Glossary - Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP)

Full Glossary

2SLGBTQQIA+: Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersexual, Asexual, plus those aspects of identity not included in the acronym. 2S helps us to remember that Two-Spirit people have existed long before other understandings came through colonization.

Ally: a person with privileged identity markers (e.g., race, gender, class) who actively supports, advocates for, and acts in solidarity with equity-deserving groups. Allyship is a continuous, action-oriented process focused on dismantling systemic oppression, not just holding a sympathetic belief.

Anti-discriminatory practice: an approach which calls for people to be treated with respect and holds that people should not be treated badly or unfairly because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, impairment, class, religious belief or age. It also champions the implementation of policies that fight against discrimination.^[1]

Anti-Indigenous racism: the ongoing systemic and institutional racism, discrimination and stigma experienced by Indigenous people in what is widely known as Canada. It includes beliefs and practices that maintain and perpetuate the power imbalances and systemic barriers that result in inequitable outcomes in social, economic, judicial, and health and wellness of Indigenous people.^[2]

Anti-oppression: refers to a range of strategies, theories, actions, and practices that intentionally challenge systems of oppression. It is a framework, lens or practice used to recognize oppression within service, work, learning, and social environments, as well as address its effects.^[3]

Colonialism: is the violent historical practice of European expansion into territories already inhabited by Indigenous people for the purposes of capturing new lands and removing natural resources. It is rooted in acts of violent suppression of Indigenous peoples’ governance, legal, social and cultural structures. It was a systematic process of forced assimilation, exclusion and degradation of Indigenous ways of life. Indigenous people were, and continue to be, subjected to institutional and legal policies and practices designed to force them to conform to the structures of the colonial state.^[4]

Cultural appropriation: when people from a majority culture adopt or exploit parts of a marginalized culture. This is typically done without permission or without understanding of the context, reasons, or background of the marginalized culture and the importance of their traditions and elements.^[5]

Assimilation: cultural assimilation is the process of absorbing one cultural group into another.

Cultural Awareness: an understanding that there are differences between cultures.^[6]

Cultural Competency: an approach that focuses on acquiring skills, knowledge and attitudes to work in more effective and respectful ways with Indigenous people and communities.^[7]

Cultural Dissonance: the psychological discomfort, conflict, or confusion experienced when an individual’s cultural norms, values, or behaviours clash with those of a new or dominant culture.

Cultural Humility: recognition that learning to apply culturally safe and appropriate practices is a lifelong opportunity.^[8]

Cultural Safety: an outcome based on respectful engagement that recognizes and strives to address power imbalances.^[9]

Cultural Sensitivity: the realization that our own cultural views influence our viewpoints and biases.^[10]

Decolonization: an ongoing process that aims to deconstruct settler colonial ideologies such as white supremacy, give value to Indigenous knowledge, and dismantle power imbalances. Decolonization is the active work to give back the colonized territory’s independence and undo the effects of colonialism on the social, political, and economic aspects of a people’s life.^[11]

Displacement: the forced movement of people from their homes, lands, or places where they normally live.

Dispossession: when people or communities are forced to give up their land, property, resources, or rights.

First Nation: First Nations are the descendants of one of the original inhabitants of Canada. Various nations, beliefs, & languages exist within this group.

Indigenization: Indigenization recognizes the validity of Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and perspectives; identifies opportunities for Indigeneity to be expressed and incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing and doing.^[12]

Indigenous & Aboriginal: these are umbrella terms to include First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Canada. Both terms are used internationally to define the original inhabitants of colonized countries, with Indigenous being the most favoured term. However, it is always respectful to be specific about the Nation you are referring to; use the term that they use to self-identify.

Intersectionality: a term coined by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw to describe how social identities may overlap to create compounding barriers for people. It is described as a framework for approaching issues from multiple perspectives and understanding how multiple groups, or people with multiple identities, may be affected.^[13]

Inuit: Inuit are Indigenous Peoples whose homelands are across northern Canada, including Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, NunatuKavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, as well as Inuit who live in urban or southern communities. Inuit identity is grounded in shared culture, language, family ties, and relationships to Inuit homelands and communities. The singular of Inuit is Inuk, meaning person.

Kinship: is the system of relationships that connects someone to their family, community, ancestors, future generations, and the natural world. Kinship in many Indigenous cultures is broad, relational, and based on care, respect, and reciprocity, not just biology.

Lateral Kindness: an approach to addressing lateral violence. It is based on Indigenous values that promote social harmony and healthy relationships. Lateral kindness uses First Nations teachings about respect, fairness, and the importance of relationships to create an environment built on a foundation of kindness.^[14]

Lateral Violence: (or lateral unkindness) is harmful behaviour that occurs within marginalized or oppressed groups when internalized trauma, stress, and systemic oppression are redirected toward peers instead of the systems causing the harm. It often appears as gossip, bullying, exclusion, jealousy, or blame in workplaces and communities.

Lived experience: first-hand knowledge, insights, and understanding that someone gains in their personal life.

Métis: Métis are an Indigenous people with mixed Indigenous and European roots who have grown into their own distinct culture, identity, and way of life.

Microaggressions: everyday, subtle, intentional — and oftentimes unintentional — interactions or behaviours that communicate some sort of bias toward historically marginalized groups.^[15]

Non-Status: people who identify as First Nations but are not registered under the Indian Act or have lost or been denied legal status through colonial policies and administrative barriers. Many Non-Status people maintain strong cultural, familial, and community connections to First Nations identities, territories, and traditions. CAP recognizes Non-Status First Nations peoples as rights-holders whose identities and communities persist regardless of federal registration systems.

Off-Reserve Indigenous Peoples: off-reserve Indigenous Peoples include First Nations (Status and Non- Status), Métis, and Inuit people who live outside reserve land. This includes people living in urban, rural, and remote communities across Canada.

Othering: to “other” someone, means to view or treat someone as fundamentally different. Othering can contribute to discrimination and prejudice against certain groups.

Paternalism: the practice of people in positions of authority restricting the freedom or responsibilities of others without their consent because they believe it is for the person’s own good or protection.

Patriarchy: is a social system in which men make most of the decisions, hold most of the power, and are considered superior to women (e.g., within political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property).

Power: in equally distributed access to privileges such as information, opportunity, and resources, and the ability to influence decisions, rules, standards, and policies to benefit oneself or one’s social group. Power, and the level of power possessed by any individual or group, affects their ability to live comfortable, safe lives. Power is relational and it operates between people, cultures, institutions, and social group.^[16]

Privilege: unearned access, benefits, and opportunities possessed by members of a social group with a high level of power (e.g., white privilege, socioeconomic privilege, cisgender privilege). Privilege occurs when structures and institutions have been historically designed for the benefit of or to be accessed by a particular group.^[17]

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC): was created through a legal settlement between residential school survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives, the federal government, and church bodies.^[18]

Two-Eyed Seeing or Etuaptmumk: coined by Mi’gmaw Elder Albert Marshall, the term for Two-Eyed Seeing, often described as integrating the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and Western perspectives for co-learning or inquiry.

Two-Spirit: Two-Spirit was a term introduced by Elder Myra Laramee in 1990 at the third annual Native American and Canadian Aboriginal LGBT people gathering in Winnipeg. It is “an English umbrella term to reflect and restore Indigenous traditions forcefully suppressed by colonization, honouring the fluid and diverse nature of gender and attraction and its connection to community and spirituality. It is used by some Indigenous people rather than, or in addition to, identifying as LGBTQI.” The teachings, roles, and responsibilities for a Two-Spirit person differ from community to community. Not all queer Indigenous people use this term, but Two-Spirit is an identity specific to being Indigenous and can only be claimed by Indigenous people.^[19]

[1] Taken from Key Concepts in Anti-Discriminatory Social Work by Toyin Okitikpi and Cathy Ayme

[2] Indigenous Primary Health Care Council – NE IIKAANIGAANA ‘All Our Relations’ Toolkit

[3] Taken from M&E

[4] The Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women – Colonialism and its Impacts

[5] Adapted from CultureAlly

[6] Taken from Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC)’s The Cultural Safety Continuum

[7] Taken from Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC)’s The Cultural Safety Continuum

[8] Adapted from Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC)’s The Cultural Safety Continuum

[9] Adapted from Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC)’s The Cultural Safety Continuum

[10] Taken from Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC)’s The Cultural Safety Continuum

[11] Taken from Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI)’s Glossary of DEIA Terms

[12] Taken from Indigenous Corporate Training Inc’s A Brief Definition of Decolonization and Indigenization