By Barbara Filion MC/MPA 2026
Barbara Filion MC/MPA 2026—an Innu Nation citizen of mixed heritage and member of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation (Ilnu, Mashteuiatsh)—grew up in Quebec’s La Mauricie region, surrounded by stories that wove together people, place, and identity. Those stories continue to guide her belief in culture and Indigenous knowledge as powerful forces for building more equitable, sustainable futures.
Filion reflects on her work in Indigenous cultural rights, why it is deeply personal to her, and how she will apply her knowledge and skills learned at HKS to her field.
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Tell us about your background
I am an arts, culture, and Indigenous policy practitioner with more than two decades of experience advancing cultural rights, reconciliation, and decolonization within the museum and heritage sectors.
In addition to being a Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) student, I am also a program officer for culture with the UNESCO Canadian Commission, where I work to advance cultural initiatives that safeguard tangible and intangible heritage, and promote Indigenous cultural sovereignty by implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and internationally.
Why did you get involved with Indigenous cultural rights?
My path into Indigenous cultural rights work is professional and deeply personal.
While I was working in museums early in my career, I saw firsthand the power of storytelling and the consequences of whose stories were being told, and whose were missing. For too long, Indigenous stories and histories were interpreted through a colonial lens. Reclaiming the right to tell our stories—grounded in our languages, knowledge systems, and worldviews—is fundamental to cultural sovereignty and self-determination.
Through my work in reconciliation and repatriation, I witnessed the healing that occurs when ancestors and sacred belongings are returned to their communities of origin. These moments are not symbolic—they are acts of restoration and renewal that help repair relationships, contribute to the healing process, and affirm Indigenous nations’ inherent rights.
“For too long, Indigenous stories and histories were interpreted through a colonial lens. Reclaiming the right to tell our stories—grounded in our languages, knowledge systems, and worldviews—is fundamental to cultural sovereignty and self-determination.”
You recently spoke at MONDIACULT 2025, a major cultural policy conference. What was that experience like?
I was a panelist on “Listening to the Land: Indigenous Knowledges in Policy,” where we explored how Indigenous perspectives—rooted in relation with land, water, and all living beings—can guide global cultural policies that connect with climate change.
It was inspiring to learn how Indigenous nations are advancing parallel movements, and share how Indigenous languages offer unique frameworks for understanding and addressing climate change. Our languages remind us that caring for the environment is not an abstract concept—it is a lived responsibility that is expressed through our cultures, traditions, and relationships. Each language carries unique ways of understanding the world and offers locally rooted solutions to global challenges, making our shared future more sustainable and interconnected.
You're a member of a working group for UNESCO's Global Task Force for the Decade of Indigenous Languages. What have you learned?
The strength and solidarity of a global movement. No matter where a language sits on the vitality spectrum—from thriving to dormant—each carries stories, values, and knowledges that sustain identity and resilience.
I’ve learned sharing our language journeys across borders creates powerful connections. These exchanges remind us that we are not working in isolation but as part of a collective effort to protect linguistic and cultural diversity. Witnessing this global community of language champions—elders, educators, youth, and policymakers—deepened my sense of hope and commitment to ensuring that Indigenous languages are not only maintained but lived, celebrated, and used to guide sustainable frameworks and practices.
“I’ve learned sharing our language journeys across borders creates powerful connections. These exchanges remind us that we are not working in isolation but as part of a collective effort to protect linguistic and cultural diversity.”
Why is this work important to you?
It is deeply personal. I grew up hearing family stories of our rights not being respected—of exclusion and erasure. My grandmother experienced discrimination because of her identity, yet she planted quiet seeds of resistance in us. Those seeds grew into a deep sense of responsibility to stand for the rights and dignity of our peoples, and to ensure that future generations inherit a world that honors who we are.
Focusing on Indigenous rights is about justice, belonging, healing, and future-building. It’s about ensuring that the policies and institutions shaping our societies consider Indigenous laws, languages, and knowledge systems that have sustained our communities for millennia.
What do you want to learn at HKS, and how will you apply that knowledge?
I’m focused on developing my understanding of public administration, policy design, and systems change—particularly how governance structures can better reflect the values of inclusion, reciprocity, and respect for cultural diversity. I hope to bring these learnings back to my work in international and Indigenous policy, to strengthen frameworks that uphold Indigenous rights and support cultural sovereignty.
My goal is to bridge Indigenous knowledge systems and public policy, and shape policies that are not only effective, but ethical, relational, and grounded in the worldviews of the communities they serve. Ultimately, I want to contribute to building systems that recognize culture not as a peripheral issue, but as a central pillar of sustainable development and reconciliation.
Photos courtesy of Barbara Filion
