Unsettling the Homestead

Authors

  • Kelly King TRACKS Youth Program

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/2292-4736/40322

Keywords:

Settler, Homestead, Genealogy, Mi’kma’ki, Settler-colonialism

Abstract

Unsettling the Homestead is a reflection on an art exhibit by the same name, showcased at Crossroads Gallery in April 2017. The exhibit investigated settler histories of the Stewiacke Valley by weaving personal stories, ancestral memories, and Indigenous histories into a multi-media installation. Unsettling the Homestead invited visitors to a recreated East Coast kitchen to step into the history of one settler family’s farm on the land known as Sipekne’katik, Mi’kma’ki. Often, settler genealogy is void of the histories of displacement and violence against Indigenous nations. This exhibit aimed to unsettle notions of the homestead by investigating and critiquing the personal positions within these narratives. By utilizing modern multi-media and traditional English art forms, Unsettling the Homestead braided stories and experiences from multiple generations to critique our ideas of what it means to clear land, homestead, and settle.

Author Biography

Kelly King, TRACKS Youth Program

Kelly King is an educator, artist, community builder, and facilitator. Her maternal ancestral roots come from Scotland and England and her paternal ancestral roots come from Poland and Latvia. Graduating from York University’s Master of Environmental Studies program in 2017, Kelly’s research focused on ways in which to discuss Indigenous histories of Toronto, as well as settler identities, through community arts practices. Kelly is passionate about creating spaces to engage youth on topics such as Indigenous rights, environmentalism, and embodied reciprocity. Through Indigenous approaches to learning, Kelly believes that by localizing our environmental perspectives and relationships, we can collectively make global differences. She is currently residing in Nogojiwanong / Peterborough, Ontario, where she is working as the Education Director for TRACKS Youth Program, facilitating spaces for youth to connect with mentors and learn about Indigenous Science.

Our Home on Native Land by Kelly King. Three women, a dog, and a cat sit on steps outside of an old house. They are coloured in sepia. Vines of s’gepn—the wild potato plant—climb the sides of the house, coloured in green with the flowers in pink. The grass in front of them women has also been coloured in green.

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Published

2022-10-18

How to Cite

King, K. (2022). Unsettling the Homestead. UnderCurrents: Journal of Critical Environmental Studies, 21, 17–20. https://doi.org/10.25071/2292-4736/40322

Issue

Vol. 21 (2022): Memories and Futurities

Section

Creative

License

Copyright (c) 2022 UnderCurrents: Journal of Critical Environmental Studies

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Creators retain copyright for all writings and artwork published in UnderCurrents. New material published as of Volume 21 (2022) is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0).