Reflections on ‘Indigenous consulting’

What I've seen over the past 25 years

As I reflect on Indigenous History Month, here’s a portion of my professional ‘herstory’, and an encouraging tale for Indigenous consultants out there.

I’ve been working as a consultant for more than 25 years now. I started my own communications consulting company back in 2000 when I was 29 years old. Back then, there was a funding agency called Aboriginal Business Canada, and my officer was a very supportive and helpful officer named Shannin Metatawabin. He said to me, to access ABC funding, I needed to do a business plan. I asked, ‘what is a business plan?’ Seriously. Here I was, keen to start my own business, yet I knew nothing about business. But he explained it in plain language and, essentially, it’s just laying out your vision and how you will make your vision a reality. My vision was to tell true stories about Indigenous Peoples and amplify Indigenous voices. I called my company Debwe Communications, a derivative of Debwewin, an Anishinaabe sacred teaching about ‘the one who speaks true.

I purchased this from the artist Wabemeguil because it was called September Moon, with a subtitle of ‘She who lives the truth’. It still hangs in my home office today.

I had just left my job at the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) as the Director of Communications, where I had the immense privilege of seeing the launch of the network in September, 1999 (there were so many twists and turns to get to that point, that I had to write a book about it).

I kept this poster, which is also on the wall in my office. Check out Theytus Books for a 25th anniversary edition of the book, Original People, Original Television: The Launching of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

When APTN moved their management team from Ottawa to the new corporate offices in Winnipeg, I chose to stay in Ottawa, closer to family and roots. While at APTN, I saw the value of being a ‘bridge’—of helping First Nations access the media, and share their stories with Canadians—and of helping Canadians/Canadian corporations/Canadian governments do better, be better, and respectfully communicate to and with Indigenous peoples.

In that first business plan I did, I needed to include a marketing strategy and a ‘market analysis’; again that term was unfamiliar with me, but all I had to do was look around, see who was offering similar services, and figure out why someone should hire me to deliver those services, what set me apart, and how I would differentiate myself. The task wasn’t hard because, back in 2000, there were no other Indigenous peoples that I knew of, who were doing what I proposed to do. The space was dominated by non-Indigenous consultants. Even my own First Nation had a non-Indigenous lawyer, a non-Indigenous consultant, non-Indigenous advisors at every turn. What did they know of my community, our realities? It was ‘white saviour complex’ everywhere. Others coming into Indigenous communities to tell us what to do, how to plan, why they had the best approach (which was steeped in Western, Eurocentric ideas). It was past time for Indigenous peoples to be in those spaces.

Here’s another piece of art hanging on my wall. If you haven’t yet heard of of the artist Christi Belcourt, check her out! As a burgeoning, self-employed consultant, I wanted to support a fellow burgeoning, self-employed artist! This was back when Christi was starting out—today she is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist whose work is seen in galleries around the world, and I am proud to say that I own a Christ Belcourt original!

Fast forward 25 years; I folded Debwe Communications into Stonecircle Consulting (a fellow Anishinaabe consultant, Valerie Assinewe, and I became majority owners of this company), then we folded Stonecircle into NVision Insight Group, where I am now a minority shareholder, senior consultant and Lead of our Truth and Reconciliation service basket.

The evolution of my companies and their logos (being a comms person—plus having a journalism and English lit degree, words and images matter!)

I’ve branched out beyond communications into cultural awareness, anti-racism and Indigenous engagement education, helping clients ‘show up in a good way’ and make meaningful, action-oriented, organizational transformation towards reconciliation. It’s still about stories. It’s still about being a bridge. It’s still about communications. It’s very meaningful work.

Here I am, presenting on ‘Building Indigenous Intercultural Capacity’ at the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Congress in May, 2025. Did I mention I love my job? :) Copyright CSLA.

If you’ve read to the end of this long post, and wondering what the point is: support Indigenous consultants! 😊 I am so proud to do this work, and I am thrilled to see so many First Nations, Inuit and Metis consultants in this space. Back in the day, clients were wary of contracting a young, Indigenous woman or a small majority First Nation-owned consulting company. But ‘the times they are a’changin.’ Today, First Nations and Indigenous organizations and governments are looking around for Indigenous consultants because they know that we have the lived experience, the knowledge, the expertise, and the passion to understand and embody our cultural values. And non-Indigenous organizations, governments and companies know that they must bring in Indigenous consultants to remain relevant, respectful, to ‘walk the talk’ of reconciliation, and to embody debwewin.

(I must put a caveat in here because, unfortunately, there are non-Indigenous people who claim to be First Nations, Inuit or Metis and who create companies to take advantage of opportunities for Indigenous businesses. This is an insidious issue; one that needs more time and space than my post allows—but there is work to be done to validate and verify businesses so it’s fair and transparent, and so business ACTUALLY goes to Indigenous businesses.)

I want to acknowledge and give a shout out to all Indigenous consultants in this space that I work in. Yes, we are individual businesses. Yes, we sometimes need to compete against each other to respond to Requests for Proposals. Yes, we have embraced Canada’s money-based economy and need ‘billable work’. Yet, there is always room for more around this circle. We can lift each other up. We can cheer each other on.

So, while I have not worked with all of these individuals or companies on a professional level, I see their work, I follow them on social media, and I applaud them. It does not diminish our work at @NVision Insight Group, or how @Bryanne Smart and I would love to work with you on Truth and Reconciliation projects. It is acknowledging that anyone looking for consultants to do anything related to #truthandreconciliation, have no excuse for not hiring someone Indigenous. I know how hard it is to ‘hang out your shingle’, forge your own path, and start your own company. I see you and I celebrate you.

If you ever watched the movie, Miracle on 34^th Street, remember when Kris Kringle began to direct parents to other stores to find a toy if Macy’s didn’t have it? Well, that’s the same thing here. There’s lots of room at the table and I’m excited for the future, for all of us.

Here's to Indigenous consultants doing good work in the Truth and Reconciliation space…and to those who hire us!