In the picture above, I was in the third grade, and I had just finished making an Inukshuk for one of my assignments with my dad.

            I am not sure whether this assignment would be considered cultural appropriation. Looking back, I realize that I appear white and was making something that generations of my people had decimated and hated. However, before making the Inukshuk, I took the time to write the Inuit art report and learned the information on how the art was used and made. I then went with my dad to make the Inukshuk. If intent counts, which it might not, I was trying to respect the Inuit people by recreating their art that I found interesting. I did not do it to be cool or trendy, but to learn more about the process of creating an Inukshuk and deepen my understanding of Inuit art.

To shift consciousness using one of Gorski (2008)’s steps, I would use “shift no. 6: ‘neutrality’ = status quo” (Gorski, 2008). I am still not sure whether this project counts as cultural appropriation; however, if I am still on the fence, I can assume something about it is not right. By actively becoming unneutral towards this, I am trying to acknowledge the power I hold as a white Canadian and decolonize this project.

Gorski, P. C. (2008). Good intentions are not enough: A decolonizing intercultural education. Intercultural Education, 19(6), 515–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980802568319