Indigenous Auntie-Ing in the University

In their 2022 chapter on auntie-ing as a form of Native feminist praxis and lived methodology, Sherwood and Jacob sketch out how auntie-ing on the frontlines, including in the university, can be understood as a responsibility toward Indigenous futurity. The university, as scholars have argued, is not a place made with Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities in mind. In fact, the university is a place built from Indigenous dispossession. Auntie-ing in the university, particularly with attention to the settler colonial context, can be understood as a praxis of embodied self-determination and, when done collectively, reclamation. Following these thoughts, the authors reflect on their time in the university, discuss the importance of building mentorship networks rooted in ethics of care, reflect how their networks have contributed to their lives and success as Indigenous academic aunties, and discuss the ongoing need to support and sustain auntie-ing in the university.