I found this resource very interesting! To see how and where the government of Canada mentions Indigenous Knowledge is not something I have seen before. The key phrase that stands out from this resource is making “valuable contributions to environmental, regulatory, and other processes across the country”. I found the mention of environment and regulation very stereotypical since that seems to be the main point that Indigenous peoples knowledge is used for. It would be interesting to see if there was more that could be considered or this could be phrased from a different perspective. In general, I appreciate that Indigenous knowledge is at least considered by the government of Canada and this is a big step in ensuring that Indigenous peoples are valued as more than just relics in today’s society.
Author Archives: SukhjeevanPannun
Module 2 Post 5
This resource mentions three aspects of Indigenous knowledge systems that should be incorporated into lessons. The three mindsets are being holistic, collaborative, and relational. As is mentioned about holistic mindset, it includes recognizing the learners as a member of their community, a member of the natural world, and a member of the spiritual realm. For collaborative mindset, the value of extended family, the community, and peer interactions are key. The final mindset mentioned is relational, this is finding a way to ensure students relate to what they are learning about. A way to interweave these is something such as place-based learning. Place-based learning would be holistic as members are integrated into the natural world, it is collaborative as peers will interact with each other and work to learn about the local environment, and it is relational because it is the environment the students live in. This is just a few ways that Indigenous knowledge can be used in the classroom.
Module 2 Post 3
This paper was recommended to me by Dr. Hardman. It discusses the significance that place has for Indigenous peoples, specifically looking at the landscape that the Coast Salish nations live on. One concept that really stood out to me is that energy and life is found in all that surrounds us. This goes some way to explain why it is that Indigenous peoples are able to find a much better balance with their local environment. Rather than seeing it all as exploitable resources, it is respected as much as another human would be respected, as a living being. Marker mentions the “ensouled landscape functions in harmony with human needs – provided the correct preparations and protocols of humility are enacted” (p. 458). This term humility is so important and really not used enough in the mainstream discussion of the environment. Acknowledging our dependence on the environment to take care of us will be one key element that I want to carry forward in my teaching practice. If students can leave my classes understanding just how much we rely on the environment to be healthy and functioning, the element of humility will hopefully come through.
Analysis of Marker paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09518398.2018.1430391?needAccess=true
Module 2 Post 2
For this blog post I reviewed an article I read regarding place-based learning. The article discusses how nature studies can be a great way to engage students’ inherent curiosities to allow for them to connect to their local environment. This part of it seems quite intuitive, however what I found very interesting was the mention that from having a local appreciation of nature, the transition to investigating nature nationally and internationally becomes easier. This again shows that local is the best place to begin when doing any sort of scientific inquiry. The examples of live labs in the local river areas that is mentioned is similar to my current idea of taking my Environmental Science classes into Stanley Park. Just like the class mentioned in the article investigating the characteristics of their local environment, I would have my class do the same! It was nice to get some encouragement that place based learning is a great way to engage students and facilitate their interests and relationship with the local environment.
Resource from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/20440205.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A0995ac45deb59cdf3077e43f8e0111a8
Module 2 Post 1
My first blog post for this module is a rather sensitive one. While the FPPL is a fantastic tool for BC educators, for the sake of my assignment and searching for only the ways of knowing of the Coast Salish nations, FPPL in isolation is not a useful resource. FNESC, the organization that has put together the FPPL is a BC wide organization that includes members from 129 nations. This is a lot more than just the 3 Coast Salish nations I’m hoping to hone in on! Therefore, I must say that for my purposes, the FPPL on its own is not a tool I can solely rely on for my final assignment.
Module 1 Post 5
Squamish education is guided by the nation’s values and teachings. Squamish values include working collaboratively and finding a balance for all things in life to allow for guiding, protecting, and providing for the next generation. Other key relationships fostered by Squamish education are the relationships with the language, land, and culture. An element that is unique to the Squamish culture is checking on student wellness. On a side note, I’m surprised there was not as much information about this directly from the Squamish nation given its size and prominence, however I am glad I found some information unique to the nation.
Module 1 Post 4
For the Tsleil-Waututh nation, there is not as much information readily available. One part of their traditional teachings that I was able to find was that it has to do with their relationship with the local ecosystem and its resources. This is a key part of how culture that is taught by the Tsleil-Waututh nation. In fact, the younger generation was taught while actually doing the harvesting and processing of materials, so experiential learning is a key principle. Another point of interest is that traditionally, the women were the teachers as they were the keepers of knowledge.
https://twnsacredtrust.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Morin-Expert-Report-PUBLIC-VERSION-sm.pdf
Module 1 Post 3
The Musqueam nation’s values and teaching are based on their traditional cultural principles. This includes the importance of kinship and defining relationships between individuals. The value of extended families is important to the Musqueam nation as traditionally extended families would live together. One principle taught to children is the power dynamics within each family, as one head of families was selected to represent the family if conflict arose. Storytelling is another key part of how the Musqueam nation teaches its youth.
Module 1 Post 2
Since I am exploring how the local Indigenous nations of the city known as Vancouver educate, I will look at education more in this blog post. One of the best known sources of Indigenous education principles is the FNESC First People Principles of Learning. The poster which I’ve inserted in the blog has the general principles that are shared between the Indigenous nations of British Columbia. These principles therefore are not specific to the Coast Salish nations (Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish), so my next step will be trying to find specifics from these nations. However, having these general principles as a basis is a good step in the research process.
Module 1 Post 1
I am interested in investigating how the Coast Salish peoples looked at education and investigating the specific teaching strategies of these nations. I teach in the city known as Vancouver which is located on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish nations. All of these nations are part of the cultural grouping known as the Coast Salish. I always wondered whether it was possible to decipher which parts of the city are the lands of each particular nation, but in order to best approach this it is important that I acknowledge the overarching cultural group of the Coast Salish peoples. The source from which I’ve gathered the information for this initial post, which situates my learning goal as being about the local Indigenous peoples ways of educating is: https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/First-Peoples-A-Guide-for-Newcomers.pdf. This link has the breakdown into the three nations, each of which I will do a further dive on in the other posts of this module.