Lynn Gehl
is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley, although due to Canada’s need to clear the land of Indigenous Nations she was born and grew-up in Toronto. She studied chemical technology at college where, after 12 years of working in the environmental science field, she returned to school eventually gaining a Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies. Her undergraduate studies were in psychology and cultural anthropology, her Master’s thesis focused on the impact of identity denial where she developed “disenfranchised spirit, a model and a theory”. Her Doctoral dissertation focussed on the Ontario Algonquin land claim process where she developed “Debwewin Journey, an ancient model and theory” as her methodology, thus clearly producing Indigenous knowledge. This doctoral work offered an insider analysis of the ongoing genocide inherent in the land claims process. Today she places ancient Anishinaabeg knowledge at the core of what she learns, thinks about, and does. Lynn has a rare form of blindness which creates many judgements and barriers yet at the same time increases her ability to think critically.
While only learning how to read and write beyond the primary school level in her thirties, Lynn was successful in obtaining the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Scholarship. She completed her Ph.D. in 2010 and has since focussed on knowledge production, both in academic and community based venues. She has 4 books published, 17 academic journal publications, and over 120 community publications in such places as Anishinabek News, Muskrat Magazine, rabble, Canadian Dimension, Huffington Post, Policy Options, and most recently Canada’s History Magazine. She blogs and has several video productions, and has participated in over 20 television and radio interviews, most recently with CBC’s The Current.
While taking this journey deeper into Indigenous knowledge, Lynn also took on a section 15 Charter challenge regarding a form of sex discrimination, best known as unknown and unstated paternity in the Indian Act, that was newly created in 1985 at a time when Canada claimed to be amending the Act to bring it in line with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This was a Canadian lie. It took Lynn 32 years to move through the oral family research process, the archival research process, and a 22 year litigation process where in April 2017 Ontario’s highest court, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, determined Indian and Northern Affairs Canada was unreasonable in its sex discrimination. In this way Lynn was successful in defeating INAC’s unstated paternity policy and gained status registration where today she is now a member of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation and a citizen of the Anishinabek Nation. However Canada’s court then imposed another form of sex discrimination on Lynn, granting her the lesser form of Indian status, 6(2) versus 6(1)a. In this way Lynn continues to face sex discrimination in the Indian Act.
Lynn is the creator of the slogan known as “6(1)a All the Way!” that the McIvor clan and Senate members rallied around in their 2017 effort to remove the long standing sex discrimination in the Indian Act.
Some of Lynn’s favourite statements are:
Committed to Indigenous knowledge production, Lynn has a personal website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. For the most part Lynn’s work is an unpaid service. You can also find her work through Google.
https://www.lynngehl.com
is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley, although due to Canada’s need to clear the land of Indigenous Nations she was born and grew-up in Toronto. She studied chemical technology at college where, after 12 years of working in the environmental science field, she returned to school eventually gaining a Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies. Her undergraduate studies were in psychology and cultural anthropology, her Master’s thesis focused on the impact of identity denial where she developed “disenfranchised spirit, a model and a theory”. Her Doctoral dissertation focussed on the Ontario Algonquin land claim process where she developed “Debwewin Journey, an ancient model and theory” as her methodology, thus clearly producing Indigenous knowledge. This doctoral work offered an insider analysis of the ongoing genocide inherent in the land claims process. Today she places ancient Anishinaabeg knowledge at the core of what she learns, thinks about, and does. Lynn has a rare form of blindness which creates many judgements and barriers yet at the same time increases her ability to think critically.
While only learning how to read and write beyond the primary school level in her thirties, Lynn was successful in obtaining the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Scholarship. She completed her Ph.D. in 2010 and has since focussed on knowledge production, both in academic and community based venues. She has 4 books published, 17 academic journal publications, and over 120 community publications in such places as Anishinabek News, Muskrat Magazine, rabble, Canadian Dimension, Huffington Post, Policy Options, and most recently Canada’s History Magazine. She blogs and has several video productions, and has participated in over 20 television and radio interviews, most recently with CBC’s The Current.
While taking this journey deeper into Indigenous knowledge, Lynn also took on a section 15 Charter challenge regarding a form of sex discrimination, best known as unknown and unstated paternity in the Indian Act, that was newly created in 1985 at a time when Canada claimed to be amending the Act to bring it in line with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This was a Canadian lie. It took Lynn 32 years to move through the oral family research process, the archival research process, and a 22 year litigation process where in April 2017 Ontario’s highest court, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, determined Indian and Northern Affairs Canada was unreasonable in its sex discrimination. In this way Lynn was successful in defeating INAC’s unstated paternity policy and gained status registration where today she is now a member of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation and a citizen of the Anishinabek Nation. However Canada’s court then imposed another form of sex discrimination on Lynn, granting her the lesser form of Indian status, 6(2) versus 6(1)a. In this way Lynn continues to face sex discrimination in the Indian Act.
Lynn is the creator of the slogan known as “6(1)a All the Way!” that the McIvor clan and Senate members rallied around in their 2017 effort to remove the long standing sex discrimination in the Indian Act.
Some of Lynn’s favourite statements are:
- Water is so smart, it knows what to do.
- It is hard to be human, just keep trying.
- Tell me your IK not your IQ.
- Hegemony of the heart runs deeper.
- The sacred is far more rational and sustainable than the destruction brought on by the economic paradigm.
- It is completely unacceptable for Canada to rely on sex discrimination to eliminate the racist Indian Act, and completely unacceptable for Canada to rely on cultural genocide inherent in the land claims and self-government process to eliminate Indigenous rights.
Committed to Indigenous knowledge production, Lynn has a personal website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. For the most part Lynn’s work is an unpaid service. You can also find her work through Google.
https://www.lynngehl.com
Sharp Dopler
has been an educator, community worker and activist for over 20 years. Sharp is originally from Newfoundland and is of Aniuyunwiya/Meskwakie/Ashkwakie and Irish descent. Living and working in the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin people for almost 25 years, Sharp is honoured to call Ottawa home. Sharp has presented at various venues at the local, regional, provincial, national, and international level on topics including but not limited to: Cultural Competency, History of Indigenous People in Canada, Decolonisation, HIV/STI’s/Hep C, Healthy Sexuality, Anti-Oppression and Anti-Bullying. Sharp is honoured to be considered a Traditional Knowledge Keeper and carrier of Ceremony in the Ottawa community as well in other communities. Sharp is a drum carrier and singer as well as a community pipe carrier and sweat lodge conductor. Sharp uses this traditional knowledge and Indigenous ways of being in the world to inform how the work is done. We all have a place in the circle! Sharp excels at welcoming you to the circle and creating that sense of belonging which enables us to see the strengths in our difference. https://www.sharpsolutions-indigenius.com/ |