M’sɨt No’kmaq

This is a paper about the structural violence of settler colonialism in relation to the limits of the planet. As settler academics, we are involved in this violence. Here, we humbly seek guidance from the land ontology of the Mi’kmaq, reflected in the concept of m’sɨt No’kmaq (All our relations) to...

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Main Authors: Riley Olstead, Kim Burnett
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mount Saint Vincent University 2025-06-01
Series:Atlantis
Subjects:
Online Access:https://atlantisjournal.ca/index.php/atlantis/article/view/5825
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author Riley Olstead
Kim Burnett
author_facet Riley Olstead
Kim Burnett
author_sort Riley Olstead
collection DOAJ
description This is a paper about the structural violence of settler colonialism in relation to the limits of the planet. As settler academics, we are involved in this violence. Here, we humbly seek guidance from the land ontology of the Mi’kmaq, reflected in the concept of m’sɨt No’kmaq (All our relations) to understand differently, ourselves, our responsibilities, and our place in ‘a world on fire’ (Rupa and Patel, 2021). Guided by m’sɨt No’kmaq we seek to learn how some of the concepts that we employ in our teaching and research—specifically “trauma” and “climate change” reproduce the core of settler colonialism—the disconnection and elimination of Indigenous peoples from the land (Wildcat et al., 2014, 1). Beyond a conceptual analysis, we also consider “the coloniality of gender” (Lugones 2010, 742) in how the materiality of epistemological violence manifests on the land through state violence directed at Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit peoples. Our learning throughout the paper shows us how colonial concepts obfuscate settlers’ own relationship to land, which simultaneously undermines the possibility of a generative ethics of settler relationality with Indigenous peoples, and the earth. 
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spelling doaj-art-40d142818e3b47b1afdbd0f756801d5f2025-08-20T03:45:12ZengMount Saint Vincent UniversityAtlantis0702-78181715-06982025-06-0146M’sɨt No’kmaqRiley Olstead0Kim Burnett1St. Francis Xavier UniversitySt. Francis Xavier University This is a paper about the structural violence of settler colonialism in relation to the limits of the planet. As settler academics, we are involved in this violence. Here, we humbly seek guidance from the land ontology of the Mi’kmaq, reflected in the concept of m’sɨt No’kmaq (All our relations) to understand differently, ourselves, our responsibilities, and our place in ‘a world on fire’ (Rupa and Patel, 2021). Guided by m’sɨt No’kmaq we seek to learn how some of the concepts that we employ in our teaching and research—specifically “trauma” and “climate change” reproduce the core of settler colonialism—the disconnection and elimination of Indigenous peoples from the land (Wildcat et al., 2014, 1). Beyond a conceptual analysis, we also consider “the coloniality of gender” (Lugones 2010, 742) in how the materiality of epistemological violence manifests on the land through state violence directed at Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit peoples. Our learning throughout the paper shows us how colonial concepts obfuscate settlers’ own relationship to land, which simultaneously undermines the possibility of a generative ethics of settler relationality with Indigenous peoples, and the earth.  https://atlantisjournal.ca/index.php/atlantis/article/view/5825genderclimate changeIndigenoussettlertwo-eyed seeingtrauma
spellingShingle Riley Olstead
Kim Burnett
M’sɨt No’kmaq
Atlantis
gender
climate change
Indigenous
settler
two-eyed seeing
trauma
title M’sɨt No’kmaq
title_full M’sɨt No’kmaq
title_fullStr M’sɨt No’kmaq
title_full_unstemmed M’sɨt No’kmaq
title_short M’sɨt No’kmaq
title_sort m sit no kmaq
topic gender
climate change
Indigenous
settler
two-eyed seeing
trauma
url https://atlantisjournal.ca/index.php/atlantis/article/view/5825
work_keys_str_mv AT rileyolstead msɨtnokmaq
AT kimburnett msɨtnokmaq