Vianne Timmons and the Race-Shifting Conundrum (Ep. 5)

Memorial University President Vianne Timmons says she has always been clear that she has Mi’kmaw ancestry, or heritage, and that she’s not Mi’kmaw. But in a settler colonial society like Canada’s, claiming Indigenous ancestry in professional biographies or on resumes is anything but clear, says Cree journalist Michelle Cyca.

In a new article for The Walrus, Cyca argues that for settlers Indigenous ancestry is “an accessory” that “offers people like Timmons an advantage over both non-Indigenous and Indigenous people: the insinuation of having overcome an obstacle that was never in their way. The cumulative effect is an impression of Indigeneity as a marketable asset, divorced from its historical, political, and cultural significance. The essential power structure of whiteness remains intact, and the sprinkle of artificially flavoured Indigeneity covers up the bad taste of settler guilt.”

In Episode 5, we speak with Cyca about the Vianne Timmons scandal, and about race-shifting more broadly.

Whose responsibility is it to keep race-shifters in check? And how should people respond when they are questioned about their identity?

That and more in “Vianne Timmons and the Race-Shifting Conundrum”.

Read Michelle Cyca’s full article “Why Are More People Claiming Indigenous Ancestry?” in The Walrus.

Listen to Episode 4 of berrygrounds: “Ktaqmkuk — a personal story of Mi’kmaw ancestry, identity & belonging”

Read Justin Brake’s 2021 essay “KTAQMKUK” in Maisonneuve magazine.

Songs Synapse, Liturgy of the Street, and Diaphanous courtesy Shane Ivers of Silverman Sound Studios.