Presentation Descriptions
Featuring a Blackfoot (Kainai) Tipi Design and Its Vision in a D2L Indigenous Course:
Process, Protocol, Sharing, and Understanding
Dr. Christopher Grignard, Assistant Professor
Joe Eagle Tail Feathers (Iitsooahp'potah - Attacks in the Water), Spiritual Director & Elder
Blackfoot (Kainai First Nation) Spiritual Leader & Elder Joe Eagle Tail Feathers (Iitsooahp’potah) has given permission to share his Blackfoot (Kainai) Tipi Design with assistant professor Dr. Christopher Grignard who works at Mount Royal University (MRU). The design will be a prominent D2L feature of the Indigenous courses Grignard instructs in the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures at MRU, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and situated on the traditional territory of the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot people). This presentation will highlight the collaborative process involved in making it happen, including their work with MRU’s Academic Development Centre and Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Both Joe and Chris will discuss the protocol that was followed, particularly a sponsored pipe ceremony in the Spring of 2023 where permission was requested and the terms and conditions were addressed (such as ownership, permission, and copyright). A strong, long-standing relationship of respect and trust between Joe and Chris has allowed such knowledge to be shared with the MRU community – and now with the larger D2L community at Fusion 2023. Attendees of this session will learn the meaning of a tipi design, the vision behind Eagle Tail Feathers’ tipi design, and the reasons for featuring such a tipi design and story on Chris’ D2L for his Indigenous courses at MRU. Joe will share both his support and his concerns regarding indigenization initiatives such as this one. Both presenters will speak to what needs to be understood when such images – and the knowledge that comes with them – are shared for educational purposes. After their presentation, attendees will be invited to take part in a collective discussion on ways to indigenize D2L.
International Blackfoot Research Conference (June 15 - 16, 2023)
Conference Location: Blackfeet Community College. Browning, Montana
James Welch’s Fools Crow:
Bringing the Lands of the Amskapi Piikani to Life for a
University Indigenous Literatures Course
with the Assistance of a Blackfoot (Kainai) Elder and Ceremonialist
Dr. Christopher Grignard, Assistant Professor
Joe Eagle Tail Feathers (Iitsooahp'potah - Attacks in the Water), Spiritual Director & Elder
When I was living and working in southern Alberta, many Blackfoot people explained the importance of James Welch’s novel Fools Crow. Although Calgary is located on traditional Blackfoot territory, it is a distance from Montana and the novel’s setting. Therefore, I am developing digital resources for my teaching of the Blackfeet text. This co-presentation will feature my working relationship with one of my Blackfoot (Kainai) elders, Iitsooahp’potah, who is assisting me with bringing the areas of the Amskapi Piikani to life for my literature students at Mount Royal University by sharing his knowledge and ceremonial experiences at several sacred sites.
Journey to Indigenization (Sept. 22 - Oct. 4, 2023)
Conference Presentation: Mon., Sept. 25, 2023
Location: Mount Royal University
Desire to Indigenize
MRU: D2L, Literature, and T-Shirts
Dr. Christopher Grignard, Assistant Professor
Joe Eagle Tail Feathers (Iitsooahp'potah - Attacks in the Water), Spiritual Director & Elder
This co-presentation will showcase the recent MRU Indigenization activities on which Dr. Christopher Grignard is working with his Blackfoot (Kainai) Elder, Joe Eagle Tail Feathers (Iitsooahp’potah). Over the last year, the two have been active in sharing their collaborative work, presenting together for Grignard’s Indigenous film and literature classes, the Celebrate! Teaching and Learning Event at MRU, the International Blackfoot Research Conference in Browning, Montana, and the D2L Fusion Conference in Anaheim, California. This past summer, the two, along with MRU’s Academic Media Group, visited six sacred sites chosen by Eagle Tail Feathers who served as the guide and shared his knowledge. These places are all situated within the traditional territory of the Niitsitapi people (five of which are located just across the Canada/US border in Montana). It was at these places where Iitsooahp’potah was taught traditional protocol to perform ceremony. A selection from these recorded visits, approved by Joe, will be digitized and featured in Chris’ ENGL 3353: North American Indigenous Literatures, a course in which a ceremonial approach is taken. You are invited to learn about their desire to indigenize MRU (D2L, literature, and T-Shirts), their presentation experiences and travels, their process and protocol, and their longstanding relationship of respect & trust. For Chris and Joe, the journey to Indigenization is best experienced when the steps forward are taken together harmoniously. They hope to inspire others by illustrating how Indigenization can look like.
Last Updated 2023-09-30