In our literature review entitled “Learning from Shi-shi-etko’s Story: Indigenous Approaches for a Healthy School“, we used the children’s book Shi-shi-etko by Nicola Campbell as an inspiration for exploring Aboriginal health and healing. Shi-shi-etko has only four days left before she is taken away from her home to attend residential school. “Shi-shi-etko’s people have always lived in North America” and have always understood their relationship as one with nature and their responsibility to the land. In this community, children are loved and raised together by parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers, sisters and Elders. As the day to leave comes near, Shi-shi-etko’s sense memories of the land, like the smell and texture of wet soil after rain or the sound of her mother’s singing carried by the wind flowing through the valley, high up with the eagles, are all that she will be able to take with her to school.
Shi-shi-etko’s story is about a journey of learning through one’s heart, mind, body and spirit. Using her story as inspiration, we explore the topic of Aboriginal health by providing an overview of relevant literature and Indigenous epistemology and by suggesting principles for making health a priority in an Aboriginal-focused school. In our conclusion, we suggest that considerations for health should be part of all curricula, social and community gatherings, and administrative decision-making. To aid in this goal, we propose the adoption of seven principles for creating a healthy Aboriginal Focus School:
For our project, we have created blog posts which give an overview of each of the seven principles; for each principle, we have provided links to additional resources and examples of principles being enacted in schools and communities.
A recurring theme in our literature review on Aboriginal health is viewing health as a process, not a product: health as a process of decolonizing spirit, heart, body and mind; health as a process of nurturing the whole person and the learning spirit; and health as a process of creating community.
Lifelong learning and lifelong health are connected; the role of the school is to not only to help students to be healthy as children, but also to grow into healthy adults who belong to healthy communities. As such, health needs to be woven into all aspects of school life. While at times, it may be appropriate to teach specific health topics, it is more important that health is a consideration in all decisions made about the school, its teachers and its students.
Learn More: Resources
Learning the Path: A CBC series about Alberta schools who are incorporating Aboriginal culture, history, ceremony and art into all aspects of school life from elementary to post-secondary.
The Alaska Native Knowledge Network (ANKN) is an AKRSI partner designed to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing, including a database of lessons and units for diverse subject areas.
Understanding Medicine Wheel teachings can help us to know the importance of balance, holism, connection and community; however, this is only the beginning of the meaning behind this powerful and oft-times simplified symbol of life and health.
Why is the Medicine Wheel often used to represent health and well-being for Aboriginal people? Is it simply because it offers an intuitive model of whole-person health? Or is there more to learn, reflect upon and understand about this symbol? Elder Mary Lee says “The old people will tell you it is life itself.” Thus, we have chosen the Medicine Wheel as a powerful tool and starting place for considering the health of our children and of our schools. Healthy schools address the needs of the whole person: spritual, emotional, physical and intellectual.
This video, which describes the experiences of participants in Vancouver’s Urban Aboriginal Community Garden Kitchen Project, illustrates the importance of nurturing the whole person. Although the video focuses on adults, the key take-away message – nurturing one’s spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual needs through community and tradition – is an important concept to consider in the development of Vancouver’s Aboriginal Focus School:
Learn More: Resources
Four Directions Teachings.com – A multi-media resource that explores “Indigenous knowledge and philosophy from five diverse First Nations in Canada”. Includes lesson plans for elementary and secondary teachers.
The Sacred Tree – An illustrated book that explores Indigenous philosophy based on Canadian First Nations beliefs about The Sacred Tree and the Medicine Wheel.
Health is a process of decolonizing spirit, heart, body and mind. Understanding the history and processes of colonization and the effects on health and well-being (using a holistic model of health) is an important starting place when considering how to ensure current and future generations of Aboriginal youth will thrive as their ancestors once did (Waziyatawin, For Indigenous Eyes Only: A Decolonization Handbook, 2005).
Due to the history of residential schools and many other governmental interventions which have tried to destroy Indigenous cultures and peoples, schools are seen by some as an agent of colonization. Using a decolonizing lens to explore health and well-being in present day, we can identify ways to create healthy schools and communities that nurture rather than do harm; this involves learning about systems of wellness before colonization began, learning about the effects of colonization, and learning about present-day issues that continue to affect the health of Aboriginal people in BC and Canada.
Implementing the Vision: BC First Nations Health Governance is “an evocative documentary explaining issues in First Nations health and the efforts to address them.” Using a story-telling approach, the complex history and the progress in First Nations health in BC is told in four parts. In Chapter 1 – System of Wellness, some of the traditional philosophy of wellness are described by Elders and Aboriginal community menbers in BC:
First Salmon Ceremony: The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have celebrated the return of the salmon to their natal streams for thousands of years. The long tradition of the sacred First Salmon Ceremony was broken more than 60 years ago as salmon runs dwindled and some runs were driven to extinction. With efforts to recover salmon showing some successes, the Tribes were able to resurrect the First Salmon ceremony, which had to be recreated from the memories of tribal elders.
When Your Hands are Tied: a not for profit educational film created to be freely distributed. This film explores the unique ways in which native youth are finding to express themselves in the contemporary world while maintaining strong traditional lives.
Pedagogy of the Land: a course taught by Dr. Celia Haig-Brown at the Faculty of Education in York University. This course explores indigenous understandings of the land as the first teacher.
In many Indigenous cultures, it is believed that there is a learning spirit inside each one of us. Elder Danny Musqua says, “Our spirit is said to be an internalized vehicle which we use to acquire knowledge around us through our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits, in a balanced way”.
We are all on a lifelong journey discovering and understanding what it is the learning spirit is here to accomplish. Knowing the learner’s path well, the learning spirit is drawn toward certain experiences and elements helping the learner to stay on track toward accomplishing life purpose.
As we are all part of creation, educators are encouraged to consider using an holistic approach to nurture learners’ learning spirits. An holistic approach honours the second principle for creating a healthy Aboriginal Focus School: addressing the needs of a whole person. A whole person is someone who is able to balance his/her spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual capabilities in relation to both inside and outside of him/herself.
When learning spirits are nurtured, learners are able to develop their “heart, face, and foundation” (Anuik, Battiste, & Geroge, 2010). The heart represents the passion for fulfilling life purposes, the face is to know who we are and where we come from, and the foundation is the skills needed to support the passion and accomplish the purpose of the life journey.
In this video, Elders share their notions of learning in their own language. They describe the cultural contexts that enable Aboriginal learners to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that improve their lifelong learning:
Learn More: Resources
Nourishing the Learning Spirit Resources: This report explores the issues and practices of how a learning can be supported lifelong to nourish the learning spirit.
Marie Battiste: What is the Learning Spirit?: In this video, Marie Battiste describes Elders’ teachings about the learning path and the guides or learning spirits that can help learners, what happens when the learning environment is damaging, and how to nourish the learning spirit.
Understanding Circle of Courage teachings (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 1990) can help us to know how to create a safe and welcoming community for everyone. The Circle of Courage identifies four fundamental needs of all children: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity.
The Spirit of Belonging: The universal longing for human bonds is cultivated by relationships of trust so that the child can say, “I am loved”.
The Spirit of Generosity: Character is cultivated by concern for others so that the child can say, “I have purpose for my life.”
The Spirit of Mastery: The inborn thirst for learning is cultivated; by learning to cope with the world, the child can say, “I can succeed.”
The Spirit of Independence: Free will is cultivated by responsibility so that the child can say, “I have the power to make decisions.”
When a community recognizes a set of shared values and strives to achieve it, all will benefit from it. Here is an example of the Circle of Courage being incorporated into the philosophy of a class of 28 grade five and six students in Alexander Ferguson School in Calgary, Alberta. On their blog, Life in Room Eight – A Sharing of Our Learning, the class reflected on the teaching of the Circle of Courage after the classroom was vandalized (See February 25, 2008 post entitled “Turning a bad story into a good story”, which includes the teacher’s introduction and links to student podcasts.)
Another example is Lake Bonavista Elementary School , which is located in the southeast quadrant of the Bonavista community in Calgary, Alberta. This school adopts Circle of Courage as a framework for their teaching, learning, and living. The website shares examples of how the class works together to act on each principle of the Circle.
Bringing nature into the pedagogy and curriculum of a school is critical for the health of the students and the community as a whole. There is reciprocity in our relationship with nature. As we nurture, so shall we be nurtured.
One example of bringing nature into the pedagogy and curriculum of a school is through community garden projects that stress regaining food sovereignty and traditional food practices and learning how to nurture nature is one way to “restore a sense of well-being and interconnectedness with the rest of creation” (Waziyatawin, For Indigenous Eyes Only: A Decolonization Handbook, 2005, p. 78).
This video documents an Indigenous community in Peru where the chacras or gardens are at the core of family and community life; the gardens are used in the curriculum and pedagogy of the community school:
Learn More: Resources
Indigenous Food Systems Network: “The Indigenous Food Systems Network Website was developed by the WGIFS to allow individuals and groups involved with Indigenous food related action, research, and policy reform to network and share relevant resources and information.”
Start a School Food Garden: This comprehensive resource from the BC government provides practical information for a school garden project including possible community partners, policy information, research and success stories.
Many Indigenous kinship systems follow the extended-family model, which strives to make sure that every child is raised by many mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, aunties and uncles. Elder Ella Deloria says, “Be related, somehow to everyone you know”. Children are taught to relate themselves to people who they see regularly and children are shown great respect when they reciprocate the love and care received from their extend-families.
Why is it important to relate oneself to another? Relating to and treating others as related creates powerful bonds that nurture a sense of belonging, motivate people to show respect and concern for others, and to live a life with purpose.
Within the Aboriginal Focus school, building an extended family-community can be realized in many different ways. Some of the ideas we discussed as a class include bringing Elders into the school in meaningful and appropriate ways, including parental involvement in the classroom and school, and connecting to community Aboriginal organizations.
This video by Invert Media (a Canadian Aboriginal media group) documents a program that connects urban Aboriginal youth with Elders in a cultural education program:
Learn More: Resources
Siem Smun’eem Indigenous Child Welfare Research Network is an organization that helps to connect people with resources and Indigenous research projects that have been meaningful and effective for various communities. The Network offers Community Training Sessions that were developed in collaboration with local community members, including Elders, youth, practitioners and researchers, as a forum to share and develop strategies to protect and nurture our children, families and communities. They provide an opportunity for relationship and skill building for Indigenous people working within Indigenous child welfare research and practice:
Our hope is that participants will be able to use these teachings and share them with others. In the future, we would like to mentor community members in Indigenous research so communities can do the work they need with their own people to re-story, re-name and re-claim re-search for and by Indigenous communities.
