Latest news with #First Nations
ABC News
a day ago
- General
- ABC News
Is it OK to wear Indigenous fashion when you're not First Nations?
In the early days of Aboriginal fashion label Clothing the Gaps, "Am I allowed to wear that?" was a common question to hit their inbox. It's why the majority Aboriginal-owned business and social enterprise decided to mark its items "ally friendly" and "mob only". "[Customers] were really confused navigating that space between allyship and appropriation … they wanted to support First Nations people, but didn't want to get it wrong," co-founder and Gunditjmara woman Laura Thompson says. Knowing some non-Indigenous people feel apprehensive about how the wider First Nations community might react to them wearing First Nations fashion, Kokatha and Wirangu woman Treena Clark decided to explore further. The chancellor's postdoctoral Indigenous research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney recently spoke to First Nations Knowledge Holders about ally wear. Ms Clark says most of the Knowledge Holders agreed that ally wear comes down to "respect, genuine intentions, and being a good ally". She explains that there is not one correct answer to the question of how to engage with Indigenous fashion and that "it's important to include a range of perspectives in the conversation, especially because First Nations community members might be drawn into these discussions by non-Indigenous people". Ms Clark found that generally, Knowledge Holders either loved seeing non-Indigenous people wearing First Nations fashion respectfully, or didn't have a problem with it. "Many described ally wear as generally harmless, and better than racism," Ms Clark says. But some wondered whether the person wearing it was a true ally with genuine intentions. "Others saw non-Indigenous people wearing First Nations fashion as a way of demonstrating solidarity, supporting First Nations businesses, and celebrating First Nations culture." Ms Thompson says while she appreciates wearing a T-shirt can feel tokenistic, the impact of it can be powerful. "When we think about cultural safety and make environments more culturally safe, [for example] people might hang a poster or put up an Aboriginal flag, I get that same feeling when I walk into a room and I see someone wearing an Aboriginal flag pin. "It doesn't mean I can completely trust that person, but I feel safer with them." Some of the Knowledge Holders Ms Clark spoke to touched on the need for allies to wear First Nations fashion respectfully, learn about First Nations histories, and contribute more meaningfully. She says allyship goes beyond simply buying Indigenous clothing. "It's about showing real respect, standing in solidarity, and enacting meaningful support." Ms Clark recommends people consume writings by First Nations people on what it means to be a good ally. Ms Thompson says wearing First Nations fashion is a great starting point for encouraging change, but the person needs to understand what they are wearing. "When you put that tee on, you are making a statement and opening yourself up to have those conversations. "For non-Indigenous people who wear a 'not the date to celebrate' shirt, and go to an Australia Day barbecue, they are … the most influential person to educate similar-minded friends. "When purchasing from us, there is an expectation you're able to hold a conversation and understand the meaning of why you're wearing that shirt." She says if someone isn't familiar with the message behind the clothing, or the business they are buying from, the fashion isn't for them. "If you don't get the lingo or the language on the tee … if you don't say 'deadly', should you be wearing it on your tee?" Shauny Edwards owns clothing design brand House of Darwin, which also runs social programs in remote Indigenous communities. The brand partners with Indigenous artists from all over Australia to create its collections. Mr Edwards says House of Darwin's apparel is for everyone. "We encourage anyone, whether black, white or brindle, to wear and support. "Australia is such a multi-national country, we should be encouraging everyone to get out and support. The more people wearing Indigenous clothing the better." He says people being educated about the clothes they are wearing can help avoid cultural appropriation. "Research where it's from, who made it, what the story is. "So you are better educated about what you are consuming, and that it's a story that aligns with you." Ms Clark encourages people to be aware of the broader issues in First Nations fashion, such as cultural theft, appropriation, stereotyping, and exoticism. "The best approach is to follow established guidelines, like buying from First Nations businesses that are certified by trusted organisations such as Supply Nation, Trading Blak, or the Indigenous Art Code." She also recommends following trusted sources like the Instagram account @ausindigenousfashion, which regularly showcases First Nations-owned brands and collaborative designs. "Also look at who's featured on First Nations-runway shows, like Country to Couture at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, or the Back in Blak Runway curated by Mob in Fashion at the Melbourne Fashion Festival." Ms Thompson says non-Indigenous people wearing First Nations fashion should recognise the privilege that comes with "being able to take it off at the end of the day". "For mob, we have to live and breathe these issues every day. But it's not all work, she says. "It's also an opportunity to celebrate Australia's culture and the oldest living history." Mr Edwards says reaching reconciliation "is a journey", and wearing First Nations fashion can be part of that. "Any sign of love and support towards the mission should be welcomed with open arms."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cenovus & Indigenous Partners Consider Joint Bid for MEG Energy
Cenovus Energy CVE is in advanced discussions with a coalition of Canadian Indigenous groups to join forces in acquiring oil sands producer MEG Energy, according to Bloomberg sources. According to the proposed arrangement, First Nations and Métis communities — including Chipewyan Prairie First Nation and Heart Lake First Nation — will have a C$2 billion ($1.45 billion) equity stake, supported by federal and provincial financing, while Cenovus will hold the remaining shares. CVE Eyes Strategic Fit With MEG's Christina Lake Asset The talks followed as MEG fend off a hostile C$6 billion offer from Strathcona Resources, which the company's board urged shareholders to reject in June. Instead, MEG launched a strategic review to explore alternatives. CVE Stresses Importance of Canadian Crude for US For Cenovus, MEG's 100%-owned Christina Lake oil sands operation offers a natural fit, sitting adjacent to its own Christina Lake site in Alberta. Cenovus recently resumed operations there after wildfire-related downtime in June. Merging the two sites would form a leading SAGD corridor in the oil sands, offering cost savings and supporting Cenovus' long-term production growth. The bid comes as MEG resists a hostile C$6 billion offer from Strathcona Resources, which its board urged shareholders to reject in June while initiating a strategic review. MEG's 100%-owned Christina Lake oil sands operation sits adjacent to Cenovus' own Christina Lake site, offering the potential for operating synergies, lower costs, and a stronger long-term oil sands production profile. The combined footprint would consolidate one of Alberta's most prolific steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) corridors. Indigenous Stake May Ease CVE's Approval Process The proposed Indigenous ownership aligns with Ottawa's push for greater equity participation in resource projects. If successful, it would represent one of the largest Indigenous-backed energy transactions in Canada, while potentially easing regulatory approvals. Cenovus CEO Jon McKenzie has highlighted Canada's vital role in supplying U.S. energy, underscoring the deeply interconnected crude trade between the two countries. CVE's Timing May Be Key Whether the joint approach can outmaneuver Strathcona's hostile bid could depend on how quickly Cenovus and its Indigenous partners can formalize terms. It may also depend on how MEG's board views the strategic and political benefits of Indigenous participation paired with Cenovus' scale of operation. CVE's Zacks Rank and Key Picks CVE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the energy sector may look at a couple of better-ranked stocks like Antero Midstream Corporation AM, Flotek Industries, Inc. FTK and Enbridge Inc. ENB, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Antero Midstream generates stable cash flow by providing midstream services under long-term contracts with Antero Resources. The company prioritizes debt reduction by effectively utilizing free cash flow after dividends. Antero Midstream's higher dividend yield compared to its sub-industry peers reflects its commitment to generating shareholder returns. AM's earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters, met once and missed in the other, delivering an average surprise of 1.13%. Flotek Industries develops and delivers prescriptive chemistry-based technology, including specialty chemicals, to clients in the energy, consumer industrials and food & beverage industries. In the oil and gas sector, Flotek serves major and independent energy producers and oilfield service companies, both domestic and international. Flotek's earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 65.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FTK's 2025 earnings indicates 94% year-over-year growth. Enbridge is a major energy company that owns the longest and most complex oil and gas pipeline system in North America, transporting about 20% of the natural gas used in the United States. The business earns steady fees through long-term contracts that act as a protection against big oil price swings or changes in shipment. ENB's earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met once, delivering an average surprise of 5.61%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Antero Midstream Corporation (AM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Enbridge Inc (ENB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Flotek Industries, Inc. (FTK) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
From 'The Handmaid's Tale' to 'Smilla's Sense of Snow': Director Amma Asante on heroines in hostile worlds
Danish author Peter Høeg's beloved crime novel Smilla's Sense of Snow took the world by (snow) storm when it was published in 1992. It remained on The New York Times ' best-seller list for 26 weeks and was praised by the publication in 2018 as the 'gateway' novel that introduced the world to Nordic noir. The story is, in some ways, unconventional: while it has the usual hallmarks of a Scandi crime novel, it also delves into postcolonialism, environmentalism and even a touch of science fiction. It's a thoughtful read, cerebral and didactic, with a healthy respect for First Nations' connection to land and ancestors – perhaps unexpected for a best-selling crime thriller set in Copenhagen. In 1993, Smilla's Sense of Snow was named by both Time and Entertainment Weekly as book of the year. Translated into more than a dozen languages and adapted into a film in 1997, it's not a stretch to call this novel 'iconic' – and now it's been adapted into a sleek, futuristic dystopia for a generation who will find its themes even more resonant in our rapidly heating world. Told in six episodes, the new series of the same name stars Filippa Coster-Waldau as the titular Smilla Jasperson, a cynical and obstinate half-Greenlander, half-Danish woman who unravels a conspiracy after investigating the suspicious death of her young Inuk neighbour. The adaptation is co-created by BAFTA-winning director and actor Amma Asante, who felt an instant connection with Smilla and knew this was an unlikely heroine that young women today would resonate with. 'I read the book during lockdown, around about the time that the Black Lives Matter marches were happening all around the world, and also my mom had just died as well,' Asante tells SBS. 'Smilla made me feel like I had agency in a world that was struggling a lot, and it was something to do with the way that she looked at and observed the world. She clearly carries baggage from the loss of her own mother, who's passed away. She's had to learn to be a woman without the guidance of her mom, and yet somehow, she's navigating that. I really identified with her. Being able to find a character who is a woman of colour – she's Inuit – but she's also a hero in her own right, an unexpected hero, really just fascinated me.' Smilla searches for answers. Credit: Constantin Film Smilla is, to put it rather plainly, an angry woman. She is frustrated with the injustice of the world, disenfranchised with academia (she's a scientist), and disconnected from her Inuk community after being moved from Greenland to Copenhagen as a child. She wants so badly for the world to be fair, but it isn't, and this is simply unacceptable. It's this fire burning quietly inside her which gives Smilla the strength to pursue justice and truth-telling at great risk to herself – and so, a heroine is born. 'I think that a lot of people will be able to identify with her in a way that perhaps they haven't identified before with other types of heroes,' Asante says of Smilla's stubborn refusal to let the world burn. 'The fact that she has this quiet sense of justice, this ability for things to both make sense but she also understands when things don't. She understands human nature as well, and she can laugh at human nature and she can empathise with human nature, all at the same time. She's so human to me, and I love that.' Amma Asante (right) on set with Filippa Coster-Waldau. Credit: Andrej Vasilenko Smilla's world is also fascinating, with glossy, minimalist aesthetics of a digital future gone wrong. Asante took some interesting creative liberties with the original source material for Smilla's Sense of Snow , most notably setting it in the (not so distant) year of 2040 where surveillance capitalism is the norm, energy is a precious commodity that must be rationed and white ethnonationalism is on the rise. Citizens must wear sleek government-mandated bodycams on their lapels like minimalist brooches, and apartments announce the ID of anyone who enters thanks to their recognition technology. It's a future that sounds horrifying, but believable and immersive thanks to Asante's experience working on A Handmaid's Tale . 'It was really important for me to look at Peter Høeg's book that was really relevant and significant to me at the time that I read it – it was ahead of its time to a certain extent when it was written in 1993, but, like, 30 years has happened in between. Social media, the communications revolution, all this stuff has happened in terms of the way that we relate to each other and the way that we relate to ourselves,' Asante says. 'When you're working on Handmaid's Tale , you are submerged in that world, you feel it from your ankles to the top of your head. I wanted to be able to create a world that was so detailed and so specific to [ Smilla's Sense of Snow ] that we knew that we had to tell it in very, very layered details. We tried our best to think of everything.' Filippa Coster-Waldau in 'Smilla's Sense of Snow'. Credit: Lukas Salna Smilla represents the new generation and the struggles they are facing now and which will be at the forefront of the next decade – climate change, surveillance capitalism, white supremacy and fascism. It's a shift from the usual work of Asante, who is best known for her historical dramas Belle (2013), loosely inspired by the 1779 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle, and A United Kingdom (2016), a biographical drama about the romance between Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana and his wife Ruth Williams Khama. However, Asante managed to make Smilla's Sense of Snow her own by setting the events of the story in a world 'we would recognise' – a sleek, stylish, mildly terrifying dystopian future which she cheekily notes 'kind of makes it a period drama, in a different way'. Indeed, it does – and hopefully only a fictional one. Smilla's Sense of Snow is airing Wednesday nights on SBS, with episodes also available each week at SBS On Demand. Stream free On Demand Smilla's Sense Of Snow series • crime M series • crime M
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Cenovus Said to Be in Talks With Indigenous Groups for MEG Bid
Cenovus Energy Inc. is in talks with Indigenous groups in Canada to jointly buy MEG Energy Corp., an oil sands producer that faces an unsolicited $4 billion takeover bid from a Canadian oil tycoon. A group of First Nations and Metis communities including Chipewyan Prairie First Nation and Heart Lake First Nation are in talks with Cenovus about taking a C$2 billion ($1.45 billion) stake in MEG, according to people familiar with the discussions. The Indigenous stake would be backed by financial support from the federal and provincial governments, while Cenovus would bid for the rest, the people said.
The Guardian
07-08-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Workplace gender segregation ‘a handbrake' on Australia's economy, major new pay gap report reveals
Major new research has found that men are paid more than women in 98% of occupations, with female workers in Australia typically paid 70 cents for every $1 earned by their male colleague after a decade in work. The 30% average pay gap across workplaces identified in Jobs and Skills Australia's new report stretches to nearly 40% for First Nations women. Megan Lilly, a JSA deputy commissioner, said the fact that men were paid more than women on average in almost all of the 688 occupations analysed in the landmark report was even more remarkable when considering the substantial range of workplaces where women dominate. Experts blame the persistent gender pay gap in large part on the 'motherhood penalty' – the phenomenon where Australian women's earnings drop by 55% in the five years after having their first child. A higher likelihood of returning to part-time rather than full-time work, and missed opportunities for promotion during time away, mean that penalty is only slightly improved 10 years after giving birth. Less than two weeks out from Jim Chalmers' economic reform roundtable, Lilly said 'politicians and policymakers need to grapple with these findings and find strategies and policies to deal with economic inequality'. 'Gender occupational segregation is actually a handbrake on our economy.' Sign up: AU Breaking News email More gender-balanced occupations tended to have more equal pay, but the research revealed these jobs were in a minority: only one in five Australian workers were in occupations with a relatively equal mix of men and women. The report also showed that gender segregation in Australian workplaces was proving stubborn to shift: in about seven in 10 occupations there had been no progress on gender balance in 15 years. Ambulance officers and paramedics, dentists, and barristers were roles that had become less male-dominated, while vets and school principals had moved from gender parity to moderately higher shares of women. But gender segregation was most acute in lower-skilled occupations, where there had been little change in the mix of men and women in a decade-and-a-half. While no occupation showed meaningfully higher pay for women over men, the report found that occupational pay gaps widen to be at their worst among the most segregated occupations – regardless of whether they were male- or female-dominated. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Female registered nurses, for example, were paid $89,720 on average, or 21% less than the $114,420 typically paid to their male peers. That's despite women accounting for 90% of that workforce and only working 10% fewer hours. Even in the case of childcare – where almost the entire workforce were women – men were typically paid 14% more: $56,240, versus $48,340, according to the JSA's analysis of Australian Taxation Office data. Amid a nationwide shortage of workers in key areas of the economy, the report also showed that the most gender segregated occupations – such as in blue collar construction, and 'pink' collar nursing and aged care – were also where these labour shortages were at their most acute. Lilly said essentially excluding half of the population from certain occupations was part of the problem. 'Gender segregation is exacerbating skill shortages, exacerbating the pay gap, and too many cohorts of women are disadvantaged. And this is all at the expense of a more inclusive and productive society,' she said. 'Fix segregation and you fix occupational shortages and gender pay gaps.'
