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talking circle

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Thanks for all the great insights into our discussion

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I like what was mentioned in regards to the idea that "Interconnectedness" is the core of Indigenous education. I think teachers tend to assume that by talking about Indigenous trauma, they are doing the work to include Indigenous knowledge in the classroom. I think it's important to reference the dangers of intolerance BUT Indigenous trauma is not Indigenous education.

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While Indigenous peoples lost their sense of culture through the school system and assimilatory policies, the points discussed about a cultural disconnect that people of other backgrounds experience makes me wonder if the school system and the Canadian notion of a multicultural mosaic have contributed to a cultural disconnect among non-Indigenous peoples as well.

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It is really interesting to think about the lack of connection to a culture for many people from"western/settler" backgrounds and their inability to recognize the trauma that Indigenous people experience by being stripped of their traditions and culture.

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I can agree to Carrie's point about the people who say horrible things about Indigenous peoples. I had a coworker who said something so horrible after the 215 bodies were found in Kamloops. She said something along the lines of "Kids die everyday. Who cares. Get over it. I'm happy to have a holiday. I wanted to erupt. I wanted to tell the private school I worked for and get her fired. But those things don't accomplish anything. She needs to LEARN and reflect. its so hard when people are ignorant.

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I can relate to having people in my life who are closed minded and don't understand the history that Canada has with Indigenous Peoples. It is hard to get through to those individuals, but like Robert said with his brother, it can take 10 years to finally get to the realization.

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How do we connect meaningfully with Indigenous content in the classroom without resorting to Stereotypes or relying solely on the few Indigenous people in the school or district to teach or educate our students on Indigenous ways.

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I think that if we avoid important conversations for fear of "offending" Indigenous peoples then we will never unlearn and relearn. I think it's important to begin to just listen and have conversations or else change will never happen

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I thought it was super interesting what Alex said about feeling like she doesn't understand that loss of culture because she feels like she doesn't know her own. On the other hand I feel very connected to my culture but I'm still unaware of how that kind of loss would feel. While I have felt that some of my culture has been changed during world war 2 I don't feel like it was as much of a loss

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As uncomfortable as it may be, we have to confront our truths and the reality of where we are. There is so much unlearning that needs to take place. The ignorance has been so deeply ingrained in us from an early age of the true history of Indigenous peoples. We have to start somewhere, be open, and empathetic.

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I can relate to Alex. I don't know my culture other than a few countries that ancestors are from. I have been told that there may be Indigenous connection but nobody knows for sure. I often wonder if this is why I am so drawn to the outdoors where I can find an inner peace.

It is hard to speak with people that are close minded and not willing to listen to 'truth'. Within family and friend circles this is often the issue.

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I completely agree with Alex's earlier statement about how Indigenous peoples are not obligated to educate us. It's important to acknowledge that it's alright to not know something, but it's also necessary to be open to learning it and taking the initiative to figure out how you might learn more.

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I connected with what Alex shared- we can not expect Indigenous people to educate everyone on how they feel and what they have been through as it is hard for them to have to relive the trauma repeatedly to only educate people in the hopes of people understanding them. It would especially hurt to share your emotions, traumas, and be vulnerable with someone who can not understand. It is important for us to take on the responsibility to educate ourselves. I think just as young children learn new information and concepts and go home to share with their families we need to take that step as well. If we have people in our families that are closed off or ignorant, as their family members, we have the ability to expose them to new information that I think is pushed under the rug. Canada is supposed to be a multicultural country that is expected to be accepting and open to all views and cultures but I don't think it really is. Kids in the school system are taught about totem poles and given colouring sheets which is so surface level. The injustices faced are never exposed. Today, the reserves are not receiving clean water and yet a lot of people don't know about this. We all believe people are given this basic human right especially here in Canada but it isn't true.

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I can relate to Carrie and Alex on their points about being disconnected to their cultures. Especially with Carrie's point of wanting to be immersed into other cultures and fill up the culture shaped hole that is lacking in our lives. Similar to Fiona and Alex's points, it is important for us to take initiative in our own learning and not rely on other people teaching us. We need to look at loss of culture from a holistic perspective so that we are not looking from one view point based out of a textbook but from from all view points. This way we can gain a deep understanding and become better and empathetic learners and educators.

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If we are going to move forward we have to be willing to have tough conversations and understand and own what we know and what we don't know. Alex's point resonates with me that change happens when we begin to educate ourselves and further unlearn/re-storying.

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I can relate to trying to connect to my culture. It would be difficult to unlearn, reflect, and recognize. I agree with beginning to learn and be honest with self

Definitely can relate to the disconnect of Canada and Indigenous peoples and how it shapes others perception of Canada

The longing for Culture is so real for many of us. The connection with Indigenous peoples and how they fought to practice their culture makes it that much richer and appreciated.

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Something I can relate to is people in my life who don't realize the importance of Indigenous history. The recent finding of all the bodies in residential schools throughout the country has sparked some sort of empathy and compassion but it is limited to that. It takes a lot of active learning and unlearning to gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous history.

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I think it’s important not to expect Indigneous people to do the work educating us to fuel our lessons and teachings but, I think we need to also avoid falling into a “white saviour” mentality. Indigneous people know their people, Indigenous people know how to heal, how to reconcile. They have been curating resources and sharing knowledge for years (including the steps to action etc.). It’s not up to us to create solutions to save the Indigneous identity- it's up to us to step back and amplify the voices and the teachings they have been trying to share for years and years.

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I also connected to the idea of being a "perfect stranger" because it was easier to state that "I didn't know anything" than being aware of the fact that I have been taught by dominant discourses, which may have created a stereotypical understanding in my mind. I need to reflect on my current understanding and what I have been taught, no matter how minimal, in order to unpack the history rather than trying to approach learning as a blank slate.

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I can relate to wanting to connect with my culture. Starting with conversations is important jump of point to begin the process of unlearning and relearning of Indigenous peoples. Understanding that many canadians are disconnected from their culture as well provides a place where we can all build this knowledge together.

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I find myself reflecting on Robert's point about Canada's multiculturalism and homogeneity. I think even though multiculturalism is supposedly a celebration of difference, it's obvious that not everyone is willing to accept these differences. Perhaps multiculturalism has failed us - many non-white Canadians resort to assimilating themselves to Canadian culture, warned not to disturb it rather than proactively contribute to it.

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I appreciate that Alex brought up the point that it is not the job of Indigenous folks to educate us. This is emotionally exhausting work and we need to take the initiative to do some learning ourselves.

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Like Carrie, I can find it difficult to approach people who are so ingrained in modern stereotypes about Indigenous culture, from a place of compassion - but it is so important to do so. People don't learn when they feel threatened so I am working on meeting people where they are at, giving them time, and believing the best in others despite the biases they operate under.

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I totally resonate with the fear of expressing my family's tradition because I also hesitate that saying something, others may think my family tradition is weird. How Canada is trying to assimilate everyone to just one, I know I am not knowledgeable enough about the Aboriginal People's experiences, but I know their feelings of fear to express their identity.

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I really related to the discussion when they said they fear about potentially offending Indigenous Peoples by doing colouring sheets. I also felt uncomfortable because I thought it would be an insult to their respective cultures if I as a non indigenous person imitate their traditional art. I have seen many “totem pole art” being completed in class and I would like to learn how I can respectively teach Indigenous forms of art with consideration to their culture

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I've been in those similar situations with individuals who take a conversation that is meant to be informative and educational and turn it to being racist and uncomfortable. How we navigate those situations can be challenging but also necessary to help change the thought and also accepting it won't happen overnight. The effort to learn has to be the foundation.

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I agree and appreciate Alex's point about where it is not the Indigenous people's job to educate us, explain themselves to us but, rather it is our job to be educated and acknowledge them first. Growing up in a culture where transmission of knowledge was the main way of teaching, I think I thought about Indigenous people/education in the same way. I didn't think it was my job to be educated but was waiting to be educated, waiting for Indigenous people to speak for themselves but as Alex explained, Indigenous people are not obligated to explain their identity to us.

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I appreciate the talking circle and agree and resonate with much of what was said.
I think that there is so much to learn from indigenous people and that there is so much to be offered to us and we need the willingness to learn the ways and unlearn what we have been taught, which has a lot of the time be negative.

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I appreciate the suggestion to bring into our future classrooms the principles of learning from the specific First Nation whose traditional territory the school is built-upon. This would be helpful for students to understand the diversity of Indigenous histories, languages, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs.

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Alex mentioned how it could be hard to understand such a mass loss of culture when coming from a background where nothing similar has occurred. I feel like that is an interesting perspective as to why some people may have such ignorance. Understanding where people are coming from may help to educate.

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I appreciated what Carrie said about feeling out of touch with culture, and I felt like I could relate to that. I remember growing up, it was celebrated by my mom that i couldn't speak my family's language and that I could only speak English. To this day, i can't really speak my family's language that well and neither can my mom.

"All my relations" is something that I was thinking about in relation to my relationship with Indigenous Peoples. I grew up (and am still unlearning) the idea of "us and them".

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How can we sustain deep conversations about truth and reconciliation in regards to Indigenous Peoples? So that we don't recycle the idea that cultural issues (e.g., generational trauma, around residential schools or the Indian Act) should "stay in the past" ?

P.s., I read Richard Wagamese's Embers book, it was life-changing!

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I can resonate with Carrie along the lines of not really knowing our own culture or identity. I think it is an important place to start and reflect from within.