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Article analysis

The name “indigenous,” commonly used to refer to the native peoples of Canada, is not a
reflection of the people’s real identities. Mel Lefebvre and Alicia Elliott note, “As two
writers trying to communicate Indigenous realities, we are keenly aware that one of us is Métis
and the other Tuscarora. We both live in urban centers. We do not speak for all Native people.
To do so would be folly: we reflect different lived experiences with ancestors that come from
different parts of this land, practicing a multitude of ceremonies, traditions, and ways of
storytelling” (Lefebvre, M., & Elliott, A. (2022. Para 4). Lefebvre and Elliot are saying that the
blanket term used to refer to all natives as indigenous fails to capture their unique identities.
Native communities are many, and each has its unique ways of life. Thus, although native, they
have various ways of life, traditions, and even customs. Referring to all of them as indigenous is
neither their choice nor a true reflection of their uniqueness. The authors use appeals to logos as
a rhetorical strategy to present their argument and persuade the reader. The authors use inductive
reasoning where they mention specific observations and experiences before making broad
conclusions. They mention that one of them is Métis and the other Tuscarora. They then continue
to say that many other indigenous peoples belong to different communities and are not one large
community with a common culture. The only thing they have in common is that they are all
native. The entire article supports the claim that native people comprise many sub-groups with
unique ways of life. The word indigenous was imposed on them and is an overgeneralization of
what they are as a people. The authors make a strong argument and incorporate various rhetorical
strategies to convince the reader of the wrongful use of the term indigenous.

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References

Lefebvre, M., & Elliott, A. (2022). We Didn’t Choose To Be Called Indigenous | The Walrus.
Retrieved 20 February 2022, from https://thewalrus.ca/we-didnt-choose-to-be-called-
indigenous/