ABSTRACT
The concept of authenticity is deeply racialized, with a long history of discourse and policy directed towards Indigenous peoples and shaped by colonial notions of “authentic Indians.” After discussing this problematic historic interpretation and corresponding actions, this chapter reviews twenty-first century efforts in several Canadian municipalities to interpret authenticity involving Indigenous people in a fresh way. This work has focused on building authentic relationships between settler and Indigenous communities in an era following the important work of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It calls for at least four distinct processes within an authentic planning approach including Indigenous people: truth, inclusion, power-sharing, and the return of land and significant spaces.
