Activating the Heart: Storytelling, Knowledge Sharing, and Relationship ed. by Julia Christensen, Christopher Coz and Lisa Szabo-Jones (review)

Activating the Heart: Storytelling, Knowledge Sharing, and Relationship is a captivating non-fiction book which, through the incorporation of innovative methods, bridges settlers in Canada and Indigenous peoples. The book follows a workshop in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, of practitioners, academics, elders, and Indigenous community members, who gathered for three days to blend community and academic knowledge. The book acknowledges the differences between Western and Indigenous approaches regarding how knowledge is shared. The aim is clearly stated, which is “to make room for a different kind of education, one that builds necessary ties between community and academia to engender a space for broader, non-oppressive education models (xi).”

The collections are organized into three sections consisting of various forms of writing by multiple Euro-Canadian and Indigenous authors, which contribute to the overarching theme of storytelling: Section One: Storytelling to Understand, Section Two: Storytelling to Share and Section Three: Storytelling to Create.

The collective authors hope to break down barriers of resistance by centering traditional Indigenous knowledge that has previously been marginalized. Given the oppressive nature of colonization in northern Canada, this collective approach to sharing and the creation of meaning is an important topic to deconstruct the realities of this difficult history. Indeed, at the outset, the Euro-Canadian authors acknowledge their privilege by referencing it in their writings. Leonie Sandercock, for example, states that “ . . . I understood what it was to be a minority, blind to the contradictions of my own privilege” (7). This acknowledgement, although refreshing, cannot undo the Euro-western priority of the written word over the oral tradition of Indigenous peoples; storytelling as a qualitative research method must be addressed as a necessary academic approach. The ability to captivate a wider audience and engage them through storytelling is accomplished by this book as indicated by its ability to positively influence two communities that are disharmonious. Storytelling, therefore, creates a space for sharing and disseminating knowledge by overcoming existing cultural barriers.

Some settler-Canadians have exerted specific efforts to gain fluency in Indigenous languages and form relationships with Indigenous communities. Patrick Moore, for example, speaks about a white woman who took it upon herself to learn Kaska, a local Indigenous language. This serves as an example of how language learning can build deep-rooted relationships. It is an area needing much more emphasis in K-12 schools as well as at post-secondary levels.

Although these unique individuals are few, this level of commitment is greatly encouraged by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in promoting the preservation of Indigenous languages and cultures and creating lasting relationships. This book serves as an example of how a community of Euro-Canadian and Indigenous scholars and practitioners have worked through a long history of settler privilege and oppression to create a new foundation of respect, reciprocity, and understanding of research methods that are promoted by Indigenous scholars.

This book is helpful as a guide for practitioners and organizations doing community work where there is a long history of tension between settler-Canadians and Indigenous peoples. The book provides examples of non-Indigenous-led community research with Indigenous communities. It offers true insight into the level of commitment required to work through difficult truths resulting in community healing. This is a unique example of the intent of the TRC which has not received the full attention and funding necessary to move its recommendations forward. This case study serves as an example of the complexities and commitment needed.

Unique to this project is the engagement of Indigenous youth in the participation of workshops which created art by “expressing perspectives on health and well-being” (100). The creation of art was used as conversation starters between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples around difficult health topics affecting their community. This is an example of cross-cultural learning at a community level which lessens the impact of existing power...