Andrea Landry is also known by her Indigenous name, which is Migizi Odey Kwe, meaning Eagle Heart Woman. She comes from Pays Plat First Nation in Ontario, Canada, part of the Anishinaabe (Ojibway) people. Andrea is young, but has experience beyond her years. She forms part of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus for UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and has been involved in the preparatory process for the World Conference for Indigenous People, as well as various other UN systems.
At the World Conference of Indigenous Women in Lima Peru, Andrea spoke on issues of Colonial vs. Indigenous ideologies regarding sovereignty and nationhood. “We are defining ourselves based on the federal government and colonial thought. We’ve reached a bridge, and its time to go back to our old ways in a sense, but also build up those old ways and make sure they work today,” she commented.
Andrea’s number one issue is violence against native women. She recently engaged Special Rapporteur James Anaya on the issue during his official visit to Canada. “In Canada there are 600 -1000 missing and murdered indigenous women. These women are left nameless and voiceless, and it’s a frustrating thing to see.” She notes that this violence comes in partnership with violence on First Nations territories, and is reflective of a legacy of colonialism. “Traditionally, we had clan mothers, and systems that prioritized women in our communities. So today this violence is tied to low socio-economic status, high incarceration rates, and related to how women in cities are living in between two worlds.”
The issue is personal for Andrea: she herself was in a violent relationship for four years. Her story may be inspiring to other native women: “In order to get out of that, I turned back to ceremony. That’s what really made me re-focus and re-evaluate my life. “
Andrea grew up in an urban setting, and straddles both the urban world and the native world. She shared her own story: “It’s a very difficult process. I’m completing my masters right now. I almost quit so many times because the same thought was going through my head; why am I getting my masters degree at a western institution when I can’t even speak my own language fluently? There were many nights when I was crying and asking Creator, why can’t I speak my language, and why am I following this colonial path of success? But then the other side of the picture, in order to overcome these colonial systems you kind of have to pretend to be one of them, but never ever turn your back on who you are as an Indigenous youth in our communities. It’s a very difficult thing to deal with as an Indigenous person. She sends advice to other Indigenous youth experiencing similar questions.
“If you ever have hopelessness in this struggle, speak to your elders and go to ceremony. There were many times over the last six months that I felt complete hopelessness. I said, I’m going to give up, I’m done with this fight, I’m done with this struggle, I’m just going to live in everyday modern life. And I went to ceremony and got this message: keep up the fight, it’s worth it. Elders are the ones who have been fighting this fight for generations, and they know how to survive it.
