In this thought-provoking conversation, Rhonda Kronyk shares the goals and initiatives of the Indigenous Editors Association, her unique approach to editing (shaped by her cultural background), and best practices for editing content related to Indigenous Peoples. 

Hello and thank you, Rhonda, for chatting with West Coast Editor today. To start us off, could you tell us about the Indigenous Editors Association (IEA), some of its key goals and initiatives, and what led you to join the organization?

The IEA was founded at the end of the 2017 Indigenous Editors Circle under the guidance of the late Greg Younging. We support Indigenous editors through training and networking opportunities, help make the publishing industry aware of the need for and availability of Indigenous editors, and educate the publishing industry about the unique needs of Indigenous storytellers and their stories. 

For the past two years we’ve been focused on two projects. The first is strengthening our database of Indigenous editors so that industry professionals can find us easily. The second one entails creating policies, protocols, procedures, and strategies to strengthen our internal structures. Both projects are supported with funding from Canada Council for the Arts. We also run seasonal virtual community gatherings for our Indigenous members, and we have a job posting service for employers to connect with our members.

Looking ahead, we’re in the early stages of two new projects. The first is a webinar series in 2024 that has three primary objectives: to spread awareness of the IEA’s work in the publishing industry; connect our members with the industry so they can share their experiential knowledge; and build a fair compensation and support framework for working with Indigenous creatives. This framework will include a guide for working with Indigenous editors and recommended rates. We’re also putting plans in motion for the next Indigenous Editors Circle. My thanks to Nadine Ryan for helping me compile the information about these projects.

I joined the IEA when we formed the association because I believed in the work that Greg and the other instructors at the 2017 Circle were doing. I had already become aware of harmful publishing practices around Indigenous stories and was also starting to learn about conscious language guidelines, which help us editors think carefully about language when working with authors. I knew that the IEA would help ground me in my work and now consider it an important part of my editing practice.

How does your cultural background and heritage influence your approach to editing and working with Indigenous authors and their manuscripts? 

Because I wasn’t raised in the Dené culture, I didn’t know how much it would affect me when I first began this work. But the more I learned about the ways Indigenous stories have been stolen and published in Canada, the more frustrated I grew. Publishing practices have historically reflected the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples who live on the lands claimed by Canada and have—both intentionally and unintentionally—often silenced Indigenous voices. On top of that, my Grannie’s struggle to get her Status (due to the gender bias embedded in the Indian Act), which I wrote about in “White Aboriginal Woman” (In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Truth and Reconciliation, Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, Brindle & Glass, 2016) kept coming back to me and became a connection to a shared history. Twenty-first century news stories about Indigenous Peoples being kept from exercising their Treaty Rights, being injured or jailed by the “justice” system for protesting environmental destruction, dying in hospital waiting rooms, and a myriad other human rights offences contributed to my growing desire to help ensure that Indigenous stories are published respectfully and in a culturally appropriate manner. It is these goals of respectful and appropriate storytelling that influence me the most because they allow me to step back from Euro-Western editing practices and look at my work from a cultural perspective. Add to that my growing knowledge of Indigenous cultures across Canada, and my work has become directly tied to that heritage.

Balancing a passion for editing with personal interests like gardening, art, and photography can be challenging. How do these interests inform and enrich your work as an editor and consultant?

As passionate as I am about my work, I must take time away from it to regain my sense of connection to myself and the Indigenous teachings that I learn through my work daily. Art, photography, and gardening take me outdoors, and it is in the outdoors that I find a spiritual connection to the world and the lands we live on. It is when I give myself permission to step away from my work that I can make those connections. They give me greater focus when I get back to work because they help me open my heart and mind to what I am working on and to better ways to do that work.

What do you think are the most important considerations for editing or publishing content related to Indigenous Peoples, and how can non-Indigenous individuals and organizations approach this work respectfully and collaboratively?

This is a tough question, so I’m going to give you a long answer! One of the reasons it is so critical to hire Indigenous editors to work on Indigenous content is because there are so many things to consider that aren’t a part of standard editing practices. I think the most important part of my work is understanding how Indigenous stories might be told in ways that Western readers are not used to hearing and reading. A beautiful explanation (there are many others, but this is my favourite) is Lee Maracle’s “The Scent of Burning Cedar” in The Walrus. Maracle explains how Indigenous stories are non-linear and can follow many “spokes” in and out of the circle. It can be challenging to follow these stories if an editor is not willing to read them differently than they usually would. 

I use my ever-growing understanding of the unique ways Indigenous stories are told to give primacy to authors’ voices and languages when editing within English “rules.” I regularly break those rules so that the author can tell their story the way it was meant to be told. For example, an author I’m working with now had a retired English professor read the draft of her novel, and one piece of feedback was that the story, which had been written without chapter divisions, needed chapters. I suggested that the author challenge that notion and push to publish her story in the way that suits her storytelling—Oral Traditions are not broken up into chapters but rather weave through time and place. Helping Indigenous authors find innovative ways to honour their voices, storytelling, and languages is one of my favourite parts of my work.

Language is another prime consideration. Indigenous editors will flag many of the words and phrases that are an integral part of our lexicon while non-Indigenous editors may not catch them. Think of terms such as “brave,” “war whoop,” “shaman,” “let’s pow wow,” or “rainmaker” (the last two are examples of some of the most challenging language because they have been incorporated into our business lexicon, which is so distanced from their original use that we often don’t make the connection). .

I know the reasons why I have to be so vigilant in how I edit Indigenous content, how to do my work carefully, and when to push or pull back on these elements. That knowledge helps me find the delicate balance between the author’s voice and readers’ needs. Because I don’t see any of these things as more important than the others, the balance can be challenging to find, and it has taken a lot of years to develop the skills I need to find it.

Several years ago, I gave a presentation for Editors BC on what it takes for non-Indigenous editors to be allies to Indigenous storytellers and stories. I think some of that information fits here because it helps us understand how to work respectfully and collaboratively. To be an ally to Indigenous storytellers and stories, editors must have several traits. 

• A willingness to take the time to research the historical context of the manuscript they are working on.
• The courage to stand up for Indigenous voices in controversial stories, no matter where they are published (our work applies to news stories, government documents, book manuscripts, academic journals, trade journals, literary magazines, etc.).
• The willingness to take a tertiary role in our work. While we are subject matter experts in language, Indigenous authors are subject matter experts in telling Indigenous stories in ways that honour their cultures. It is our job to find a healthy balance between the needs of the author’s voice and the needs of readers.
• The resolution to turn down work that should be edited by an Indigenous editor. I recognize that this can be extremely difficult for many reasons—not least of which is financial—but an email I received (and was given permission to share) after I did a proofread of a manuscript that a non-Indigenous copyeditor had worked on, demonstrates why it is so important. The manuscript was well-edited overall, but there were a lot of issues that a non-Indigenous editor simply wouldn’t have been trained to recognize. The copyeditor sent me this email:

I’ve been meaning to write you since [the publisher] shared with me your proofread of [the book]. It was a humbling experience, realizing how much more I have to learn about copy editing Indigenous texts. I also realized that it was ridiculous that I accepted the job in the first place, rather than suggesting they hire an Indigenous copy editor (and substantive editor!). I was just so thrilled at the prospect of working with such an icon that I’m ashamed to say it didn’t even occur to me. [The publisher], I hope, will have realized this themselves, but if not, you can bet I will be making that suggestion if I’m ever offered such a project again (from them or anyone else). 

My intent is never to humble anyone, but I want to show you the open heart of this editor, which is at the core of respectful, collaborative work. 

What advice do you have for aspiring writers, editors, and consultants who are interested in working on Indigenous-focused projects or promoting Indigenous voices in their work?

My most important piece of advice is to remember the centuries-old saying, “Nothing about us without us.” It is critical to include Indigenous Peoples in our work. For example, writers who want to include Indigenous characters—which they absolutely should do when appropriate to avoid contributing to the erasure of Indigenous Peoples—must provide an honorarium and protocol (which is not the same across Canada and should be discussed with the community in question) to a Knowledge Keeper from the appropriate community to ensure that their work is accurate. They also need to do their research, whether it is historical details for a novel or history for a non-fiction work. Once they have specifics in place, I encourage them to find the budget to hire a sensitivity reader. This can be a significant investment, but it is important to catch harmful language. I’m happy to see authors and publishers beginning to recognize that this step can’t be missed, and it is becoming a key part of my editing work. 

When editors have questions, they need to begin by consulting Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing by and About Indigenous Peoples by Greg Younging (Brush Education, 2018). This is a critical resource for editors and should be consulted regularly. Many Indigenous editors are willing to consult with non-Indigenous editors to work through specific problems. Editors can also encourage writers and publishers to consult Elements and to hire a sensitivity reader—we are often the last people who can catch the need for this. It would also be helpful for editors to read and use the knowledge found in the following books. 

• Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel (Highwater Press, 2016).
• Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice (Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2018).
• The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative (CBC Massey Lectures) by Thomas King (House of Anansi Press, 2003).

Consultants need to make sure they include Indigenous voices in their projects and carefully listen when Indigenous Peoples discuss appropriate ways to consult with communities. It is too easy for us to forget that honorariums and protocol are essential parts of working with Indigenous Peoples. Sometimes we expect Indigenous Peoples to give us their knowledge for free. But please remember that they paid an unimaginable price for that knowledge, and we are not entitled to it. When consultants go into projects with a closed mind and rigid plan, their work will be less successful, and their engagement will not be respectful and meaningful.

I’d like to add another group to this question: publishers. They play a key role in this work, maybe the most important role in the end because they are the gatekeepers. Unless publishers accept the things that I’ve discussed, none of our work will make a difference. But there is another element that isn’t talked about enough: the rates that Indigenous editors are paid. The knowledge that I and other Indigenous editors bring to our work is hard-won. It isn’t something that can be learned in a classroom but comes from years of self-teaching about our history, the history of publishing, the ways language is used that unintentionally cause harm to Indigenous Peoples, and the ways that language perpetuates the stereotypes and myths that Indigenous Peoples have lived under for centuries. Publishers must begin to take that learning into consideration when they determine budgets for projects because it is our knowledge that is helping to change the ways that Indigenous authors and their stories are published.  

About Rhonda

Rhonda Kronyk is a settler/Dene research, writing, and editing consultant. A member of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation (Treaty 8), she calls amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) in Treaty 6 home. A founding member of the Indigenous Editors Association, Rhonda provides workshops for publishers and university publishing programs on how to publish culturally respectful stories by and about Indigenous Peoples. She has worked on manuscripts by some of Canada’s best known Indigenous authors.

As passionate as Rhonda is about her work, she steps away from it occasionally to make time for gardening, art, photography, reading, and participating in Edmonton’s incredible array of literary events. Fun fact: before opening her editing business in 2013, Rhonda worked in residential construction doing everything from framing to finishing to cabinet building.

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Interview by Lola Opatayo; Copy editing by Myriam Beaugé

Myriam Beaugé is founder and principal of SWYM Communications. She specializes in stakeholder engagement, content development, and strategic communication focused on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). An experienced writer and editor, Myriam holds an MA in Intercultural and International Communication from Royal Roads University. Connect with her via LinkedIn and at SWYMcommunications.com.

Lola Opatayo is a creative writer, communications professional, and editor. Her creative work has been featured in Obsidian, The Best Small Fictions 2020, Isele, and elsewhere.