leanne betasamosake simpson as we have always done

Her writing centres not just the living things colonial nation states have changed beyond recognition, but fundamentally Indigenous ways of being – of understanding, of communicating, of loving, of wit, which in their scope and depth exist vastly beyond the strictures of empire. Her new novel NOOPIMING: THE CURE FOR WHITE LADIES (2020) is a work that warmly and humorously animates a vivid set of characters that take a variety of bodily forms – a tree, an old woman, a raccoon, to name a few – with Nishnaabeg relationality. Simpson’s recent book AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE: INDIGENOUS FREEDOM THROUGH RADICAL RESISTANCE (2017), is an incisive call: not for ‘inclusion’ in a violent nation-state that continues colonial and genocidal actions, but for land-based practices steeped in Indigenous thought and practice. Author of seven books, co-editor of three, and creator of two albums of music, Simpson’s artistry is rooted in place and, also, in its resonance with others outside her community engaged in anti-colonial struggle, embracing solidarities from around the world.

All of it deeply reflects her identity as Nishnaabeg, with Kwe as gender identifier. Her body of work is the result of a life grounded in relational, land-based practice – fiction, poetry, non-fiction, films, music, speaking and activism, particularly on justice for Indigenous peoples. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is an esteemed Indigenous writer, musician, and activist, a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg and a member of the Alderville First Nation.

Interview with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Leanne betasamosake simpson as we have always done