Taylor’s Top Ten Treaty-Ed Teachings

Teachings to follow as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow.

How did I do on the alliteration?

For my final ECCU 400 project I have made a top ten list to highlight my main enlightenments over the course of this class. A lot of what we discussed was not new knowledge for me, but I believe that when exploring topics of justice and marginalization it is always good to be reminded, and to be open to looking at things in new perspectives, and this class certainly delivered that. PS – If you see links, please look at them and just skim the blog articles. I don’t expect you to seriously read all that is mentioned here!

I promised myself I would be to the point to keep this more effective. KGO.

Indigenous issues were in the past – BUT THEY ARE ALSO IN THE PRESENT.

To count them only as historical grievances means avoiding fixing the injustices going on today. Think in contemporary terms. We need to act now, not just learn about it in history books. Horrible reserve conditions, missing and murdered children and women, blatant and systemic racism – it is all here, and very close to home.

Kindness is important in achieving goals for justice.

Pam Palmater did not talk, in her speech, about raising pitchforks and going after racists. She talked about the importance of a “good old fashioned apology”. The gentleman at the Legislative building did not ask us to take up arms and go in guns ablazing. He asked for awareness of the issues we face, and to pass it on to others. Even Angela Davis, although she talked about things as radical as getting rid of policing as we know it, was calm and rational through all of her speaking. She expressed how, to help women overall, we need to reach down and offer hands to those of us who are lower on the triangle hierarchy of power right now, to truly break the ceiling of patriarchy. I have learned from people (the greatest resources) this semester that self-care, advocating for those who are marginalized, and personally seeking and offering ways to help, are good ways to approach social justice, and too, reconciliation. And don’t confuse kindness with passivity and inaction – you can act, but you can act with kindness. You can show strength in kindness. I do talk about scenarios where I understand when using force to demand rights is best – after all, some people have been trying peace for years and it has not gotten them anywhere.

However, if we are in a position of privilege to talk with other privileged peoples about changing mindsets, I think kindness is a first, because is our end goal a world of hatred, or a world of love? I find that getting angry is so tiring and draining, spiritually. I would rather seek my inner power from positive sources, live love, laughter, and art. I expect many oppressed peoples would like to feel this way, too – but can’t, because they need to fight a daily fight to be treated as equal.

We need to hold people accountable when it comes to oppression or ignorance of any kind.

State facts, don’t attack personally, but defend why someone’s behavior is racist in a certain moment. Point it out, don’t let it pass. Angela Davis holds people accountable – for example when she said that YOU, as a man, might not demean women behind closed doors, but as a man who wants equal rights you still have a duty to call ANY OTHER MEN out on acting that way. If you aren’t going to be a teacher, a voice to counteract the hate, nobody is going to learn. And it isn’t going to be easy. I have begun honest (and messy) conversations with family about racism. I am starting to realize moreso who to keep in my life that will push me further, and those who will hold me back if I give them the chance. Some other situations where I have learned firsthand the power of being accountable: the bake sale “pressure” at the ReconciliACTION event to go beyond passively throwing in money, to actively educating myself on a topic; and the day with the Justice for Our Stolen Children Camp where I saw Angela’s propositions be put into practise.

Find personal connections and hold on to them to help you relate.

I talk in this blog about the personal perspectives that I bring to the haunting past (and present) of residential school abuse. I am a person who believes that pain is pain, and to compare levels of pain and “whose is worse” does not get either person healing. The more we can relate to it and see… “You are suffering through something, just like I suffered through something, and this is how I felt” the more I believe we can heal together and help one another. This is why I have to nod along when survivors say that they find healing in sharing their stories to people who can listen (and understand and sympathize). I also understand how vulnerable those survivors must feel sharing stories to a large number of people who deny that residential schools were a cultural and physical genocide, and claim people are milking it. Do these people even realize how cold it is to judge another person’s grief on a scale of importance? All trauma and grief is heartbreaking, and requires love and support to overcome.

Follow the news.

CBC: Unreserved, CBC: Indigenous, APTN. Particularly, news from a marginalized group about a certain group. Follow diverse news, not just what pops up on your Facebook feed (yikes!) Yes, stories about Indigenous peoples will make it into mainstream news, but are not going to give you the most comprehensive and accurate understanding of their culture and current issues. When I asked Sylvia Smith what I could do, this was her best advice, and still is. News is not static – it is not one single webpage of “Indigenous Peoples Facts” that can be current today, and outdated tomorrow. The news is evolving and growing, just as we the people are. And most importantly, make sure you are balancing bad news with good news. If all you have heard about is how the government is failing Indigenous peoples (they are and I do not want to undermine the tragedy of this) you will need a pick me up – so read about the wonderful contemporary Indigenous cultures in Canada. Read about a local and recent powwow, or a reconciliation art contest and its winners. If you look for it, you will find it, and it will help you realize how strong and beautiful Indigenous peoples are.

Find your niche – your purpose.

You can support everything reconciliation based but if you find a particular passion – follow it as far as it will take you. As Ann Perry says you may not make a lot of friends – but in the end, I think you will make ones that count. I have been talking with my mom at length about this gentleman who is raising awareness and encouraging discussion about justice and reconciliation. She told me, “You know, people say he needs to get a job – but what he is doing right now is his purpose in life.” She thinks it is an important purpose and that he should be honoured, after he has left, by having the teepee remain as a community meeting place. She also thinks there should be a plaque in Wascana honouring what was done there. I am proud of my mama for thinking of something I didn’t even think of. I am happy that Prescott has found a purpose and is touching so many lives.

Do the “little things” that add up.

Write a letter to the PM. Go to Reconciliation or any kind of social justice workshops. Go to powwows. Take opportunities, make time for opportunities. I helped take a man home in a blizzard, and my perspectives on what little things and big things are changed considerably. I was going to buy hand soap that day, and instead I helped a man find shelter. It took 30 minutes out of my day. Little thing or a big thing – you decide. I have had so many great opportunities for learning because of this class – when I went to the museum I was sorely disappointed with the material BUT, once again, people are the best to learn from. I walked through the museum with a young Cree boy and an older relative, and he taught him “amisk”. I (being snoopy) asked what that meant and he replied, “It is beaver, in Cree.” It always pays to ask – how I know the local name of my favourite wild creature!!

Read Chelsea Vowel.

I really have to say no more. Just read Chelsea Vowel. Here is her online blog, and buy Indigenous Writes. She speaks with a passion for social justice that many people may write off as snarky, but she speaks the truth and everything she says I have to nod along to. My favourite thing I have read from her is in Indigenous Writes, when she suggests that, if we are not happy with how we are referred to in English terms (settler, Caucasian, non-Indigenous, white, etc.) we should look up what we would be called in a local Indigenous language. This incited anger in me as I realize “No, I want to be called by a name of my choosing” yet she is pointing out how this is essentially what colonial settlers have done to marginalized groups for centuries – choose their own names, for a different group of people.

If you are going to be in it, be in it. Show integrity.

For example, Prescott highlighted a serious issue when he said that all of the fancy “modern” institutions are doing land claims, acknowledging and “honouring” they are located on traditional First Nations land. But as soon as First Nations peoples motion a want to actually make use of their rights, the people and their systems get nervous and oppositional, or dig their heels in. I think I have done a good job showing integrity this class.

Navigate carefully the waters of cultural appropriation. If you like Indigenous art, go and support Indigenous artists right from their independent shops. Put your money where your mouth is. Buy their art. Your money will make a difference in the lives of that Indigenous person and their families. As Pam Palmater says, if you want to help, tell us how: can we have land? Money? Time?

Pass on your experiences to your students. Inspire them.

Tell them your good stories, your heartbreaking stories – tell it all, and give them avenues to begin their own journeys. Show them 150 ways to reconcile. Explore the news with them. Take them to Indigenous cultural events, and yes, make sure they learn about the injustices being done to Indigenous peoples too. Check out Project of Heart with your students and teach them about things like Jordan’s Principle. As Sylvia Smith says, “Speak from the heart”, because everything else “You can flush.”

#thisisnottheend #thisisjustthebeginning

Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism (SCAR) – Camp Outside of the Leg Building

As I write my reflections, I will write with this important disclaimer: I will not include the name of the gentleman who shared his stories and purposes for doing this with us, and I will not include details of his personal stories.

This reasoning is twofold: Firstly, I understand the importance of privacy and that he may not want everything he shared with us to be shared with the whole world.

Second, I want to strongly encourage anyone who visits Regina, or especially who lives in Regina, to stop by and show your support to this gentleman, and the others who have been part of this camp. Even if you feel “on the fence” about Indigenous justice issues, I encourage you to ask to be invited in, sit down, open your ears, and listen. Give them an hour, and see how you feel coming out of that teepee. Be sure to sign the guest book!

When I got there at 3 pm on what looked to be a busy Thursday at the Legislative Building, I was greeted with a scene I knew I was likely to see. Banners highlighting the injustices done to youth in Saskatchewan. A tally board counting how many days the group has been camping. And a little makeshift village, a home away from home, with a sharp and deep purpose: To raise awareness for racism.

A gentleman came out, tall with long black hair, and he mentioned he was checking to see what was going on because he heard some talking. We talked a bit, I explained we were here as a University class and were wondering if he would be interested in sharing some stories with us. He agreed quickly, and that was that. Two hours later, and he had no shortage of things to tell us. I found myself able to relate, to have a dialogue where I could speak and ask questions too. I thanked him for his kindness and generosity, and he in turn thanked us for being here to tell his stories and thoughts to.

I assessed how much my prejudice had led me astray from the experience I was actually immersed in. When I got there, I thought that the protesters would be too busy in their own world to have time to talk to us. Boy, was I wrong. I also worried that, if they did talk to us, it would be off the walls radical, emotionally heated screaming, and so on, and they would hold us hostage until we agreed to be just as radical. Again, no. I had the misconception that they would not be socially-minded because they had been camping for 44 days not in their homes, but this entire event seems to have made them entirely socially-minded. People were coming and going to talk to them everyday, and also… my settler mindset was severely shaken up when he explained to us that he finds it funny that the media is saying “they (meaning him) are sleeping and living there illegally”, when so many big, fancy institutions (like the U of R) do land acknowledgements, honoring the traditional lands of First Nations peoples. Land is acknowledged and honoured, but when it comes time to actually “allow” Indigenous peoples to use their land – complications ensue. Ideas of private property and needing a home to be a fully-functioning human, are very colonial mindsets. How arrogantly ironic it is to (presumably be a settler, descended from many people who moved to a new country before arrangements were made with the original occupants of the country) tell an Indigenous person they are on some land “illegally”. This interesting situation is likely why the RCMP have not forcibly removed them from the spot.

So no. This gentleman was not ranting and raving. He was, however, very passionate about justice and about Indigenous traditions and ways of knowing being respected. He spoke in a calm, quiet, slow voice. He explained that this was an act to raise awareness – he wasn’t there to raise hell. He said there essentially is no end goal of camping there, no ultimatum to bargain with – if my understanding is correct, he just wants those in positions of power, in government structures, to begin to see from the other side.

The Legislative Building also has not come forward to talk to the campers. The explanation was that they need an invitation, and I laughed and exclaimed, before I could even think of the words coming out of my mouth, “Isn’t being here on your doorstep invitation enough?” The Legislative staff are likely wondering what political, formal agreements the campers want them to come to, when really, I think the campers just want them to acknowledge their humanity.

If we, a group of university students, can come into the teepee and listen to a new perspective for two hours – surely to god the staff at the Legislative building can bridge some connections, make a friendship or two, and seek understanding.

Some valuable things I took away from this was:

1. The sacred fire. Although it was freezing cold, we were toasty warm from this sacred fire which had been burning since they began camping there. He explained that the word for fire also mean’s a woman’s heart, in Cree.
2. Indigenous people are a commodity. I can honestly say I had never looked at it from this perspective before, but if you think about it – thousands of Indigenous children in child care services, in jails, and so on… They provide child care workers, prison guards, etc. jobs. It shouldn’t be that way. We should not need the amount of jobs that we currently have filled, in a better world in our future – sorry, prison guards and social workers.
3. There were 500 signatures signed in their guest book. I hope there will be over a thousand next month.
4. We participated in a smudging. Another person joined us in the teepee and was asked to smudge us. He asked to clarify that we were sober, and I believe that was new learning for some people – you cannot be smudged if you are under any kind of influence. You need to be clean.
5. Sometimes a hug works as the best thank you. I asked him if he was a hugger and we had a good hug before I left!

There was much more learning that went on – but you know what – you will just have to go there to find out!! The Legislative Building shouldn’t be too hard to find. And feel free to leave a comment if you have went, or decided to go after reading this blog.

 

Treaty Walk in the Village (OTV)

ECCU 400 (Treaties in the Classrooms) at our Treaty Walk in the Village event

As per a classmate’s request, I am going to write a bit about the reconciliation event that we did at Orange Tree Village on April 5!

I had initially approached this, in my mind, from an “I am going to impart knowledge onto you” perspective, but as soon as I was in the middle of it all, I realized that it was a very casual and conversational atmosphere, and that was the right way to do it. It was not going to be a one-sided lecture from anyone. I had some preservice teachers come up to my table and I handed out my adapted checklists on how to choose literature that promotes diversity and does not marginalize Indigenous peoples. They asked for lists and took photos, and I was so impressed and pleased with their active engagement!

We had backdrops and resources to help us with our presentations, but the most important resources in the room were the people – the guests and the presenters. The event was, in large part, a historically and continually privileged group of peoples asking many others in that same group to acknowledge that privilege and work to make the world a better place for marginalized groups. I had Indigenization resources to share, and another classmate set up right next to me with a project on White Privilege, which of course attracted a lot of interest, and I joined in on those conversations as well.

We had a range of reactions, from keen interest, to passing glances, to honest confusion and curiosity. I loved all of the conversations I had. First of all, I love meeting new faces and hearing perspectives, but I also liked that what we were doing meant something. We were entirely taking a stand and showing our beliefs in something – in justice for all people. I think a lot of people acted a bit quizzical because they thought that we (the collective we, of Canada) were further along than we actually are – but we are still at a point where we have to have teach-ins like this to highlight basic injustices being done! Most people, however, did seem knowledgeable on the subject, and were upset but not surprised at injustices being done. It was nice to see support and have some sense of hope that communities are moving forward in their mindsets to ones of social justice.

Out of all of the reactions we had, we did not have any people (that I am aware of) be openly angry and express digging their heels in on the approaches to reconciliation and treaty learning that we were proposing. I did however see an example of this when another ECCU400 class did their ReconciliACTION event at the University of Regina. Although I was not presenting, I did what I could to try to have a civil but enlightening conversation with the gentleman. As educators it was a good taste of what still may be to come as we navigate the waters of teaching social justice to young ones. Some people resist it and we need to know how to navigate it for everyone’s well being, including our own.

We managed to raise $40 from our bake sale, and donated money to the Camp: Justice for our Stolen Children, through the Sask Coaliation Against Racism, who is nearing 50 days of being camped outside of the Legislative Building. You can read more about the group by checking out their Facebook page. Their camping directly in front of the Legislative Building is bringing awareness to the injustices Indigenous peoples face right here in our province.

Thanks for listening, and if I can ask one thing of anyone who has read about this event and is curious what they too can do to help promote good treaty relations and reconciliation… Google “150 Acts of Reconciliation for Canada’s 150th” and begin your journey.

If you would like to check out more photos of our past event, visit our Facebook event group Treaty Walk in the Village.

Is it him or is it me? ~ Black Day in July, Gordon Lightfoot

I was listening to one of my favourite Canadian artists this morning: Gordon Lightfoot. My favourite song of his has always been “Black Day in July” referring to the Detroit riots of 1967. It had everything to do with racial tensions. I was reflecting this morning (“As you read the morning paper / and you sip your cup of tea”) about how this song is entirely appropriate in contemporary times, with the recent media explosion over Indigenous and white tensions.

In the mansion of the governor
There’s nothing that is known for sure
The telephone is ringing
And the pendulum is swinging
And they wonder how it happened
And they really know the reason
And it wasn’t just the temperature
And it wasn’t just the season

The printing press is turning
And the news is quickly flashed
And you read your morning paper
And you sip your cup of tea
And you wonder just in passing
Is it him or is it me

In the office of the President
The deed is done the troops are sent
There’s really not much choice you see
It looks to us like anarchy
And then the tanks go rolling in
To patch things up as best they can
There is no time to hesitate
The speech is made the dues can wait

And you say how did it happen
And you say how did it start
Why can’t we all be brothers
Why can’t we live in peace
But the hands of the have-nots
Keep falling out of reach

Oh, the power of white denial. It has not changed since the 1960s.

A few things tangled in my mind as I heard this song, and I knew I had to write a blog again to sort them out. First, I remembered what someone had asked at Pam Palmater’s speech – how the Indigenous communities have been remaining so “calm” in the face of the unfair verdict of Stanley’s trial, when in America there have been violent protests (in reaction to violent as well as systemic racism against Black people). The connection was thus drawn – there are racial tensions in SK, just as there are in America. I don’t think that as someone who has not felt racial oppression before, I can have a voice on which approach (peaceful or violent) is more appropriate. I can only say – I would vote whichever relieves the most oppression and gets the most attention for change. If peace isn’t working, where else is there to go?

I also thought of a frustrating and frightening experience I had while at one of the #reconciliACTION tables in Audrey’s ECCU 400 section, last Monday the 26^th. A man who referred to himself as a biker asked to be helped to some coffee, so the ladies helped him. As he was sipping his coffee he decided to very openly, and with a lot of repetition, tell us that he is sick of the media portraying First Nations peoples as the victims and that farmers should have the right to protect their property. (Keep in mind their table had to do with teaching about residential schools. He chose this space to open race dialogue, and not in favor of Indigenous peoples.)

I reminded him (even though I was not part of this table – I was there that day as a concerned citizen interacting with the seminar providers) that a man died, and why are you debating the crimes of theft when there is a larger crime at hand first? He could not get the logic and deflected to a story about a First Nations man who allegedly “pulled the race card” to get attention and reward after being harassed and followed at Giant Tiger. (He also was guilty of mansplaining – I had to ask him several times to stop talking because he was repeating his point and not letting me speak, showing he really had not come for a dialogue but rather a preach session).

And so I am led to these powerful words: “You wonder, just in passing / is it him or is it me?”

“Just in passing” is a powerful inclusion of lyrics, because as white settlers, we have to CHOOSE to put energy into this. We can also think about it and then drop it and go back to our lives and non-racial-related problems. If people are even claiming “I don’t know why this is a big deal, First Nations should stop whining” that takes effort. That is ignorance and racism.

People who are oppressed, Indigenous communities who still do not have equal human rights – they cannot choose. Obstacles have been placed on them. They do not think of this “in passing” – it is their day to day lives they are living.

What I had wanted to tell this man, but couldn’t find the words to speak, is: Your attitude is what the majority of European settlers in SK have had for the last two hundred years. Has it gotten us (meaning collectively – ALL cultures and backgrounds included) anywhere good? Do you not think we should try another approach? People hear situations like Boushie’s tragic death and they want to point fingers and say it was him, or her, or them.

I wonder what it would take for people in Saskatchewan to point that finger inward, and go: Maybe it is me? Maybe I need to approach this with an angle of sympathy, and desire for real change that results in real, changed racial relations. Maybe I need to start by apologizing, instead of expecting someone else to. And as white people, we have a lot less to lose by apologizing – if you choose to think of it in terms of power lost.

For an Indigenous person to (wrongfully) apologize for any of this, would be to accept their oppression and further push others into it. For a white person to apologize, it means: Hey. We are willing to share and learn.

Be the “bigger man”, Saskatchewan.

We have racism in Saskatchewan. It is alive and well. Admit it.

5: Pam Palmater on How to Reconcile the Right Way

Pam Palmater – “If It Feels Good, It’s Not Reconciliation”

It was a privilege and honour to listen to Dr. Pam Palmater speak at the 2018 Woodrow Lloyd Lecture. I encourage anyone who has not seen this speech, to click above and at least have it going in the background as you go about your day. And, although you may be working on something else, let those words in. What she says has incredible power, and these words need to make their way into everyone’s homes.

Everyone has to care.

She is called on as an expert in front of UN committees. She has worked with the Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International. It would be an understatement to say… she knows her stuff. Her commitment to social justice and human rights is admirable to me, but leads to heartbreak, because to me, the first thing I think of is – she is giving her all, while so many people do nothing. I immediately think of one of my favourite quotes which you can read below.

I have faith that, in time, I will do my part. The one thing I need to remember NOT to do, is… nothing.

The Best Apology, as told by Dr. Palmater:

• Is NOT a skirting-around-the-issue, “sorry to offend you” written or spoken apology
• IS listening to the victim
• IS accepting the harm you caused as fact
• IS saying I am sorry, if you truly are
• IS promising to change behavior
• IS changing behavior, and making amends (fix it – do it over)
  • For example, replacing a lunch you stole
• IS maintaining a relationship

I connected to this in a deep way as an elementary school teacher, because mistakes and hurt feelings are inevitable with little people. My co-op teacher during internship told me something that continues to stick with me:

The best apology is changed behavior (not just empty words – “I am sorry”).

Also, my boss at a daycare I worked at told me something else, about being a survivor and self-advocating instead of being a victim:

If someone says “Sorry”, do not reply: “That is okay” because what they did was NOT okay. Say “I accept your apology” (if you are at a point where you do).

Canada is guilty of cultural AND physical and biological genocide.

According to definitions brought about in the UN, there is no argument of this. It is fact. If you are still debating this, you are in no position to enter into reconciliation and you need to spend more time discovering yourself, and listening to stories of those affected.

Sixties Scoop? More like 1950s – Present Day Scoop

For some reason people focus on the 60s as “the time” when kids were taken from their families and sent to live with the “saviour” white settler families. In reality, it has never ended – and there we go again, talking about things in the past so we can distance ourselves from it, instead of accepting the fact that nothing has changed.

I got the most shivers from this entire speech when she said “When people tell me why don’t we just get over it – OK, STOP DOING IT!”

This also made me think of my own personal connections with abuse. These personal connections, I believe, are what have made me so quickly drop my white fragility and adopt a mindset of allyship and understanding.

There is nothing worse, when you are in a position of grieving or trauma, to be told to “get over it”. As a survivor, do you really not think that if we really believed we had the choice to get over it, we would? The best thing a bystander can do is ask “How can I help you heal?” but never to give a person “the directions” to heal, because we all heal in different ways. To “get over it”, to actually take someone’s advice and stop discussing the trauma, would be essentially to deny anything happened and bury it. This takes the burden off of the abuser, which is grossly unfair, because the abuser deserves that burden. And things that get buried eventually get dug up, and are more rotten than ever. But I have seen this happen – I see bystanders who tell victims to “get over it” and therefore side with the abuser instead of the victim.

Likely not because the bystanders want to be abusive, but because those bystanders are not (yet) strong enough to be vulnerable and supportive.

And so I can understand (while entirely not agree with) how Canada is doing this, but on a much larger scale.

I love how Pam Palmater stressed the idea that if you, as a white person, want to help family issues going on in Indigenous communities – bring your supports TO THEM. Bring  counselling, resources to the communities. Do not take kids out of their communities, away from their equally important family supports, and make them feel like there is no chance of restoring the family relations because “now they will be with a more caring, proper, healthy white family”.

Another thing I loved was how Pam Palmater listed very tangible things we as settlers can do immediately to act for reconciliation:

• Stop commemorating “history days” where horrible things happened to Indigenous peoples (… duh)
• Support Indigenous peoples and make it clear to them how you can support them
  • Give your time? Volunteer your time for reconciliation activities in the public
  • Give your money? Buy Indigenous artwork, support Indigenous business, but buy it right from the Indigenous peoples who own it (know exactly where your money is going, and that it isn’t indeed going to settler organizations)
  • Give your land? Get involved in the land reclamation process

 

4 The Good: Indigenization at U of R

Click here to listen to my rushed “reporting” of the TEDx Talk before all of the good thoughts slipped my brain!

I wasn’t quite done and finish my reflections here.

Today I want to share three things that have been bouncing around in my mind. First, I went to two public speaking events

• URSU’s “Let Your Inner Out” with Margaret Trudeau as keynote speaker (Feb 9)
• TEDx Talks with Pastor Dr. Meehan (Feb. 11)

Both were not advertised to be about Indigenous issues, but still included Indigenous discussions and/or perspectives, and so I give both of those two events two big thumbs up for pushing the U of R towards indigenization and reconciliation.

The first night was an incredible speech from Margaret Trudeau on mental health. However, before she spoke, it was acknowledged that we are on Treaty 4 and 6 land, and a Chief introduced Indigenous dancers. He said:

“To dance is to pray, and to pray is to heal.”

An Indigenous perspective on mental health was offered, and was simple but clear and beautiful in its message.

A predicament here was that I have photos of the Indigenous dancers who performed, but the chief who introduced them – I did not know his name! He was announced but I could not remember his name or the Nation he is from (although I remember him saying he is a new chief – 18 months in – of the largest reservation on Treaty 4 land with about 4000 people). He was funny but I could also tell he is very wise and compassionate.

Thankfully I checked my chicken scratch notes I had written down and I saw “Kadniss” (this is showing I am learning to be more conscious, mindful, and paying attention to detail when I am listening to Indigenous issues) and Googled it and I found his name. He is Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowesses First Nation.

Unfortunately I did not get the names of all of the dancers, and am disappointed there is not a news article discussing this incredible night that was had! What I did gather is that one of the dancers is a business student, born in Onion Lake, and there were two dancers from what I believe is Peepeekisis First Nation.

I think a very important reflection I have had over the last couple of days, on my treaty walk, is that it isn’t enough to know the concepts – to just know worldviews, to know current issues, to know about colonization. We need to learn the names of the people who are making a difference in Indigenous peoples’ lives (leaders, healers, teachers) and are part of the reconciliation process, right now. Also – as Dr. John Meehan (a Catholic Priest out of Campion College here on campus) says – we need to truly LISTEN to “the other”. Whether that means that as white people we need to listen to Indigenous peoples, or straight people need to listen to LGBTQ+ individuals, or men need to listen to women…

Ears need to be opened and mouths need to be closed.

It isn’t good to decide you hate someone (or even that you like them) or what they stand for, before you have sat down with them and gotten to hear their side(s) of the story.

Example A, that I gave to a friend as we were walking out of the TEDx talk tonight: I hear so many white people saying “all those Natives ever do is complain”. Okay, racism of that kind of statement aside… You cannot express your resentment towards whoever happens to be complaining, and earn any respect from me, until you have been invited into an Indigenous person’s house, sat down with them, asked them why they are complaining, and listened with an open mind. It should be further said that one can’t make a truly informed decision based on one story alone. Educate yourself, meet different Indigenous peoples – see the other side, before sharing your (likely prejudiced and ill-informed) side to them and others. It is hard to be vulnerable, I get that. But I also know how hard it is to make truly meaningful relationships when you live in ignorance.

I have shared my thoughts on the TEDx talk in some voice clips that you can access at the top of this page. To clarify more on one point – I do not like that the TEDx introductions:

A) did not include a land acknowledgement (the speaker had obvious references to Indigenous peoples planned in his speech – so why was a land acknowledgement not prepared?) and

B) did not refer to Indigenous peoples when all of the nations that are “under this roof” were listed. Perhaps there were no Indigenous peoples but I find that hard to believe – I believe they were lumped in as Canadians when, as Chelsea Vowel reminds us, not all Indigenous people want to be referred to as such. For my thoughts, now, on the devastating outcome of the Colten Boushie trial… click here.

 

3: Exploring my Personal Connections to Indigenous cultures

    

Take a look above. In the top collage, I found 14 posters of Indigenous-related material around half of the campus (possibly less, closer to 11 or 12 – I believe I also included other posters that were not Indigenous-based but just inclusion-based). In the bottom collage, I found 11 in the Education building alone (actually 12 – there was an introduction to Indigenous drumming class advertised in the TPC as well that I did not get a photo of!) It is clear where Indigenizing is valued and where it is not. Read more below.

Building Connections and Learning Firsthand

I have recently become friends with a Métis man since returning to Regina. I discussed the smudging we experienced in ECCU with him, to which he replied, without hesitation, that he could arrange to have me join a smudging any time. The overwhelming sense of pride and welcomeness I feel when I discuss anything Indigenous with him I am so humbled by. He also explained to me that in the South he hears older Indigenous individuals with cultural wisdom referred to more as “the old ones” by Métis people around him, whereas the further North you go, the more they tend to adopt First Nations vocabulary (like “Elder”). I think the best way to learn about Indigenous issues, culture and ways of knowing are to go straight to the source. Listening to people like Chelsea Vowel, and my friend who is Métis, are firsthand sources and it isn’t like playing “telephone” listening to a non-Indigenous person’s interpretation of something as it is passed down the line. I am an outgoing person who is curious, loves to ask questions, and generally gets along with people – so I have lots of faith that I will continue to broaden and deepen my treaty understandings and Indigenous ways of knowings my continuing on this path of talking to people firsthand.

I also can not help but reflect on how ignorant I feel, that I had no idea where SUNTEP was on campus, and even what it is all about. It is a teacher education program for Métis and First Nations teachers, from the Gabriel Dumont Institute. I am happy that I am learning this now – better late than never.

Exploring Campus

After our professor Vivian prompted us to look for in-person events around the University or city of Regina (in place of missing the pipe ceremony last week) I decided to make a little project out of looking at posters. I was also reflecting on how this could possibly tie in to the lesson I will have to teach the class on Indigenization in education.

I decided to look all around the campus, but in one night was only able to cover the KIN building, ED building (3 levels), Riddell, all the way up to the classroom building. I would say I covered about half of the main floor of the campus.

I took photos of every poster I could find that explicitly (or through symbolism) mentioned something local and Indigenous-related. Initially this was to keep track of events I could go to, but soon I found myself wondering – how visible are Indigenous issues in our University? And I took photos of activities that did not suit me to attend, as well. My plan is to have a collage of all of the photos I took in and out of the Ed building, shortly.

My main findings were that Indigenous-related posters and symbolism were incredibly prevalent in the Education building. There was usually more than one Indigenous-related poster on each bulletin board, there were (what I assume to be) Cree words on plaques on the walls, and all four corners of the building had clear representation. I would feel safe in claiming the Education building to be “Indigenized” because, not only are there posters up, there are actual Indigenous events held between the walls of the building. For example there is a meeting later in February where people can learn how to drum! There are smudgings and pipe ceremonies held on campus.

Sadly, I became aware that this Indigenization dropped considerably when I left the Ed building. Outside of the Ed building, elsewhere on campus, there was probably one poster per every 2 or three bulletin boards. It lost the authenticity of feeling like a space where Indigenous contemporary culture and issues were valued. I never consciously realized this before (because as a person with white privilege I could see my cultures reflected and often did not have to go so far as thinking about “other” cultures) but I managed to make the implicit, or the hidden curricula, more explicit and eye-opening. And now I can better understand why some Indigenous people may not feel welcomed in the University overall (let alone the city itself).

 

1: miskâsowin & tâpwêwin (origin & truth)

Hello, and thanks for reading my first official blog post for ECCU 400! This first week has to do with origin and truth – where do we come from (not just physically, but in terms of our biases and experiences in the world) and what do we know as of this moment to be true? I will attempt to answer some of these blog prompts to be the best of my knowledge, to give you some insight into who I am as a person and how I fit into the opportunity to learn about treaties and Indigenous ways of knowing.

Where is home for you? Wherever I feel comfortable and happy. Swift Current (particularly at the Lyric Theatre), outside in nature, and most recently in my new apartment in Regina.
What makes it home for you? [boundaries/borders]? I am a person who likes to push boundaries in all respects, so my idea of home is no exception. I have little physical boundaries on where home is. I do have a strong pull to say my “homiest home” is Swift Current in the house I have grown up in for 21+ years, simply because it is the place I know best and have the most happy memories within and around.
Did school feel like home, how so or why not? In elementary school I would not say it felt like home, but I know I appreciated and saw merit in a lot of the routines and structure from a young age and would often take pride in “teaching my mother the rules of the school”. I liked that there were practical reasons behind why we did things a certain way. In some respects, it did not feel like home though because sometimes the structure would rub me the wrong way. My mom often recalls that I loved science, but as soon as you put that label on it and CALLED it science… suddenly it was no longer “going fishing” or “exploring nature” but “documenting and over-analyzing and trying to understand what the teacher wanted me to get and the pressure for marks”, and I decided I hated it. I strive to make school a place that is fun, without stress (just healthy challenges), thereby making it feel more like home for the kids.

University has felt like home simply because I lived in the university in residence. I remember going days without leaving the building and I am quite certain I got cabin fever. Now, I have my own place and I cherish that separation. I am able to have my personal life and my academic life.

But Really… Who Am I And What Do I Know?

I see the world through this lens – I am a white woman who belongs in the LGBTQ+ community. I have Aboriginal peoples as family members and friends but the more I learn about culture, history, and contemporary Aboriginals issues the further I feel from have a “mastery” of it, and I think that is as it should be. People, cultures, cannot be “figured out”, but valuable wisdom about empathy, diversity, humility and compassion can always be gleaned. I love that Swift Current is beginning to evolve and Indigenize, just as Regina has. For example, when I hosted the Christmas Matinee at the Lyric Theatre this year, on my script the very beginning had me sharing that we live on Treaty 4 land and we shall honour those treaties as long as the sun shines, river flows and grass grows.

This is what I believe I know, and want to know, as of the beginning of taking this class:

This is just the beginning, and I am looking forward to this journey. As our professor Vivian has explained in class, we need to own our humbleness and explain to our kids that we are always in the process of learning more, just as they are.

ECCU 400 Current Events Reflection

What is Wrong in Regina?

I think this 2017 Maclean’s article by Jonathon Gatehouse is well worth the read on issues Indigenous peoples face not only in present-day, but literally in our backyard. I am still fairly new to Regina but ever since I moved here for University 2nd year I quickly became aware of the notorious “North Central” – however, not aware enough to know the actual perimeters of the neighbourhood. I had my prejudices challenged the other day and wanted to share with you all.

Over the past few days I have spent time up past Dewdney. I filled my car with gas there, did some shopping there, and did my laundry there (as my apartment building’s dryer was not working). I noticed there was a high visible Indigenous population there and also noticed on Google Maps that it said Piapot in-city Reserve. I was quite intrigued by this and so off I went. As I was driving home, however, I started to wonder if maybe I was in North Central. I Googled “North Central area” and lo and behold, I have been spending the last few days in North Central. The area looks old and tired and some of the people do look quite “on guard”, but I did not feel unsafe (albeit I was going in the daytime).

I know for sure that my prejudices from reading articles like this would have kept me out of the neighbourhood, so I am glad for my naivety that I never even thought of it, because I was able to immerse myself in the neighbourhood and realize there are some very kind and interesting people who live and work and go about their day in that neighbourhood, just like everywhere else.

This article is a must-read. I find it appalling that North Central is literally a big red blob on the crime and poverty radar, yet the city is not taking better steps to try to help the neighbourhood out. As the author points out, in a lot of ways it has not gotten better in ten years. This is not only an Indigenous issue, this is a Regina issue. I am curious to hear of peoples’ experiences and if there are any positive articles on progress going on in NC.