#indigenouswaysofknowing

My name is Kîsikâwacâhos Iskwêw. 

I am a Mohawk and Cree woman and my maternal Grandmother is Madelaine Calahoo and my Mother is Emily Labonte. 

Better late than never I always say!!

So, it’s been a little while since our field trip to the ROM, in fact, it feels like decades ago because of practicum!  I’m going to do my best in this blog post to recap on the experience of that day.  In the spirit of place-based education and land acknowledgment, I’d like to begin this blog on a similar note to the last post - giving a brief description of my current place and headspace, as it is relevant to this discourse.

Here is a snapshot of me sitting in my living room at home working on this blog (how meta).   The land I am on is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Métis, and most recently, the territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. This territory is also covered by the Upper Canada Treaties. Today, the meeting place of Toronto (from the Haudenosaunee word Tkaronto) is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work/present in this territory.  The fire is on because the thermostat is set very low during the daytime when no one is usually home, and it is chilly in here!  I’m currently sitting on a recliner chair, wearing comfortable clothes and wrapped up in a fleece blanket.  The blinds are up, allowing me to see out the large front window at my front yard and street, both covered in a fresh layer of white snow.  I’ve always found it a comforting contrast to be able to see the cold while feeling safe in the warmth.  In terms of headspace, to be completely honest, I’m a little frazzled and this may be reflected in my writing in this blog (apologies in advance!).  I’ve just come off a week of endless essay-writing and assignment-editing, and have one final project to tackle.  It’s been a hectic few weeks with work and school and all I can think about is how much I have to do for the holidays. I am a big fan of the Christmas season - I am basically Will Ferrel in “Elf”, but it’s hard to get wrapped up in the joy of it all when you have been drowning in school work.  But that’s enough rambling!  I’m settled, I’ve got my tea, and I’m ready to tell you all about my experience in the First Peoples Exhibit at the ROM a few weeks ago.

To begin, I’d like to talk briefly about the peer seminar article I chose as it relates to my experience on our ROM field trip.  As I mentioned in previous blog posts, I have had very little exposure to education surrounding Indigenous histories and ways of knowing until very recently.  The one thing that I do remember specifically learning about is Nunavut, the territory born in 1999, when I was in Grade 3.  I remember learning about the symbolic Inukshuk, the capital city of Iqualit, the language of Inuktitut, and the ways of life of the few people who lived there.  That was essentially the extent of my Indigenous education as an elementary student, from what I can recall.  In her article on situating Nunavut and Inuit peoples within Canadian Indigenous Ed., Heather McGregor (2013) draws attention to the fact that Inuit peoples are often left out of this discourse.  It’s funny to me that the only thing I do remember learning about in Indigenous Ed is Nunavut and the Inuit peoples.  I can even picture my old brochure assignment where we were responsible for creating a travel brochure for people wishing to tour Nunavut, I wish I would have kept it to showcase in this blog!  

At the First Peoples Gallery, I walked around for about five minutes, waiting for something to speak to me.  I like to think that I am an instinctual person, that I am able to trust myself enough to know when something significant is in my path.  I think that this way of thinking aligns with Indigenous ways of knowing, being able to have trust in the environment to provide, and on the self to follow through.  After a few minutes of wandering around the exhibit, I ended up in front of the “Quliiq”, a small canoe-shaped bowl, which I discovered was used as a lamp by the Inuit peoples of Nunavut and represents a celebration of the seal. While reading the short description I found myself imagining the lamp in use, a family huddled together around it’s warmth, fixated on the flickering yellow glow of light drawing their attention away from the cold air and harsh wind just outside their door. I felt it important to be known that as I write this blog about the quilliq being a symbol of warmth and family, I am sitting here at home by the fire - talk about contextualization.  A quote from Mathew Nuqingac, the creator of this artifact read: “Tending the flame is like Inuit life itself, where it was once weakened but now is strengthened to dance again like the Northern Lights”.  I would like to imagine that this quote did great justice in describing the nature of the Inuit peoples, or of Indigenous peoples in general as it points to a hopeful future.  In the video attached, the history and uses of the quilliq are described more thoroughly by an Inuit woman.  Below the video is my own sketch of the qulliq taken at the ROM during the field study.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7biKiBjIwYQ

This combination of artifact, description, and quote had a profound effect on my understanding and perspectives on Inuit life, something I think you cannot get from reading a textbook.  Place-based education is more than simply bringing someone to a place to learn about their location - it is about providing an intimate look into one’s culture, society, and family traditions.  I may never have the opportunity to travel to Nunavut, but through institutions like the ROM I am still provided the opportunity to have that experience of place, through exposure to artifacts and authentic voices.  This exposure to unique artifacts and photos is a portal to further inquiry and research.  In this field study, I interacted with the artefact briefly, took a sketch, wrote down some notes, and then was inspired to gain more information.  I think that exposure is the first step in fostering curiosity in students, which is critical to the development of understanding and connection-making.  Place-based education is a means of providing this exposure, whether in the shape of outdoor learning, dialogue with relevant individuals, or interaction with artifacts. In each field study we’ve done over the course of this semester we have had the opportunity to experience exposure - first during the River Walk where we learned about the origins of our home city, next at Evergreen Brickworks where we learned about the value in promoting environmental sustainability, and lastly here at the ROM where we witnessed the importance of understanding more about Indigenous ways of knowing in promoting environmental sustainability and protecting one’s overall well-being.  I like to think that the photo below (another artifact from the First People’s gallery) depicts this interconnection and balance of nature and nurture, with the inclusion of humans, plants, and animals, embedded in contrasting colours of warm and cold.  Unfortunately I had not recorded any notes in relation to this artifact, and the description associated is too small to read.

Kanu (2011) asserts that the promotion of Indigenous student success benefits not only the individuals but also the country as a whole.  Indigenous ways of knowing have proven to be of incredible value to the wellness of both the globe and the people living on it (Kanu, 2011).  It is therefore imperative that these ways of knowing be incorporated into classroom learning at every available opportunity. In order to make this a reality, educators need to be well connected within their communities - this includes having an awareness of the resources available and the different ways of utilizing these resources.  The ROM and Evergreen Brickworks are fantastic tools for learning in Toronto.  Other potential resources offering great programs for students are places like the Toronto Zoo, the Science Centre, Ripley’s Aquarium, etc.  Going for walks down to the waterfront may be a way to explore geography, looking at the development of the harbour front in comparison to what it used to be.  Generating neighbourhood maps, identifying key locations and naming these according to Indigenous ways of map-making.  These are all possibilities that I can add to my repertoire for my future social studies classroom, and I can’t wait to put them into action!

References:

https://www.caut.ca/docs/default-source/professional-advice/list---territorial-acknowledgement-by-province.pdf?sfvrsn=12

McGregor, Heather Elizabeth (2013). Situating Nunavut Education with Indigenous Education in Canada. Canadian Journal of Education 36(2): 87-118

Kanu, Y. (2011). Integrating Aboriginal perspectives into the school curriculum: Purposes, possibilities and challenges. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.