Tag Archives: Decolonization

Module 4: Post 5 – Mapping and Indigenous Knowledge

Throughout my cyber-travels, I wanted to find diverse ways in which traditional knowledge can be shared. This travel highlights how Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping can be utilized alongside Indigenous Traditional Knowledge. In the past, mapping has played a significant role in colonizing Indigenous lands. Some of these shared resources begin to change this narrative and center Indigenous people reclaiming mapping. According to the article by PBS Decolonizing the Map: Creating the Indigenous Mapping Collective, they identify how mapping can be used to center Indigenous knowledge.

“Today many Indigenous communities across Turtle Island and beyond use cartographic mapping to track traditional knowledge of their lands and waters. These maps can show sacred sites, the paths of moose or caribou, the best areas to find a particular species of fish, where to pick traditional medicine and much more. Maps are often used when major projects such as mines or oil rigs are proposed on Indigenous land; they illustrate potential impacts these projects could have on the environment and the communities’ way of life.”

With access to online technology platforms, mapping is a space which allows more people to create, shape, and share maps than ever before. In 2014 the Indigenous Mapping Workshop began, and by 2020 the virtual Indigenous Mapping Collective was created to share knowledge and resources with one another. Through this collective, there have been connections to Google, and Canada’s Indigenous Lands have been added to Google Maps and Google Earth.

A collection of Indigenous Studies GIS Resources are available through Carleton University’s Library.

 

Module 3: Post 3 – Decolonization is for Everyone

Nikki Sanchez’s Ted Talk Decolonization is for Everyone identifies the role everyone plays in the decolonization of Canada. Sanchez discusses colonization and the historical amnesia that settlers have. She states, “If you are more than a first-generation Canadian, this is historical bystander trauma that your parents and grandparents lived through.” She dispels the myth that decolonization work is only for Indigenous people. She also highlights the difference between decolonization and indigenization.

This video relates to my research topic as it includes the role of the settler in decolonization. Sanchez identifies steps that we must take to work together. These include:

  • Learn who you are and where you come from
  • Address the oppressive systems and histories that enable you to occupy the territory you do
  • Learn whose land you live on and what has been done to them
  • Find out how you benefit from that history and activate one strategy wherein you can use your privilege from which to dismantle that.
  • Share the knowledge that the work of decolonization is for everyone.

It is crucial that as settler educators who are investing in the work to decolonize, we are being socioconscious as this is a requirement for culturally responsive teaching.

Module 1 (Post 3) – Decolonizing Undergraduate Chemistry

I came across this recent paper in the Journal of Chemistry Education that gives an account of York University’s approach to decolonizing the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. It seems that many institutions talk about taking steps towards decolonizing courses, but I have had difficulty finding guidance of how to do this effectively in a post-secondary science department. This paper outlines some of the steps that are being taken to shift the narrative of the courses away from solely a western view of science.

In one example, instructors of a colloidal chemistry course included a discussion of ancient Egyptian codification of knowledge of papyrus. While this is a relatively small step, the instructor is acknowledging that science has been happening by peoples all over the globe for longer than the western view of science has existed.

 

 

Dessent, C.E., Dawood, R.A., Jones, L.C., Matharu, A.S., Smith, D.K., & Uleanya, K.O. (2022). Decolonizing the undergraduate chemistry curriculum: An account of how to start. Journal of Chemical Education, 99(1), 5-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00397

Module 2: Post 5: Digital Technology Innovations in Education in Remote First Nations

The research article Digital Technology in Education in Remote First Nations  Beaton and Carpenter (2016) “explores how community members living in remote First Nations in Northwestern Ontario are using digital technologies for informal and formal learning experiences” (p. 42) through a settler colonial lens. The article discusses how technology is a double-edged sword, as technology can be used as a tool to maintain and uphold colonial structures. For example, the article discusses how many Indigenous languages are endangered, yet technology and the internet are presented through a lens of Western culture and the English language. This results in Indigenous people further immersing themselves in Western culture, distancing themselves from traditional languages and knowledge. On the other hand, the article highlights the importance of providing Indigenous people with access to finding local Indigenous resources that are specific to their communities. Many Indigenous communities use technology to protect and preserve Indigenous languages (p. 45).

This article provides a direct connection to my research paper, as it provides in-depth background information analyzing how technology is used to uphold colonization as well as how technology can be used to support decolonization work.

References

Beaton, B., & Carpenter, P. (2016). Digital Technology Innovations in Education in Remote First Nations. In Education, 22(1), 42–60. https://doi.org/10.37119/ojs2016.v22i1.266

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 5

Seeing as there is a palpable awareness of a need to decolonize nursing education, I decided to research into what steps are being taken to achieve this. I stumbled across a framework created by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) and the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association (CINA) whose goal is to support decolonization, Indigenization, and reconciliation in nursing education. Their framework includes foundational strategies, recruitment and retention strategies, and curricular strategies for nursing education to advance the above goals and respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action. Here is an excerpt of the calls of action from the TRC as they related to nursing education:

Their framework is quite extensive and is a great starting place for decolonizing nursing education. They state implementation of this framework and their strategic plan to occur from 2019-2023, I will be curious to know what has been accomplished to date. I will focus some of my research time to answering this in the coming days.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 4

My research into why Indigenous people are under-represented in healthcare as professionals has taken me down a path of understanding the institutionalized racism that exists in our healthcare system in BC. It comes as no surprise that our colonial history has led to powerful systemic structures that perpetuate racism towards the Indigenous people of our province. Understanding this history was the first step to uncovering some of the barriers which discourage Indigenous people from seeking out healthcare education. Then I looked at the education system, specifically nursing education, to get a sense of how these systems are also deeply colonial and what work is being done to decolonize these spaces. I came across this webinar hosted by The Center for Nursing Philosophy on the topic of decolonizing nursing. They had an expert panel of speakers representing research on decolonization in nursing from around the globe.

The first speaker is Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, associate professor and Inaugural BC Research Chair in Indigenous Health in Nursing at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, who introduced the concepts of decolonization and truth and reconciliation. She begins at 6:49 min and speaks for approximately 15 minutes. A notable takeaway for me was learning about Indigenous nurse pioneers such as Mary Seacole, Edith Monture, and Mary Mahoney who had a great impact on the profession and who are left out of nursing academia. Rather, we are taught about Florence Nightingale, a Caucasian woman of English decent who is coined the founder of modern nursing. These expert panelists call for the decolonization of nursing academia to enhance the success of BIPOC students.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 1

As per Professor Hardman’s suggestion, I read through the In Plain Sight report as a starting place from which to launch my research from for the final project. This report was very challenging to read at times and caused me to feel a sorrow and heartache I was not expecting. The stories told by survey participants were wrought with racism and prejudice. Indigenous specific racism in healthcare across BC is indisputable. The IPS report summarized their findings into 11 categories:

  1. Widespread Indigenous-specific stereotyping, racism and discrimination exist in the B.C. health care system.
  2. Racism limits access to medical treatment and negatively affects the health and wellness of Indigenous peoples in B.C.
  3. Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately impacted by Indigenous-specific racism in the health care system.
  4. Current public health emergencies magnify racism and vulnerabilities, and disproportionately impact Indigenous peoples.
  5. Indigenous health care workers face racism and discrimination in their work environments.
  6. Current education and training programs are inadequate to address Indigenous-specific racism in health care.
  7. Complaints processes in the health care system do not work well for Indigenous peoples.
  8. Indigenous health practices and knowledge are not integrated into the health care system in a meaningful and consistent way.
  9. There is insufficient hard-wiring of Indigenous cultural safety throughout the B.C. health care system.
  10. Indigenous roles in health leadership and decision making – both through Indigenous health governance structures and the health care system as a whole – need to be strengthened.
  11. There is no accountability for eliminating all forms of Indigenous-specific racism in the B.C. health care system, including complaints, system-wide data, quality improvement and assurance, and monitoring of progress.

 

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 5

For my final post in Module 1, I wanted to discuss the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA). The FNHA emerged as a health governance structure in BC in an attempt to improve First Nation’s health outcomes and close the gaps that exist between BC First Nations and the rest of the population. The FNHA is a first in Canada and is a province wide health authority that “plans, designs, manages and funds the delivery of First Nations health programs and services in BC” (First Nations Health Authority, 2022). One of the resources on their website I am most interested in is their Cultural Safety and Humility Framework. This infographic is highly detailed and outlines the many steps required for a transformative healthcare system that is culturally safe for Indigenous people.

 

References

First Nations Health Authority (2022, October, 10). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations_Health_Authority

Jessica Presta: Module 1, Post 4

For this post I wanted to share a resource for educators to support the indigenization of their programs, classrooms, and pedagogical practices. BC Campus is an online resource that aims to support the evolution of education across the province through collaboration, communication and innovation. One of their resources for this is their Indigenization project. The goal of this project is to offer open resources to educators to support the incorporation of Indigenous epistemologies into their practice, systematically decolonizing post-secondary education. Some of these resources include:

Learn about Indigenous histories in Canada:
Learn about decolonizing your course materials and teaching practices: