing your experience with others to enlighten, educate, and inspire behavioral change. Take only what is needed from the earth and transform yourself to transform others.  

Ask yourself, do we love the earth? Do we love future generations? And act accordingly.  

Speaker biography:

Deborah McGregor, Anishinabe, is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair: Indigenous Environmental Justice at Osgoode Hall Law School and Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University. Professor McGregor’s research has focused on Indigenous knowledge systems and their various applications in diverse contexts including environmental and water governance, environmental justice, health and environment, climate change and Indigenous legal traditions. Professor McGregor remains actively involved in a variety of Indigenous communities, serving as an advisor and continuing to engage in community-based research and initiatives.

Professor McGregor has been at the forefront of Indigenous environmental justice and Indigenous research theory and practice. Her work has been shared through the IEJ project website https://iejproject.info.yorku.ca/  and UKRI International Collaboration on Indigenous research https://www.indigenous.ncrm.ac.uk/.