April 22, 2022
MORE THAN FOUR YEARS HAVE PASSED since publication of the groundbreaking Elements of Indigenous Style by the late Gregory Younging of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, who was the publisher of Theytus Books, the first Indigenous-owned publishing house in Canada.
Elements of Indigenous Style was described by reviewer Mercedes Peters, a Mi’kmaw PhD student in History at UBC, as “an invitation for readers of all backgrounds to listen intently to Indigenous voices and to participate in respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous people.”
While developing the guide, Gregory Younging led numerous professional associations in the publishing industry in learning to address Indigenous editorial issues.
More recently, a “Writing Guide for Indigenous Content” has become available on a webpage of the Government of BC, where Elements of Indigenous Style is the first in a list of references.
According to information on the webpage, the objective of the writing guide “is to help writers create content that respects the cultural integrity of Indigenous Peoples. It reflects the goal of reconciliation through respect and recognition of Indigenous rights.”
The idea for the new writing guide arose in April 2020, and members of a Creation and Review Committee and a Research Committee are listed on the webpage.
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We acknowledge that the land on which we work is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.