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Starting – and continuing – a conversation about Indigenous representation and perspectives in WordPress
We hope that, through this WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more., we may encourage important conversations within the WordPress community about the value of Indigenous perspectives and that result in practical initiatives to support Indigenous communities in engaging with WordPress. (from WordCamp Canada 2024’s Opening words and Land Acknowledgement)
The beginnings
I wasn’t supposed to get involved in the organization of the inaugural WordCamp Canada (WC-EH) – that was my husband, Paul Bearne’s thing. But we started batting around ideas as to possible themes for a truly Canadian conference. This ultimately led to a vision statement rooted in accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility), inclusivity, and underrepresented communities in general. It seemed obvious that we needed to attempt to make Indigenous empowerment and perspectives a key part of this.
One of the things I have always loved about the WordPress community is its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). I may have missed things, but I have not been aware of specific efforts to connect with Indigenous peoples in North America or elsewhere around the world. It seemed to me that, particularly in the context of Canada’s recent commitment to work on Truth and Reconciliation, it was time to attempt to start what I believe to be an important conversation. This became something of a passion project!
I’ll be honest. I was nervous that we (I) didn’t have the capacity to do the necessary outreach to create connections and stimulate engagement with communities who, with good reason, may find it difficult to trust the motives of those who reach out to them. I knew I might ‘get it wrong’, that there might even be anger and confrontation (this didn’t happen). I was prepared to fail but determined at the very least to sow seeds.
What is meant by the term ‘Indigenous’?
In Canada, Indigenous refers to the original inhabitants of Turtle Island (what we know as North America) and their descendants. It is an umbrella term for First Nations (status and non-status), Métis and Inuit. Indigenous refers to all of these groups, either collectively or separately. It is the term used in international contexts, e.g., the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Whilst Indigenous is used as a collective term, it is most appropriate to refer to Indigenous peoples by the proper names of their communities or nations, e.g. Algonquin, Haudenosaunee, Mississaugas.
Although my perspectives are as a Canadian, there are Indigenous peoples in many countries around the world. It is my hope that this becomes an international conversation within the WordPress community.
I was deeply moved by the words of one attendee from the US with Indigenous roots who said she ‘had to be here’, even though she was recovering from an illness and should have been resting up. It mattered that much to her.
That there were attendees working to assist Indigenous youth in learning fundamental web development skills was encouraging as was the genuine interest in our Indigenous focus. We received many questions about Land Acknowledgements and how to make these respectful and meaningful. For those coming from outside Canada, this was not necessarily a familiar concept.
Why is it important?
“In Canada, only 4.1% of the tech industry comprises Black and Indigenous representation. Indigenous tech workers earn significantly less than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and digital technologies often exacerbate issues of safety, privacy, and discrimination for marginalized populations.” (quoted from Indigenous Friends).
If the WordPress community is genuinely committed to DEIB, then concern about Indigenous underrepresentation and inclusion should be a given.
I also believe that creating real possibilities to listen to and truly ‘hear’ Indigenous voices has the potential to bring valuable new perspectives to WordPress, indeed to all of us. Whilst there are many, many different Indigenous nations, each with their own distinct culture and traditions, there is a perception of some degree of commonality of Indigenous Worldviews. In particular, there is an awareness of the interconnectedness of all things and an emphasis on working together for the common good.
As I have developed my own knowledge over the 15 years since I emigrated to Canada and, particularly, during the last year, I have been awed by the grounded way in which Indigenous values are being applied in modern contexts including science, healthcare, and technology. Examples of the latter include:
Design de Plume, the creative agency co-led by our keynote speaker, Meggan Van Harten. Meggan spoke of their commitment to designing with purpose in the final campfire chat at the conference.
Animikii, another strongly value based Indigenous company in the technology space. I was blown away by their 2022 Social Impact Report when I came on it during my research for the way in which it demonstrates trying to build the Anishinaabe Seven Grandfather Teachings into the approach they take to running their business.
Challenges
It is always challenging trying to support engagement with marginalized communities, particularly those who have very good reasons to be distrustful. A few of the challenges that I identified in trying to reach out to Indigenous communities include:
That fear of ‘getting it wrong’, causing offence, not having a good understanding of cultural traditions and protocols.
Not quite knowing how to make community connections, who to reach out to, what may be appropriate – this is where organizers with personal Indigenous roots would make a huge difference.
In Canada, the very fact that there is focus on Indigenous empowerment is resulting in huge demands on a small number of people. As a result, there is a sense that, when asking for help from Indigenous individuals, whether elders for ceremonial or language input, or people working within Indigenous tech companies, some kind of payment or sponsorship support is required. I have heard that this is also increasingly the case when working with other marginalized groups and for similar reasons.
Ensuring that, when financial support is offered, processes are simple and clear, and that payment is made in an effective and timely manner. There needs to be an awareness that some attendees may face real hardship if funds are not received as promised. And, if this is not handled appropriately, word gets around, potentially undermining the credibility of the WordPress community in its attempts to support Indigenous engagement.
Asking ‘what can I do for you?’ rather than assuming that you know and taking what is needed to people rather than expecting them to come to you; both literally and metaphorically meeting people where they are. It is important to be aware that there are many very remote Indigenous communities that add to these challenges.
Being mindful that people may not have access to their own computers or to high-speed internet.
Understanding that in many communities reading level may be reduced, not due to ignorance or stupidity but to lack of educational opportunity.
The sheer number of Indigenous languages (hundreds across North America!), many spoken fluently by only a few people.
Where do we go from here?
In conversations before and during WC-EH, the following suggestions were thrown into the mix:
MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. groups taking workshops out to Indigenous communities and colleges, (first making sure to ask what might be most helpful!), growing skills and community
Mentoring young Indigenous talent
VR, AI and Metaverse workshops as a way of reaching youth, teens and young adults especially those of marginalized, Indigenous communities
Gifting tickets to WordCamps to the local Indigenous community
Continued encouragement of Indigenous involvement in WordCamps, with support for speakers to attend. There is already some support available thanks to the new WP Community Collective program Incentivizing DEIB in WP
Making concerted efforts to recruit WordCamp organizers from Indigenous communities who can bring insights and connections that we lacked
Exploring whether Indigenous language support within WordPress is of value and, if so, how to focus effort on this given that there are more than fifty different languages in Canada alone.
We added a page Continuing the Indigenous conversation to the WordCamp Canada 2024 website in an attempt to encourage the sharing of ideas and turning these into actions.
Call to action
I think it is fair to say that we succeeded in our aim of starting a conversation about Indigenous representation and perspectives in WordPress at WC-EH.
The question is, how do we ensure that the conversation continues and results in positive actions?
Do you have any suggestions as to how the WordPress community might do this?
Are you already doing things that seem to work that you might share with others?
If so, please comment on this post!
Resources
Another page that we added to the WordCamp Canada website offers a selection of Indigenous Links.
Native Land Digital has mapped traditional territories and is a great starting point to find out about the place you call home. Their site “creates spaces where non-Indigenous people can be invited and challenged to learn more about the lands they inhabit, the history of those lands, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together.”
FirstVoices is a collaborative platform where Indigenous communities manage, curate and share their languages.
WordCamp Canada 2024 Presentations
Keynote – Accessibility in Action: Indigenous Communities (sadly, this lacks the slides!)
Wrap-up Conversation – The Intersection between Indigenous Lenses and WordPress Open SourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. Values
