Meet some of the influencers of #NativeTwitter
A community of Indigenous artists, writers and thinkers has grown around the social media platform
The beauty of the internet and social media is that you can curate the content to want to see. People across the country are able to connect, bounce ideas off and occasionally argue with people they would never get to meet in person.
For many Indigenous people on Twitter, the social media app has fostered a community where people get to learn about each other's customs, experiences and opinions.
Meet a few of the influencers of #NativeTwitter.
Chelsea Vowel @apihtawikosisan
Joined Twitter: January 2012.
You can't talk about #NativeTwitter without mentioning Chelsea Vowel. She gives credit to the Idle No More movement for creating an online community of Indigenous thinkers, artists and academics.
"It's a social space where we can focus on our issues and concerns... because those things are not represented in mainstream media," said Vowel.
Indigenous peeps, don't feel bad for saying no to an event where they: won't pay your for your time, or travel, or lodging or any combination of the three. <br><br>I guarantee you they will pay for a white person.
—@apihtawikosisanOne day she came across Australian Twitter account @indigenousX, where a different Indigenous person in the country hosts each week. She asked if she could do something similar in Canada, and created the @indigenousxca account. The account highlights the diversity of thought, and experiences of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
Robert Jago: @rjjago
Joined Twitter: August 2008.
In 2015, Macleans magazine called Robert Jago "The Most Dangerous Blogger in Canada" after he dug into three federal Conservative candidates' backgrounds and unearthed Internet and social media posts that caused them to withdraw from the federal election.
For Jago, Twitter is a place to talk about politics that are relevant to him. It's also a place for him to engage in critical conversations.
"My reserve in B.C. is not a democracy," he said.
"It's one of 20 reserves where there's no elected council, there's no elected chief. So It's really hard to talk about politics for me on Facebook where those people could see it."
Jago will often use "Twitter essays" to break down complex matters and uses his account to give readers a different perspective on current affairs or political hot topics.
First Contact season 2: the Native version. Episode 1: Six Native 20-something's pull up at a white family's farm in rural Saskatchewan. End. Roll credits.
—@rjjagoHe said his most popular tweets are the ones where he addresses racism and anti-Indigenous views.
"The ones that get the most likes and retweets are those conversations where you come up with some new angle or new approach or tactics to reply to all of the anti-Native hate."
He lives in Montreal, and he gives credit to Twitter for helping him make "real world connections" with other Indigenous people that have helped him with his writing. You can find Jago's work in publications like The Globe and Mail, as well as The Walrus.
Alicia Elliott: @wordsandguitar
Joined Twitter: March 2009.
#NativeTwitter has been a community of support for writer Alicia Elliott. From humour, to learning, to sharing grief after the Gerald Stanley and Raymond Cormier verdicts, #NativeTwitter has been a place where she can find comfort.
"The way that people support one another is really great," said Elliot.
"If something that comes up that affects our community, it's easy for people to get the word out for other people to support."
Apparently accusations of sexual assault, harassment & misconduct ruin men's lives and benefit the women accusers? I've only seen accused men profit. High profile publications about their cases, concerted efforts to restart their careers and smear the women who came forward..
—@WordsandGuitarElliot said she believes that #NativeTwitter is helping to shape conversations in Canada and it's something Canadian media takes notice of.
"At this point, the media has to react to this platform where they aren't gatekeeping anymore. They are trying to control the narratives but at the same time, how many more people are writing op-eds now as opposed to before #NativeTwitter?"
Jesse Wente: @jessewente
Joined Twitter: March 2009.
Jesse Wente has been talking about Indigenous representation in the media for a long time. When arguments over cultural appropriation boiled over in 2017, Wente was called upon to weigh in.
"Many of the people in the mainstream media pay very close attention to what goes on on #NativeTwitter, because that's where they are going to generate story ideas both in affirming the conversations that are happening, as well as pushing back against those conversations," he said.
Seeing all the comments asking why and or who cares.<br><br>These languages are not endangered because they were lost or not in use,they are endangered because they were stolen by force.<br><br>When your family is tortured for speaking their language, then you can come ask why. <a href="https://t.co/ZDb3LWZUiL">https://t.co/ZDb3LWZUiL</a>
—@jessewenteOne of his favourite things about #NativeTwitter is being able to learn about the perspectives of Indigenous women. However, he notices a disparity between the abuse that Indigenous men and women face for their views.
He thinks that it is a result of patriarchy, but said the platform is also a reflection of the broader society.
"The colonial project has always targeted women first. because they're the life givers," he said.
"That's how you destroy a society and a culture is by taking away their women. I think Indigenous women are the most oppressed group in all of Canada. I don't think it's surprising that those things are recreated on a platform."
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