Reclaiming Hiring: The miyo‐wîcêhtowin Hiring Framework

This article introduces the miyo‐wîcêhtowin Hiring Framework , an Indigenous‐led, values‐based model developed to transform public sector hiring practices. Grounded in Cree teachings of “building good relations,” the framework emerged from a mixed‐methods analysis of over 1,500 municipal job descriptions from the City of Saskatoon. The study uncovered systemic bias across categories such as age, race, ability, language, and education, revealing how hiring language can exclude Indigenous peoples and other equity‐deserving groups. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, discourse analysis, and human rights frameworks, the research repositions hiring as a relational and governance act—not a neutral HR function. The miyo‐wîcêhtowin Hiring Framework offers practical tools and cultural principles to reimagine hiring systems grounded in respect, reciprocity, and Indigenous resurgence. It calls on public institutions to move beyond symbolic REDI commitments toward structural change by embedding Indigenous worldviews and leadership into recruitment processes, advancing equity and self‐determination in Canadian public administration.