Over the course of this semester I have been made aware of contemporary issues I had little idea about, and if someone had held a conversation with me about First Nations communities I would have been regretfully ill-informed. However, since learning about Indigenous culture and history, listening to elders and watching a variety of films, I can safely say my eyes have been opened. I have been exposed to the events that have significantly shaped Canada’s demographic and political environment through residential schools, treaties and activism, to name a few. I have come to understand the economic, historical and social issues surrounding the treatment of First Nations in a post-colonial world, and the degree to which progress has been made for equality. I have been made aware of the experiences faced by Aboriginal people from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives, allowing me to evaluate and critique our currently reality and how it could be made better. I have questioned stereotypes and compared the past and present relationships between Indigenous and ‘white-settler’ populations, an educational and humbling experience I have been fortunate enough to have.

I have learned about the value of land as pedagogy, its importance in native culture and social interactions, and if such a right were to be removed or altered, it is taking away the inherent foundations education is built on: learning through observation, acknowledgement and application of knowledge. Indigenous values observe a respect for nature, and I have come to appreciate the teachings one can gain from our surroundings if you take time to listen. I believe native science has a rightful place among Western educational ideals; and, through acknowledgement of its validity, perhaps land pedagogy will become commonplace in future societies. Learning about expression of Indigenous voice and sovereignty through nature has made me evaluate my own education. I am privileged and appreciate geology as a subject and learning experience, but it has made me realise how else I can view rocks in the landscape, what else does nature offer us, not just physically but also spiritually. What more can geology teach me if I view it from an Indigenous perspective? The answer is still developing, but it is definitely a more enlightening one.

‘Volcano Woman’ by Chester Patrick. Acrylic Paint on Art Board, 2005. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.hills.ca/Prints-and-Originals/-font-size-4-b-Original-Paintings-b-font-size-/Chester-Patrick-Volcano-Woman-p1126.html Accessed [18/03/17].