After a year and a half at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec (BAnQ), Maya Cousineau Mollen left her position as “project manager for relations with First Peoples” a few weeks ago. “I was sitting on a volcano of possibilities,” she sums up, “but at work, I didn’t have what I needed. » Resistance to change, ignorance of indigenous history and administrative burden hinder transformations, she believes, despite great progress. Decolonize BAnQ? Absolutely. We still have to find how.
“There is work to be done inside the institution before going outside,” believes Maya Cousineau Mollen. Of Innu origin, the latter has been working for two decades in relation to the First Peoples. She is also a poet (Children of lichen2022).
Decolonize, according to Mme Cousineau Mollen, “it’s becoming aware of unsaid things, of unconscious biases. It’s adding an indigenous lens to all projects,” specifies the one who turned to a similar role at the University of Montreal, which seems to her more advanced and agile in its decolonization.
“BAnQ has been working together with the First Peoples for almost 20 years,” recalled Mathieu Thuot-Dubé, senior director of education and cultural action.
The position held by Mme Cousineau Mollen is for the institution born from the desire “to increase the integration of indigenous perspectives in all of our practices”.
Maya Cousineau Mollen sensed at BAnQ “habits established that were difficult to question, to change. I didn’t have the resources, either human, financial, or fluidity of movement, to do what needed to be done. » Let us clarify: there were no gestures of racism, no objectification, no tokenism. But “resistance internally”, which illustrates the difficulty of decolonizing, and perhaps more so the big institutions.
The CAQ line
“This is often the problem: a great lack of knowledge of Aboriginal people, of their history, and unease with the proposals – some do not understand that I am there to help. »
Examples ? “We have not even succeeded in passing territorial recognition”, this reference that several cultural and academic organizations have adopted, which recognize the First Nations and their historical presence on the territories.
Is it important ? “Yes,” said M, smiling.me Cousineau Mollen, even if we all know that it doesn’t change anything in the end…” This mark of homage and respect towards indigenous peoples would have been blocked for BAnQ, according to her, by the executive committee of the government.
“At BAnQ, I strongly felt the weight of the CAQ [Coalition avenir Québec] and his party line: decolonization and indigenousization are really not among their priorities. Unless you have a river [aménager]. »
“As a state corporation of the Quebec government, BAnQ is not subject to any directive concerning the formulation of recognition of territories or titles, whatever they may be,” responded the institution.
Other difficulties? During the presentation of a project under construction on the historical presence of dance in Quebec, including rigodon, Mme Cousineau Mollen suggested adding a vignette to talk about the particular, spiritual relationship of Aboriginal people with dance. “I felt that I offended a sensitivity…”
Archives, writing, orality
The traditions of the world of archives, one of the three pillars of BAnQ, have difficulty spontaneously welcoming oral traditions. “When I told the story of frybread, born during the long march of the Navajos, which they cooked to survive by frying it in almost rotten lard, I was asked straight away what my references were…”
“At the University of Montreal, they have already been talking about epistemic injustice for a while,” she emphasizes, while searching for information, after a click on the site: a situation “where the knowledge, skills and values of minority groups are considered inferior to those produced and transmitted by dominant groups.
We know indigenous political history from a colonial perspective, but not from an indigenous perspective. This is why the archiving of the documentation of the Secretariat of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is so important to me.
These groups “thus face an epistemic injustice since their knowledge and their visions of the world are considered to be less credible, useful or reliable than those produced according to Western modes”, we can read.
Reflection on the indigenization of archives is in its infancy, recognizes BAnQ. “As the heritage of indigenous peoples is inseparable from the history of Quebec, BAnQ wishes to help preserve this memory by meeting indigenous communities and making itself available to them,” adds Mr. Thuot-Dubé.
BAnQ continues its negotiations, started with Mme Cousineau Mollen, to the Assembly of First Nations to integrate their archives. An important job and relationship, both in the eyes of all those involved.
“We know indigenous political history from the colonial point of view, but not from the indigenous point of view. This is why the archiving of the documentation of the Secretariat of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is so important to me,” says Ms.me Cousineau Mollen
“BAnQ’s indigenousization discourse is still under construction,” she concludes. “It’s also complicated because at the same time we’re trying to bring nations built on orality back to writing. »
Learning by doing
“We must keep this position, it’s important. But we need to improve it, add resources. I was all alone. There is a lot to do. »
Providing training on the institution to the next person would be an improvement. “I think it would help if the position reported to management. This would help ensure that the institution is not so resistant to change. »
To questions from Duty, BAnQ responded: “We learned from this experience. We adapted and made the position evolve. »
“We are currently considering how the roles and responsibilities of this position will be assumed in the future in the institution,” continues Mr. Thuot-Dubé.
“It is important for BAnQ to include First Peoples in a co-creation process for all projects that concern their cultures. BAnQ is committed to this process of integrating indigenous perspectives […], in a continuous improvement approach. We work with multiple nations and are constantly learning: we are a learning organization. »
Mme Cousineau Mollen confirms: “At BAnQ, they are capable of questioning themselves. It’s great quality. »