Embedded Files
Connections to the Land and Indigenous Worldviews
The beginning of this course has both helped solidify my previous learning about First Nations culture and open my eyes to the differences and diversity within what I used to refer to as "Indigenous culture" but now know that that is much too broad of a term. The learning about language in Module 1 has really helped me slow down and put more thought into the words I put onto paper and out orally into the world both about myself and others identities. The connection to land that this module focused on really helped me remember how to observe nature as a teacher and place more emphasis on "non academic"/institutionalized ways of learning. My prior knowledge about Indigenous peoples comes from growing up on the West Coast and luckily having teachers who understood the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing, being taken to Indigenous cultural experiences and art shows by my family, learning from a friend who was gracious enough to share her own learning about her Musqueam culture growing up, tutoring within the Nil'tuo community, and my own choices of taking courses like this one to further my own knowledge. I am continuously shocked my how much more there is to learn about any topic, but I am in awe with how many Indigenous authors and leaders have published and presented their work out to western society in order for us to learn from them. I am grateful to be able to learn and gain a deeper understanding of the frameworks of governance and connection to land that groups further inland than the West Coast have maintained for years. The resources we have explored have all been very powerful. One that stood out to me a lot was Leanne Betasmosake Simpson's article on Land Pedagogy - it may be due to its recent publication but the calls to action in it were very clear and left me with a sense of hope for some areas of the world finally utilizing and honouring Indigenous intelligence. Anyway, these first two modules have helped me reflect on my own privilege and biases, my connection to the spaces I call home, and how I need to be a more active ally in my reconcilACTION both as a teacher and as a human being.
Readings and Other Material
Readings and Other Material
Walking Together (Learn Alberta)
The Power of Indigenous Kinship (Tanya Talaga)
Knowledge Keepers (A MOA Original Documentary Series)
Medicine Walk Video (MOA)
Cedar Harvest Video (MOA)
Two-Eyed Seeing: Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (California Academy of Sciences)
Gifts of the Land: A Guided Tour With Robin Wall Kimmerer (The Commons at the University of Kansas)
Skwálwen Botanicals (Leigh Joseph from UVic News)
Anishinaabe Teachings of the Four Sacred Medicines (Downie & Wenjack Fund)
Inuit Quajimajatuqangit (Nunavut Impact Review Board)
Native Knowledge: What Ecologists Are Learning from Indigenous People (Jim Robbins on Yale Environment 360)
Indigenous Leadership (Ontario Native Education Counselling Association)
Leadership Through an Indigenous Lens (Kelley McCall)
Haudenosaunee’s Legendary Founding Sacred Stories (PBS)
Haudenosaunee Women and Governance (Buffalo Toronto Public Media)
Why Lakes and Rivers Should Have the Same Rights as Humans (Kelsey Leonard on TED)
Honouring the Land (Indigenous Leadership Initiative)
Indigenous Knowledges and Climate Change (Climate Atlas of Canada)
Métis Knowledge and Climate Change (Climate Atlas of Canada)
Indigenous Climate Hub - Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Climate Change
Enoughness: Restoring Balance to the Economy (wc nativenews)
Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science: Dr. Leroy Little Bear Talk (BanffEvents)
Etuaptmumk: Two-Eyed Seeing (Rebecca Thomas on TEDx Talks)
Indigenous Pedagogies: Land, Water, and Kinship (Anna Lees and Megan Bang on Bank Street Occasional Paper Series)
Lesson Plans - Land-Based Learning (Indigenous Education: The National Centre for Collaboration)
Land as Pedagogy: Nishnaabeg Intelligence and Rebellious Transformation (Leanne Betasmosake Simpson)
Artifact #1: The Power of Indigenous Kinship
Artifact #1: The Power of Indigenous Kinship
"Families are extensive networks of strong, connective kinship; they are often entire communities" (Talaga, 2019. para. 4).
Reflection on Readings
Again, I didn't realize the term kinship was so all encompassing and truly is word relating to the beautiful extended family networks that Indigenous communities have rebuilt since being torn apart. Exploring the Cree's community system through "Walking Together" was extremely meaningful. The story from Theresa Strawberry, listening to the Blackfoot language, overviews of such important systems from Wilton Goodstriker and how kinship has kept them alive through colonialization, and the experience of Marge Friedel as a Métis growing by near the Cree and with such a beautiful community around her was very special. Some things that I want to talk about more in my teaching practice are the matrilineal line passage of knowledge, how kinship itself can help ensure the continuation of cultural heritage, and explaining more about how living with extended families is how First Nations groups lived for time immemorial before contact by sharing stories like John Janvier and hopefully finding more stories local to BC First Nations communities. The connection to animals as kin as described by Alberta Online Encyclopedia is also new to me. A quote I enjoyed that I feel like sums up the idea behind kinship very simply is "maintaining good relationships with other humans has always been extremely important in an immediate way, for reasons of practical survival" (2004, para. 2). The video featuring Narcisse Blood (2007) speaking about Blackfoot societies was the most informative to me. His way of explaining the concept was beautiful and simple - reciprocity and kinship ensures collective survival (even with the extreme odds placed against the Blackfoot like the hunting of the buffalo). The process of learning and rights passing down as children enter new society structures, how there were little societies within the communities that each had their own knowledge that was sometimes even exclusive, the fact that the learning that is done as a child is the most important part of a person from the Blackfoot nation's life, and many of the Blackfoot community practices were new to me and it was very interesting to learn more about the communities in Alberta opposed to my own province of BC. Speaking about the significance of childhood, reading about the "bevy of women" who great Anishinaabe babies into this world is the most beautiful example of honouring women and the act of birth that I have ever heard (Talaga, 2019, para. 2). The tradition that is carried by women in Indigenous cultures is incredible - passing on knowledge before the baby has even left the womb to ensure a connection to the place that they come from and ancestors. Hearing about Ed making it back home was excellent and sharing more stories about First Nations peoples overcoming the cruelties that were done to them in residential schools is yet another testament to how kinship (and an immense amount of bravery) can overcome any odds.
How do you build community and kinship in your (grade 3/4) classroom?
circle classroom meeting every week to share highlights, gratitude, and ideas about how to share problems students have added to the list throughout the week
weekly teamwork activities that I call 'ADST' focusing on core competencies - group building challenges with recycling, coding with robots in groups, weaving projects, etc
"superstar" monthly that rotates to highlight 2-3 students a month so they can bring in something they are proud of to share with the class or tell a story with their peers actively listening
weekend news every Monday morning at the carpet to share whatever the students want about their weekends to encourage students to talk about shared interests
What strategies do you use to build relationships?
verbal greetings, handshakes, or hugs with students when they enter and leave for the day
give patience and time to all conversations whenever possible
ensure that I remember and celebrate out of school milestones when students tell me about them
ensuring that I have all academic supports in place to ensure they can feel successful in tasks and know they can ask for help
practicing active listening during snack time and lunch when students come talk to me
playing with students during supervision at recess and lunch
take time for conflict resolution between students, and for reparation afterwards
ensuring that I don't 'call out' students in front of classmates if they are being disruptive and utilizing observations about the student to talk to them about what is causing the disruptive later
attending after school events held by the PAC where students are attending
How will you incorporate some of the kinship model philosophies from the readings into your community building practices?
teaching about how animals experience kinship, like bumblebees, as a way to bring it into the classroom to begin learning about reciprocity in a community
teaching more about the local roles and jobs within both our own school itself and the greater community and how our roles affect one another; explaining how different societal roles all have to work together as one to ensure that everything works
ensuring that every part of my practice puts the students at the forefront to ensure that they have the best of my teachings that I can offer them
doing more projects involving families and ancestry so that all students can learn more about the people they have shared blood with; but also doing more projects with the bigger communities at large to ensure that the student are able to see the kinship that they have in more ways than blood as well
References
Alberta Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.), Nature's Law: Kinship Group. Retrieved from https://wayback.archive-it.org/2217/20101208201051/http://www.abheritage.ca/natureslaws/culture/relational_kinship_group.html
Learn Alberta. (n.d.). Walking Together: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Perspectives in Curriculum. [Interactive Website]. Retrieved from https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/kinship/
Talaga, T. (2019). "The Power of Indigenous Kinship." The Walrus. Retrieved from https://thewalrus.ca/the-power-of-indigenous-kinship/
Traditional Ecological Knowledge: The Power of Salal
Traditional Ecological Knowledge: The Power of Salal
Names: salal / sala'xbupt (Makah) / ta'qa (Samish) / t̕eqeʔ (fruit) & t̕eqeʔəɬp (bush) (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓) / gualtheria shallon (Latin)
Appearance: Salal is an evergreen shrub that grows from 0.5 - 2m in height by spreading through underground stems and roots. It has white flowers that turn to dark blue berries when ripe and broad, shiny, dark green leaves (Sierra Club BC, n.d.; BC Adventure Network, n.d.)
Location: Salal is the most common shrub on Northwest Coast First Nations land (BC's coastline and more) and grows as a dense understory in coastal coniferous forests, providing shelter for small animals and food for deer, elk, and bears (Sierra Club BC). Salal grows from sea level to mid elevations along the west coast and sometimes around Kootenay Lake in southeastern BC (BC Adventure Network). Salal is mainly, almost exclusively, found in pacific northwest ecosystems (CWIS, 2024).
Variety of Uses:
berries: eaten fresh, dried into cakes, made into jam, made into fruit leathers by blending and drying them flat, the Haida used berries to thicken salmon eggs, can used to create a dark blue or purple dye, the Kwakwaka'wakw and Southern Kwakiuti ate them dipped in oolichan grease at large feasts, and they are basically used anyway you would use a berry to cook or bake! (CWIS, 2024; Sierra Club BC; Gale Smith, 2018; Austin, 2020)
leaves and branches: use like bay leaves to flavour stews, branches and leaves are used to line steam pits to provide flavour and support meats or seafood in cooking, branches are used in floral arrangements, children used to make decorative headbands from the leaves and the leaves, create a yellow dye for clothing (Sierra Club BC; Austin, 2018; Ecoforestry Institute Society). Tea can be made from dried leaves to help treat respiratory distress from colds or tuberculosis as the Samish and Swinomish People have been doing for years (Gale Smith, 2018; CWIS, 2024).
medicinal uses: berries are turned into an infusion to relieve heartburn, inflammation, indigestion, colic, and diarrhea or flu-like symptoms like the Quinault People do
leaves can be chewed and used as a treatment for cuts and burns by the Klallam, Bella Coola, and Quileute People, and as a convalescent tonic for recovery (Lake Wilderness Arboretum, 2016; CWIS, 2024; Sierra Club BC; Gale Smith, 2018)
Harvesting Salal:
the act of harvesting salalberries is an "expression of respect for the delicate balance of the ecosystem and brings the family and community together" (Kw'umut Lelum, 2025, para.2).
look for big batches of berries on a stem, pinch the back of the stem near the base to snap the branch of berries off or pull straight down the stem to pull off all the berries at once (Qwustenuxun Williams, 2021)
berries were gathered from late spring on warm years and throughout the hot summer season and were often found along coast lines, near river banks, and in carefully curated and looked after "forest gardens" that were maintained to ensure ecosystems thrived (Kw'umut Lelum, 2025).
Preservation Processes:
"cake": mix dried berries with deer or salmon meat and dry them into a 'cake' shape to eat over the winter; high amount of vitamin C and antioxidants in the berries and fat from the meat can help with winter illnesses (CWIS, 2024)
"fruit leather": after cooking berries to a jam-like consistency, pour them out onto a flat surface (often a skunk cabbage leaf because of their waxy surface) then set them out on a drying rack. Flip once one side is dry, then peel off and tear into strips to be stores away. In winter, rehydrate the dried berries by soaking them in water overnight before eating (Austin, 2018; Ecoforestry Institute Society, CWIS, 2024)
other preservation methods: creating jam or jelly, syrup, freezing to be used in muffins or pies or flavouring for ice cream, drying the leaves to be used for flavour.
traditionally Coast Salish peoples made large cedar bentwood boxes to store the cake or leather and placed in the coldest part of the house, sometimes even covered underground to keep cool (Kw'umut Lelum, 2025).
Fun Facts: The pliable branches and stems are so strong that they bend instead of snapping when subjected to wet, heavy snowfalls (BC Adventure Network)! The berries are powerhouses of antioxidants and have about 5x the amount of tannins found in blueberries which help reduce risk of stroke and heart attack (Austin, 2020; Gale Smith, 2018)!
Less Fun Fact: With the aggressive harvesting practices being done on Vancouver Island by commerical florists for its thick, shiny leaves salal is under attack. Traditional plant experts are advocating for traditional harvesting protcols and practices to be put in place for salal's continued growth (Gale Smith, 2018).
References
Austin, J. (2020, August 15). "Pacific Northwest Native Americans and Salal." Coastal Interpretive Center. Retrieved from https://interpretivecenter.org/pacific-northwest-native-americans-and-salal/
British Columbia Adventure Network. (n.d.). "Salal." British Columbia Outdoor Wilderness Guide. Retrieved from https://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/wildflowers/salal.htm
Center for World Indigenous Studies. (2024, July 24). "Salal, Cedar, & Spruce: A Journey with Salish Plants and Medicines." [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9_RUWonCqA
EcoForestry Institute Society. (n.d.). "Salal (Gualtheria shallon)." Plant of the Month - July. Retrieved from https://www.ecoforestry.ca/plant-of-the-month-july
Gale Smith, M. (2018, May 28). "Salal." BC Food History. Retrieved from https://bcfoodhistory.ca/salal/
Kw'umut Lelum. (2025, Jun 26). "Exploring the Rich Tradtition of Berries in Coast Salish Culture." Retrieved from https://www.kwumut.org/news/exploring-the-rich-tradition-of-berries-in-coast-salish-culture
Lake Wilderness Arbotetum. (2016). "Native uses of salal." Retrieved from https://www.lakewildernessarboretum.org/natural-areas/tribal-life-trail/native-uses-of-salal/
First Peoples' Cultural Foundation. (n.d.). "Indigenous Plant Guide: hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓". Museum of Vancouver. Retrieved from https://museumofvancouver.ca/indigenous-plant-guide-in-hnqminm
Sierra Club BC. (n.d.). "Salal." Retrieved from https://sierraclub.bc.ca/salal/
Qwustenuxun Williams, J. (2021, Sept 2). "Harvesting Salal Berries." [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HZQJna7aqg
The power of plants continually blows my mind and so does all TEK which is why I am so grateful to be living in a time where it is finally being talked about by more of the general public, compared to my grandmothers lifetime at least. My biggest takeaway from this learning is that plants are extremely multifaceted and I was not giving them enough credit - putting them into boxes of 'uses' is something I didn't even know I was doing in my mind. I fortunately have grown up around many of the plants that were described in this project like red huckleberries, salmon berries, horsetail, and buttercup but most of my families and I's uses are for eating, honey tinctures, and tea for illnesses. Little did I know the maidenhair fern is not just for cramps but that the stems can be dried and used for weaving baskets because they are the strongest fern stem - who knew? This also showed me that I have to ask more questions instead of assuming the things I see taking over are invasive... I didn't know buttercups are indigenous and are one of the plants that help to support camas growth! The strongest connection that I had to any video was about the cedar harvest in Sechelt, BC - this is the land that my Nana helped maintain as old growth heritage forest but the places that are being logged are where she and the shíshálh nation have lost the battle to the privatized companies. I am grateful to see that there are families continuing the practice of cedar harvesting in those areas. Listening to Jessica Silvey speak about the future of her culture and feelings around logging held a deep place in my heart. Her fear of nature disappearing and her children's children not being able to learn her traditional ways because there is no where left to do it is a fear I have continually, but I know that the more of us taking these kinds of courses and bringing an Indigenous way of knowing into our lives is how we hopefully prevent that. Anyways, my key learning is to not put plants in boxes and keep my mind more open to the varieties of magic that are held within them - walking through the world trying to learn from nature means you see it differently and it is something that I try to pass on to peers and students whenever I can while also learning more myself constantly.
Artifact #2: What is my connection to land?
Artifact #2: What is my connection to land?
All of my feelings about the land come from my Nana - she taught me how to see the various shades of green, how the light flickers through trees and creates magic, and how to believe in fairies and forces much larger than ourselves. She sees the world in an incredibly special way, she sees shades of blue that I would never dream of; mushrooms hiding behind moss that truly must have just appeared; knows which plants will flourish and which to let die. My Nana created magic in a place on the Sunshine Coast which she bought as a young woman and turned into her cabin in the woods - Hidden Grove, Secret Beach, and "The Fairy Houses" are just three of the names of places she created around our property. She and her sister saved an Old Growth Forest and it is now a heritage park up the road from her house. Visiting this place is where I feel the most calm and connected to this Earth and my purpose on it, and it is where I wish to end up in my life. The pictures I have included here are of that space. She is magic and is the reason that I grew up with a mother who took me on endless hikes, nights of camping in our cars when we couldn't get a spot, let me stay up all night to watch meteors, told my siblings and I that she "didn't care if we got our shoes wet exploring just as long as we didn't complain on the walk back."
Jumping over creeks, eating huckleberries, singing to avoid bears, and sleeping under the stars were a massive part of my childhood and nature is still something that I reach for today whenever my body or mind feels at all unbalanced. I cannot express how appreciative I am to have grown up in a community like that full of people who wanted me to experience the why behind the lessons on taking care of our Earth. If I had not grown up experiencing the beauty, bounty, and also devastation that nature can provide I would not be the vocal steward that I am today. I know that I have lost friends from how aggressive I can be about the ignorance that some people present in regards to climate change, but I truly don't mind if that is the reason they are going. I have been since a very young age, and will continue to be, an advocate for our earth and as the Lorax says "speak for the trees." I know that all small actions help even when they don't seem like it and that is a mentality that I need to maintain even when I feel down about climate change.
Artifact #3: Traditional Indigenous Governance and Leadership
Artifact #3: Traditional Indigenous Governance and Leadership
The metaphor that McCall described showed me Indigenous people view governance as a system that is interconnected the same as a river. The elder leaders are the rocks that keep the community grounded and in place with traditions, the Down-Stream Kayakers and the Mainstream Current leaders bridging tradition with dominant societies, and the Whirlpool leaders with their open minds and practices are all necessary to function within an organization and provide what is necessary to support a healthy community (n.d., p.1 ). Listening to all perspectives of a community, like how the Huadenosaunee women collect and bring forward voices of the community in groups before decision making in Governance, is also key to all peoples health and wellness (Buffalo Toronto Public Media, 2022). Even with the variety of passions behind the leadership styles, all of the types of Indigenous leaders described in these readings hold health and wellness of their people and communities at the forefront of their leadership. Leadership is a collective responsibility to taking care of the people and the community by using lessons from the past and the community around them to inform current decisions - leaders are focused on the community rather than the individual (ONECA, n.d.). Health and wellness of the community stems from leaders who put their community before themselves and who listen to the needs of their people. With their extensive wisdom of cultural knowledge, language, and practices, leaders create strategies to lead their communities and keep the culture of their nation alive (McCall, n.d.). Cultural practices and traditions are the heart and soul of health and wellness to me and my family, and I know it is the same for Indigenous cultures. Without them, I feel disconnected and empty inside so having a strong leadership system is imperative to maintaining spiritual health which in turn promotes bodily health and wellness.
Implementing Indigenous styles of leadership in my educational practice means really reflecting on how I can incorporate the students own needs and other knowledgeable staff members to promote not only physical health in PHE but also emotional and mental health wellness. It also means tightening up my routines in the classroom community and being more structured in my community circles and meetings to ensure continuity for the students so they feel safe/secure throughout the year. I need to find structures for conflict resolution that better honour all students voices in the reconciliation aspect, have more discussions with other educators in the students lives to ensure we can all support holistic learning, and create more relationships with the community to support my role as a bridge builder between myself, my students, and the First Nations communities around us.
References
Buffalo Toronto Public Media. (2022, Jan 11). "Huadenosaunee Women and Governance." [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAcAlqsRAN0&t=91s
McCall, K. (n.d.). "Leadership through an Indigenous Lens." Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies, Brown School. Retrieved from https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=buder_research
Musqueam: A Living Culture. "What's happening in Musqueam this August?" Retrieved from https://www.musqueam.bc.ca/community-notices-august-2023/
ONECA. (n.d.) Indigenous Leadership. Retrieved from https://oneca.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Indigenous-Leadership.pdf
Palmer Thomas, Santana. (2025, Aug 20). Personal interview [Zoom, oral].
@santanapalmerthomas. (2025). Instagram Page. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLQpd_wSBxy/
Artifact #4: Coastal First Nations - Great Bear Initiative
Artifact #4: Coastal First Nations - Great Bear Initiative
Comparing Worldviews
Comparing Worldviews
It seems as if the world could go back and travel a different timeline, Etuaptmumk could have been the antithesis to forced assimilation. Two-eyed seeing seems like a very obvious answer to reconciliation, and it also seems like something that we have all heard since children - "what would it feel like if you were in their shoes?" I often find that it is really difficult to live in a society that seems so blind to the very clear steps that incredible smart people are laying out for us to follow - Rebecca Thomas explained so clearly the feelings of growing up knowing that you had to learn someone else's way of life, but not one was asking them to do the same for you. To me, integrating two-eyes seeing into my practice involves bringing in more stories from Indigenous perspectives that are young enough for my students to truly relate to and see themselves in their shoes. But not just stories of Indigenous peoples - stories from plant and animal perspectives to promote kinship with everything and an understanding that "everything is animate" (BanffEvents, 2015). The science that is coming out about plants and their responses to being cut or picked is incredible and hearing that Dr. Leroy Little Bear had to say about the slight move towards indigenous worldviews that quantum physics is taking was very heart lifting, maybe western science will catch up one day if we stop ranking nature into hierarchical categories to instigate fear of running out and force competition between individuals (wc native news, 2015)! Another way that I could incorporate two-eyed seeing is with more outdoor learning to connect what we are learning to where we actually are ensure students know that nature is also a classroom.
References
BanffEvents. (2015, Jan 14). "Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science: Dr. Leroy Little Bear Talk." [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJSJ28eEUjI
Lees, A., & Bang, M. (2023). Indigenous Pedagogies: Land, Water, and Kinship. Occasional Paper Series, no. 49. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1500.
TEDx Talks. (2016, Jun 13). "Etuaptmunk: Two-Eyed Seeing - Rebecca Thomas." [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA9EwcFbVfg
wc native news. (2014, May 7). "The Indigenous world view vs. Western world view." [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsh-NcZyuiI&t=1s
Teaching with Etuaptmumk in mind can only benefit students in every part of their life, taking other perspectives and having empathy makes you a stronger leader and a better friend. Learning about other cultures and Indigenizing institutions even if it is "for a small number of students," all students will benefit from being recognized as holistic learners through Indigenous pedagogy (TEDx Talks, 2016). My main worry is how to teach kinship and interconnectedness without having many examples of real situations in my students and I's own life - we have all grown up in the "hierarchical forms of social power" where most of us I'm sure saw humans as superior to nature, and I myself am have only recently realized that may not be what life is supposed to be about (Lees & Bang, 2023). That is why I think sharing more stories and finding more perspective focused projects will be important moving forward in the classroom. Indigenous worldviews and view of nature as animate and abundant because we are a part of it and can take care of it is something that I wish I grew up hearing more of. Climate doom and gloom, even while trying so hard to fight for the earth, is so prevalent in my life and in those around me. This course has helped by hearing about the way nature is viewed as constantly in flux, abundant and prosperous if we make it so, and hearing positive and hopeful messages from Indigenous leaders is is helpful. Teaching through an Indigenous lens is something that has to be incorporated in every aspect of your teaching practice, you can't turn off holistic and reciprocal teaching and help build those skills in students they won't be able to go back (hopefully!). I agree with Lees & Bang (2023) that teaching Indigenous pedagogies are what will help prepare the next generations for the changes coming in our world, and learning about them myself seems to be helping change my own mindset as well.
Artifact #5: Land as Pedagogy
"Indigenous education is not Indigenous or education from within our intellectual traditions unless it comes through the land, unless it occurs in an Indigenous context using Indigenous processes" (Betasamosake Simpson, 2014, p.9).Artifact #5: Land as Pedagogy
Big Ideas
The land, animals, and nature is the greatest teacher if we allow ourselves to learn from it and trust those who survive off it - but this involves sharing this "theory" with everyone "from the ground up" through repeated learning stories and actively engaging with the environment with children in our communities from a young age (Betasamosake Simpson, 2014).
Indigenous education is less about the content and specific lessons you are teaching, and more about "re-creating the conditions within this learning occurred" and really taking the time to learn about how kinship and land-based learning supports holistic growth then implementing that with a mindset of consensual engagement, ensuring everyone's voice is heard and respected during the transition process, in your classroom community and school (Betasamosake Simpson, 2014, p. 9-10).
Intelligence is Diversity: the exploration of land throughout life supports the development to mastery of diverse gifts, knowledge, and skills that are all required to help support each other as a community; the land teaches the lessons you need to learn, and forcing the same curriculum on all deprives us having space to learn from observation and our own questioning (Betasamosake Simpson, 2014).
Insights
True connection and learning from nature can't happen without first learning and having space to practice the skills of noticing, patience, and observation. Re-framing observation from specifically a scientific lens to a way of being. Starting there will be important with students who've grown up in westernized society.
Indigenous stewardship and connection to the land is ongoing and must be taught as such, referring to these "saving the earth" actions as things in the past and during pre-colonization is harmful to the ongoing tradition and culture that is practiced today and takes away from the legitimacy of modern Indigenous voice.
Question
The last few pages of the article were both inspiring and kind of downheartening thinking of all the work that has gone into Indigenizing academic spaces not really making a change. I feel that I have it quite 'easy' in justifying my holistic assessment in elementary school, but I know that that is definitely a different challenge when you are assessing with letter grades in high school. My question is how can we support the resurgence and mobilization of Indigenous education and ways of knowing throughout the higher grades by finding a middle ground where Indigenous intelligence is recognized properly but students don't have to necessarily address all government learning objectives set on them?
References
Betasamosake Simpson, L. (2014). "Land as pedagogy: Nishnaabeg intelligence and rebellious transformation." Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education, & Society, vol. 3, no. 4. Retrieved from https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/22170
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