An Unexpected Resilience

Indigenous scholar Clifford Atleo identifies long history of self-determination in the Ahousaht First Nation

Donna McKinnon - 12 June 2018

When Clifford Atleo defended his PhD dissertation in December, 2017, he opened the defense with a prayer from an Elder - his own father.

Atleo's roots are deep in the Pacific Northwest's Tsimshian and Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, and they inform every aspect of his academic life.

Growing up in Vancouver, frequent visits to the homelands of his parents and a stint as the treaty manager with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (2001-2005) fueled Atleo's curiosity about Indigenous self-determination, and how these communities and leaders continue to assert agency within the confines of settler colonialism.

"I wanted to better understand how we arrived at our current predicaments, as well as our political and cultural resilience," he says.

Following the completion of his undergraduate and master's degrees in Victoria, Atleo turned to the University of Alberta's Faculty of Arts for his doctoral studies. Under the guidance of supervisor Isabel Altamirano-Jiménez (Political Science), Atleo's research explored the political economy of the Ahousaht - the largest of the 15 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations - and the revival of traditional governance. His discovery of "certain continuities" in Nuu-chah-nulth cultures and governance structures through time came as a surprise.

"We all learn about colonialism, but I found an unexpected resilience, particularly with respect to our traditional governance and the leadership of the hereditary chiefs," says Atleo. "Ever since Captain Cook landed on our shores, Nuu-chah-nulth hereditary leaders have tried to assert their rightful authority to protect our people and lands. I think this is important, because there are still Indigenous alternatives to the dominant neoliberal capitalist society that most of us are now familiar with, and there are lessons rooted in Indigenous teachings that I believe would be beneficial as people all over the world struggle with environmental crises and massive economic inequity."

In 2014, following the completion of his coursework, Atleo spent a year at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, the recipient of the Henry Roe Cloud Dissertation Writing Fellowship in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. This prestigious scholarship facilitates the completion of the doctorate by scholars working on pressing issues related to the American Indigenous experience. It was here that Atleo finished his first full dissertation draft.

"My experience at Yale University was eye-opening," he says. "I had never been to that part of the United States before and to be at one of the oldest universities in North America was an honour. The Native American community at Yale was vibrant and welcoming, and I also had the opportunity to travel to a number of the other Ivy League universities - Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Brown and Dartmouth - and connect with several other inspiring Indigenous scholars."

Now working as an assistant professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, Atleo is finishing up a book proposal based on his dissertation and is the co-investigator for the Corporate Mapping Project, a multi-year SSHRC research project which examines the power and influence of the fossil fuel industries.

"My emphasis is on Indigenous communities' resistance to, and sometime co-operation with, these industries," he explains.

Being the parent of two young children, which Atleo says, "puts theoretical education into perspective," and supporting his wife's business,Iron Dog Books, are dual passions that run alongside his other passion - teaching.

"I particularly like the idea of having three month conversations with students about contentious ideas and [developing] a greater understanding of Indigenous community struggles and aspirations," says Atleo. "And the one thing I tell all my graduate students is to truly embrace their time and really focus on questions that are important to you, your family and your community. Grad school is tough, but it is also a privilege that deserves your full attention. Oh, and never forget to thank the people who support you!"