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kâniyâsihk Culture Camps at Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation

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kâniyâsihk Culture Camps at Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation

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Saskatchewan Culture Camps in our own backyard. Dr. Kevin Lewis promotes teaching from the land in Montreal Lake, SK. This is an opportunity for teachers and students to experience Indigenous culture first hand.

https://www.nccie.ca/story/kaniyasihk-culture-camps-at-ministikwan-lake-cree-nation/?lang=fr

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Within the last two decades, the kâniyâsihk Culture Camps at Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation have evolved from providing fall culture camps where participants took part in fishing and hide tanning to offering camps throughout all seasons and to anyone who wants to learn nehiyo (Cree) culture. Founder, Kevin Lewis explains that at kâniyâsihk Culture Camps participants take part in land-based learning that involves connecting with Elders, knowledge keepers, land keepers, medicine keepers, and berry pickers in their community. By sharing this wealth of knowledge with participants they begin to learn how to be self-sufficient and independent. Some of the many things done at camp include: learning Cree; harvesting plants for medicines; fishing and snaring; hide tanning; preserving moose, deer, elk, and fish; woodworking and building dog sleds, toboggans, birch bark canoes, snowshoes, and paddles; dog sledding; and participating in the Sun Dance, Sweat Lodge, and Chicken Dance ceremonies. The camp offers an immersive experience in nehiyo culture and Lewis hopes that more culture camps become available to people, especially for those living in urban areas.

Click here for more information about kâniyâsihk Culture Camps.

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kâniyâsihk Culture Camps at Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation - NCCIE

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Within the last two decades, the kâniyâsihk Culture Camps at Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation have evolved from providing fall culture camps where participants took part in fishing and hide tanning to offering camps throughout all seasons and to anyone who wants to learn nehiyo (Cree) culture.

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Land as teacher: understanding Indigenous land-based education

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What is Indigenous land-based education and what is it not? Four Indigenous voices from across the country share their insights on what it means to them, why it’s important for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples, and how it can support reconciliation efforts in Canada.

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I Can & Outcome Statements, inclusive of Treaty Education Outcomes

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I Can & Outcome Statements, inclusive of Treaty Education Outcomes

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https://resourcebank.ca/authoring/169-i-can-outcome-statements-for-sun-west-school-divis/view

Including & Creating Indigenous Connections When we as Educators work within the Curriculum.

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As we begin our day, we give thanks to the Creator for the blessing that a new day has been gifted to us.

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As we begin our day, we give thanks to the Creator for the blessing that a new day has been gifted to us.

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Promoting Indigenous Language in our classroom through daily prayer. Taking all opportunities to enhance the use of language will increase students confidence in speaking the language.

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Holistic Approach to Indigenous Education - Our Purpose, Our Mission, & Our Vision

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Holistic Approach to Indigenous Education - Our Purpose, Our Mission, & Our Vision

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When we teach to the child as a whole, we seek to engage students on all learning levels, mind, body, and spirit. Students are provided with the ability to make meaningful connections to self and culture. makhttps://www.kprschools.ca/en/learning-and-programs/holistic-approach-to-indigenous-education.aspx

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Culturally Appropriate Resources that help instill positive messages in our children.
https://wemattercampaign.org/toolkits/teachers

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The Toolkit for Teachers will help teachers, educators, or facilitators use We Matter to start and sustain conversation on HARDSHIP, HOPE and HEALING with Indigenous youth in a GROUP or CLASS setting.

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Providing the resources to enhance teachers' knowledge will assist educators when incorporating new information into the classroom with confidence.
Educators need to lead by example.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Ogoki.Frontier&hl=en_CA&gl=US&pli=1

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Indigenous Language - Apps on Google Play

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Through the delivery of podcast we are enhancing our students confidence by teaching them to walk in truth.
https://app.kidslisten.org/pod/Warrior-Kids-Podcast

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This is an Indigenous podcast for kids and families that celebrates everything Indigenous to inspire kids of all backgrounds to be warriors for social justice and earth justice and help make the world a better place!

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Through education, awareness, and cultural understanding and competency, organizations are better equipped to address and dismantle systemic barriers that exist for Indigenous peoples.

https://www.confederationcollege.ca/tlc/indigenous-learning-outcomes

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What are the Indigenous Learning Outcomes? There are 7 statements containing Indigenous content that we have been supporting faculty with to embed within their curriculum. Indigenous​ Learning Outcomes Relate principles of Indigenous knowledge to career field. Analyze the impact of colonialism on…

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Raven Reads has a wide number of resources to inspire Indigenous children through literacy. These books are meaningful and connect to culture, language, land, and the lives of Indigenous children.
https://ravenreads.org/

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For Indigenous students and teachers alike, formal teaching and learning occur in contested places. In Indigenous Education, leading scholars in contemporary Indigenous education disentangle aspects of colonialism from education to advance alternative philosophies of instruction. From multiple disciplines, contributors explore Indigenous education from theoretical and applied perspectives and invite readers to embrace new, informed ways of schooling. Part of a growing body of research, this is an exciting, powerful volume for Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachers, researchers, policymakers, and scholars, and a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the contested spaces of contemporary education.

https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Indigenous_Education/ElVHDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=indigenous+education&printsec=frontcover

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For Indigenous students and teachers alike, formal teaching and learning occurs in contested places. In Indigenous Education, leading scholars in contemporary Indigenous education from North America and the Pacific Islands disentangle aspects of education from colonial relations to advance a new, Indigenously-informed philosophy of instruction. Broadly multidisciplinary, this volume explores Indigenous education from theoretical and applied perspectives and invites readers to embrace new ways of thinking about and doing schooling. Part of a growing body of research, this is an exciting, powerful volume for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, researchers, policy makers, and teachers, and a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the contested spaces of contemporary education. Contributors: Jill Bevan-Brown, Frank Deer, Wiremu Doherty, Dwayne Donald, Ngarewa Hawera, Margie Hohepa, Robert Jahnke, Patricia Maringi G. Johnston, Spencer Lilley, Daniel Lipe, Margaret J. Maaka, Angela Nardozi, Katrina-Ann R. Kapāʻanaokalāokeola Nākoa Oliveira, Wally Penetito, Michelle Pidgeon, Leonie Pihama, Jean-Paul Restoule, Mari Ropata-Te Hei, Sandra Styres, Huia Tomlins-Jahnke, Sam L. No'eau Warner, K. Laiana Wong, Dawn Zinga

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For Indigenous students and teachers alike, formal teaching and learning occurs in contested places. In Indigenous Education, leading scholars in contemporary Indigenous education from North America and the Pacific Islands disentangle aspects of education from colonial relations to advance a new, Indigenously-informed philosophy of instruction.

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https://indigenizinglearning.educ.ubc.ca/curated-resources/curriculum-resources/

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An excellent bag of Indigenous math resources, with lessons, PDF downloads, and Powerpoints on a range of topics, complied by the UBC Indigenous Math Education Network. Click here, or on the picture above.

YouTube Channel from Squamish educator Swalklanexw Dallas, a/k/a Dallas Gus, including videos telling the Squamish legends The Lure (Witch) of Stanley Park and Kalkalilh - Giant Witch Woman. Click , or on the picture above.

A book with Indigenous art by Celestine Aleck and content written by Margot Landahl, a teacher, is connected to BC's redesigned curriculum, Core Competencies and is not considered specifically Indigenous. Click , or on the picture across.
Highlights:

​Kwak'wala and Sliammon language included

Anchored in indigenous knowing

Connection to core competencies

Royal BC Museum website with focus on native plants. Click , or on the picture across.
Links to books on:

Saanich Ethnobotany

Food Plants of Coast First Peoples

Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia

Surrey School District (#36) has an excellent set of resources and lesson ideas for you to explore, including links to other sites that will be useful to you and your students in your Indigenous learning. Click , or on the picture above.

The BC Ministry of Education. offers this compendium of Indigenous Education resources that includes school district contacts, policy and legislation documents, curriculum resources, and a list of education resources. Click here, or on the picture above.

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Have a look at the Indigenous education resources developed by the British Columbia Ministry of Education in conjunction with the most recent curriculum revision. Click here, or on the picture above. Inservice teachers make regular use of this great pool of resources developed and complied by the British Columbia Teacher's Federation.

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Sturgeon Lake Micah Daniels is the Cultural Educator and Tanya McCallum is the Land-based Educator. They speak of numerous ways to practice and learn how to incorporate knowledge into your schools.

https://slfnedu.ca/slea/culture/

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Hi my name is Tanya McCallum, I am a Woodland Cree from Pelican Narrows, Sask. I have always had a high interest on physical and environmental science, I am a past graduate from the Integrated Resource Management program where I obtained certificates and a diploma. After a few years of working, I went back to school and obtained my B.Ed through GDI, SUNTEP, where I graduated with great distinction with Native Studies as my major. I am a recent graduate from the Indigenous Land-Based Education Masters program through the U of S.

I was fortunate to have been raised by my grandparents who were hunters and gathers and lived off the land. At a young age, I learned to appreciate nature and what it has to offer. It is this passion I instill in my children and my students.

My activities outside of work consist of camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing, and kayaking, yes, pretty much anything that has to do with the outdoors. I currently work as a Land-based teacher, where I instill, in my students the significance of language and culture revitalization and I advocate for environmental education. My goal is to incorporate Indigenous Land-based education into the existing Saskatchewan curriculum and to recognize the significance of passing on traditional knowledge on our students. Therefore, the students will become stewards of our sacred Mother Earth. In addition, it is a way to connect the students back to the land, back to the ways of our ancestors.

Furthermore, I am a mother of two beautiful, ambitious daughters, who seem to take on the same interests as their mother. Attaining a higher education is what I continuously preach to my daughters. I think is it imperative for me to be a positive role model for my daughters and my students, as well as show them the essence of hard work and determination.

Tanya is available to provide workshops in your community, call 306-922-7532 or email info@slfnedu.ca to discuss the different options available.

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Language & Culture - Sturgeon Lake First Nation Education

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Hi my name is Tanya McCallum, I am a Woodland Cree from Pelican Narrows, Sask. I have always had a high interest on physical and environmental science, I am a past graduate from the Integrated Resource Management program where I obtained certificates and a diploma.

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Truth and Reconciliation - Education Calls to Action

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Truth and Reconciliation - Education Calls to Action

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https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524504501233/1557513602139

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What's happening?

The goal of the collaboration between the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is to support the establishment of a national research program in response of the Call to Action 65. This national research program will take the form of a reconciliation network that required the creation of a coordinating body called the Coordination Hub (RNCH).

Launched last Summer for a Fall 2022 attribution, the Coordination Hub for the reconciliation network was a one-time special initiative that led to the award of an institutional Connection Grant, valued at $100,000 annually for 7 years.

This grant awarded to the NCTR to create the Coordination Hub will enable it to support solid interactions between the network's participating researchers, their organizations and communities and to develop meaningful and efficient activities. The Coordination Hub will ensure:

administrative support for knowledge mobilization activities of the reconciliation network

research support through access to relevant archives and educational materials

organization of annual conferences

An additional $10,000 per year amount was also granted as a supplement for translation and interpretation fees. These additional funds will be utilized for the translation of key knowledge mobilization documents and videos to ensure adequate support for reconciliation network teams working in both official languages. With the supplemental funds, the total awarded for the duration of the grant is $770,000.

On November 23rd, 2022, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, along with the NCTR, announced the launch of the Reconciliation Network in response to Call to Action 65.

The Reconciliation Network will see SSHRC investing up to $6 million, with each grant valued at a maximum of $1 million over 5 years. The investment will support a national research program with multiyear funding to advance the collective understanding of reconciliation. The funded recipients will participate in activities managed by the NCTR, in its role as coordination hub for the network.

Teams led by First Nations, Métis Nation or Inuit researchers are invited to submit proposals for new or existing formal partnerships that contribute to our collective understanding of truth and reconciliation. Proposals could address residential school history; the ongoing legacy of residential schools; past Canadian policies of assimilation in one or more areas, including child welfare, education, language, culture, health and justice; or other significant issues.

Recent budget investments

Under Budget 2018, $3.8 million in funding was provided to support the commitment to Call to Action 65 by developing a new strategic plan, setting new directions to support Indigenous research and research training in Canada from 2019 to 2022.

The plan identifies new models and mechanisms to conduct research by and with Indigenous communities, based on the results of 2 engagement exercises. The first involved organizing a series of roundtables and workshops in partnership with Indigenous organizations, while the second involved funding Indigenous organizations and researchers to support their own research engagement activities.

In total, 116 projects were funded through the Indigenous Research and Reconciliation Connection grants. The engagement exercise culminated in a National Dialogue event in March 2019, followed by the release of a new strategic plan in January 2020.

Recent progress

The first call for the Reconciliation Network in Response to Call to Action 65 was launched in fall 2022 and closed in May 2023. Applications to the program are being assessed with results to be announced in late 2023.

In addition, the Tri-Agency launched the Indigenous Leadership Circle in Research (ILCR) in 2022. It held its first in-person meeting in the fall of 2022.

The ILCR supports the implementation of research and assists in monitoring progress. Members of the ILCR belong to First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities across the country and represent a variety of disciplines. Members come from postsecondary institutions, Indigenous not-for-profit organizations, and other research communities.

Collectively, the appointees have a deep cultural understanding of Indigenous research and Indigenous knowledge. ILCR serves as a forum for Indigenous guidance and direction on issues related to reconciliation and Indigenous research, including Call to Action 65.

More broadly, work is underway to implement the recommendations generated by working groups and through engagement with the Indigenous Leadership Circle in Research in areas that support reconciliation. These include:

building relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples

supporting the research priorities of Indigenous Peoples

creating greater funding accessibility to granting agency programs

championing Indigenous leadership, self-determination and capacity in research

To date, key accomplishments related to Call to Action 65 include:

generating key pieces of work, including:

an environmental scan of current Indigenous research funding landscape

preliminary identification of mechanisms for indirect financial or operational support

ongoing development and implementation of tools and models to confront barriers within application processes

a new SSHRC-NSERC pilot funding supplement for Indigenous students, to better support their representation and success in research

a pilot process for merit review in Cree as a case study, through the SSHRC President's office

Next steps

Applications made to the Reconciliation Network in Response to Call to Action 65 are being assessed and the results are not yet available.

The co-development process with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation for the Reconciliation Network funding opportunity has resulted in a strong and ongoing relationship with the NCTR. Together, we continue to seek new opportunities to support advancing understanding of factors associated with reconciliation.

In addition, through the Indigenous Leadership Circle in Research, work is being undertaken to realize all of the goals of Setting New Directions to Support Indigenous Research and Research Training in Canada , for which the implementation timeline has been extended to March 31, 2026.

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We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues.

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http://www.otc.ca/

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The Power of a Story

Reconciliation is about exploring the past and choosing to build a better future. Sharing stories of understanding helps one another to build trust. We want to hear about your moments of reconciliation.

What's New

August 25, 28 and Sept. 9 are incredibly important to all people who are living and doing business in the

The Woodland Cree Gathering is an annual event hosted in rotation between the Peter Ballantyne Cree

Members of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner team travelled to Duck Lake, Saskatchewan to attend the

NEWS ARCHIVE

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Understand why incorporating Indigenous perspectives is important in science and other areas. Introducing Indigenous perspectives into your teaching your students will develop skills and enhance their understanding of the world we around them.

https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Promising_Practices_in_Supporting_Succes/PUswDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=objective+of+Indigenous+Education&printsec=frontcover

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Indigenous peoples are diverse, within and across nations. However, Indigenous peoples have experienced colonisation processes that have undermined Indigenous young people's access to their identity, language and culture. At the same time, Indigenous children have not generally had access to the same quality of education that other children in their country have had access to. These two forces in combination have undermined the educational opportunities and outcomes of successive generations of Indigenous children and young people, at times with catastrophic effect.

The six Canadian provinces and territories that participated in this study, along with New Zealand and Queensland (Australia), are actively seeking to better meet the educational needs and aspirations of Indigenous students and their families.

The report seeks to identify promising strategies, policies, programmes and practices that support improved learning outcomes for Indigenous students and to build an empirical evidence base on Indigenous students in education. The study investigates four areas in Indigenous education: well-being, participation, engagement and achievement in education. These outcomes are inter-connected and mutually reinforcing, and each is essential for the success of every student.

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Promising Practices in Supporting Success for Indigenous Students

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Indigenous peoples are diverse, within and across nations. However, Indigenous peoples have experienced colonisation processes that have undermined Indigenous young people's access to their identity, language and culture. At the same time, Indigenous children have not generally had access to the same quality of education that other children in their country have had access to.

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https://peopleforeducation.ca/report/what-matters-in-indigenous-education/

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Indigenous peoples' experiences with education in Canada has been a contentious one. The focus from the outset of imposed, colonial-based education has centred on assimilation and/or segregation of Indigenous peoples from their communities and worldviews (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health et al., 2009).

The history of education for Indigenous peoples in Canada has structural and societal roots mired in marginalization and subjugation. Today, the improved state of education for Indigenous peoples has its foundations in the resiliency of Indigenous communities and social justice movements advocating for inclusion and change (Iseke-Barnes, 2008; People for Education, 2013).

So, what is inclusion? Who are Indigenous peoples? What are the issues that face Indigenous peoples? How can education be reconceptualized to include Indigenous ways of knowing? And, why should we care? These are questions that will be examined throughout this paper.

People for Education, in its Measuring What Matters initiative, offers a body of research and student competencies that provides an opportunity to think critically about schooling success beyond test scores and standardized curriculum. It is a chance for those concerned with education to engage in conversations around what is important for the holistic development of our children, youth and world. These same themes and conversations are what guide Indigenous communities in their commitment to lifelong learning for their peoples (Nadeau & Young, 2006). Student achievement for Indigenous Nations is based on a birth to death continuum that is holistic and devoted to interconnectedness (Malott, 2007). The theme of holism resonates through the Measuring What Matters project, positing it in conceptual alignment with Indigenous epistemologies.

What matters to Indigenous peoples in education is that children, youth, adults and Elders have the opportunity to develop their gifts in a respectful space. It means that all community members are able to contribute to society (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) and are physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually balanced (Iseke, 2010; Marule, 2012). This ability to give and ability to be well comes directly from the joining of the sacred and the secular. It is about fostering identity, facilitating well-being, connecting to land, honouring language, infusing with teachings and recognizing the inherent right to self-determination (Lee, 2015). Living a good life is what matters, and these thoughts are reflected in Figure 1.0. The physical refers to the body and comprehensive health of a being. The emotional is concerned with relationships to self, others (including non-humans) and the earth. The intellectual is based in natural curiosity and love for learning. The spiritual is the lived conscientiousness and footprint that a being leaves in this world.

This paper, What Matters In Indigenous Education: Implementing A Vision Committed To Holism, Diversity And Engagement, explores an Indigenous approach to quality learning environments and relevant competencies/skills.

It focuses on select work from People for Education and draws out the research, concepts and themes that align with Indigenous determinants of educational success. This paper also expands on this work by offering perspectives and insights that are Indigenous and authentic in nature. The three sections that frame and further develop this textual/symbolic journey are:

Section One: Indigenous Issues, Indigenous Pedagogy And Educational Interconnections

Section Two: Reflections On The Four Domains And Their Proposed Competencies And Skills

Section Three: Embracing Indigenous Worldview And Quality Learning Environments

In conclusion, I thank you for reading this paper and hope that it creates a space for individual questions, group discussions and ultimately, collective action.

So, what are the facts? What is the current state of education for Indigenous peoples? Data from the 2011 National Household Survey (Statistics Canada) and the 2014 Auditor General Report of Ontario offers a measurable perspective to begin this section:

1,400,685 Indigenous people live in Canada, representing 4.3% of the total Canadian population.

851,560 identify as First Nations.

451,795 identify as Metis.

59,445 identify as Inuit.

301,425 Indigenous peoples live in the province of Ontario.

28% of the Indigenous population is from 0 to 14 years.

18.2% of the Indigenous population is from 15 to 24 years.

Only 62% of Indigenous adults graduated from high school, compared to 78% of the general population.

Only 39% of First Nations peoples living on-reserve graduated from high school.

There is a 20% gap on Grade 3 EQAO reading results (provincial standard achievement) between Indigenous students (47%) and the general population (67%).

The numbers demonstrate that Indigenous peoples have a significantly younger population that is school age, and that the current measures of student achievement are not working. What is needed now is to clearly articulate the reasons for these gaps and find a more inclusive way to define student success.

The issues

Colonialism, racism, social exclusion, food insecurity, unemployment, poverty, limited access to housing, poor health and a myriad of other issues face Indigenous communities daily (People for Education, 2013; United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, n.d.) and confront Indigenous students to varying degrees. They are the result of policies, programs, people and politics that failed to honour the knowledge, values and skills of Indigenous Nations in Canada. Student achievement for communities of difference (like First Nations, Metis and Inuit ones) is a challenge for schools that do not have the capacity for change. Schools that are not supported with the tools and resources to address these inequities are placed at a critical disadvantage (Malott, 2007; Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009b). Thus the results for Indigenous students will continue to improve at a pace that is unfair and unacceptable.

So, how are these issues interconnected with education? They intersect in areas identified in The School Context Model: How School Environments Shape Students' Opportunities To Learn (Bascia, 2014). Table 1.0 recognizes those intersections that reflect factors affecting Indigenous student achievement:

Table 1.0: Factors Affecting Indigenous Students and Their Learning

Diversity and differentiated learning is foundational

Learning is linked to students' lives and experiences

High expectations for all student coupled with differentiated assessment

Classroom management is focused on community building and relationships

Professional development is ongoing where data is a critical feature

Time and resources are allotted for teachers to plan together

Relationships are collegial and student learning, as well as community, is a key underpinning

Teachers are valued for their work and commitment

School safety for all is a priority

Interpersonal relationships are positive and evolving

Teaching and learning practices are evidence based

Organizational structures support vision of inclusion

Shared leadership is the reality between admin and staff

Deconstructing the hidden curriculum

Parental and community engagement plans honour difference

Culminating tasks for students are rooted in social change in the community

Community and school events are integrated, shared and seamless

Global citizenship and environmental stewardship connections

Note. This table is a summary of the areas in Bascia's paper that complement the diverse perspectives of Indigenous peoples regarding student achievement.

Classroom features, teacher communities, school climate and the external environment are broad concepts that are strongly interconnected. The concise descriptions in each of these areas, as listed in Table 1.0, provide the factors that are essential considerations in Indigenous student achievement. Learning outcomes, especially when more holistic definitions and interpretations are being considered, will be directly affected by these factors (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014). For example: under classroom features, we recognize that infusing diversity in learning is critical to student achievement. Indigenous ways of learning are part of that diversity and cannot be integrated if teacher professional development is inconsistent and there is limited time for collaborative planning. Also, the absence of parental engagement plans and linkages to community resources for Indigenous families become further barriers for students' rightful attainment to balance/wellness (see Figure 1.0. Holistic Model of Balance in Living a Good Life). The issues are complex and will require solutions that are multilayered in their approach; however these measures are necessary for respectful inclusion of Indigenous students and their communities (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health et. al, 2009).

Indigenous pedagogy

So, what is Indigenous pedagogy? Who are Indigenous peoples? We begin this section by exploring these terms and their associating nomenclature.

Indigenous: A term that does not have a universally accepted definition. However, the United Nations offers these characteristics; self-identification and acceptance as Indigenous peoples, historical continuity with settler societies, strong link to the land/traditional territories, distinct systems/ beliefs/languages/cultures, committed to maintaining the integrity of traditional lands and communities. (United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, n.d.)

Pedagogy: A term to describe the science of teaching, learning and evaluation. Refers to curriculum, methods, assessment, instruction, teacher/learner relationships and classroom structures. A broad field that is expanding in its definitions and scope (i.e. critical pedagogy; pedagogy of the oppressed). (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)

Aboriginal: A term found in Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 that defines First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples as Aboriginals in Canada that possess certain treaty, existing and inherent rights. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)

First Nations: A term that is used to describe Aboriginal peoples in Canada that are not Metis or Inuit. Also, a general term to describe a community or communities that have similar identifiers (i.e. land - reserve; culture, language, traditions, history). There are 634 First Nations in Canada that speak 60 distinct languages. (Statistics Canada, 2011)

Metis: A term to describe people of mixed ancestry (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) and are recognized as one of Canada's Aboriginals under the Constitution Act of 1982. There are several Metis Nations in Canada that have shared histories, traditions and languages (i.e. Michif). (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)

Inuit: A term used to describe a group of Aboriginal people defined in the Constitution Act of 1982 that originally (and continue to) inhabit the northern parts of Canada. The Inuit have eight main ethnic groups and five distinct language dialects. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)

Self-Identification: A term used to describe how an individual names or appoints themselves. Typically refers to the group that we believe we belong to (i.e. Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Louis Riel Metis, Inuk, Cree, Oji-Cree, Haida, Stolo, Dene, MicMac, Native). (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)

Cultural diversity truly describes the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and therefore no one-size-fits-all exists when it comes to curricular content. However, the pedagogical strategies of Indigenous peoples share some commonalties: connections to culture (the sacred), concrete to abstract/abstract to concrete examples of the subject expectations, mini-lessons with hands-on activities, differentiated instruction/assessment, connections to real life experiences, multileveled questions, storytelling, group talk (formal/informal), appropriate use of humour, and experiential activities (land-based) (Matilpi, 2012; Wyatt, 2009). The classroom environment, as facilitated by the teacher, also requires an approach with foundations in human rights education. It is critical that the space is welcoming and fosters consistency in expectations regarding respectful behavior, acceptance of difference and risk taking in learning. These have to be modeled by the teacher, as they set the tone for how relations between students and communities can grow together (Wallace, 2011).

Curriculum Content

The curriculum content and relevant cultural examples (i.e. specific Indigenous knowledge, values, skills) across subject areas in elementary/secondary need to begin with the local Indigenous Nations (Ledoux, 2006; Overmars, 2010). This is the starting place where respectful planning and inclusive education begins for the equity-based classroom. First, educators need to find out where their schools are located - Is it Anishinabe territory? Is it on the lands of Sagamok Anishnawbek? Is it in the Robinson-Huron Treaty area? Second, teachers need to connect with local Indigenous communities to facilitate the process of infusing authentic experiences and genuine content into the classroom curriculum, and finding out how these Nations self-identify. Third, the integration of more provincial and national resources that are Indigenous and more broadly focused are encouraged. How does one do this? Where does an educator begin? The following resources may be helpful in exploring the possibilities for including Indigenous content in the curriculum:

1. Indigenous Leads/Coordinators with Various Ontario School Boards

2. Ontario Indigenous Friendship Centres

3. Chiefs of Ontario office

4. Ontario Native Education Counsellors Association

5. Metis Nation of Ontario

6. Inuit of Ontario

7. Indigenous Publications from Kindergarten to Post-Secondary

8. Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

Educational interconnections

Boucher (2015) in What Matters In French-Language Schools: Implementing A Broader Vision For Student Achievement In A Minority Setting offers a perspective that aligns with Indigenous definitions of student achievement.

Table 1.1 summarizes the key concepts that reflect the educational interconnections between Francophone and Indigenous communities.

Sharing influence, interpersonal relationships, raising awareness/taking action, mobilizing, creating meaning and making learning real are vital components in Indigenous learner success. The classroom experience for students needs to begin with a shared vision of what counts as learning. This is where the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual domains of holistic education (Figure 1.0) are to be respected and realized. Children and youth require a safe space that affirms their diversity and identity; where they can be honoured with cultural, linguistic and affirming models that support them. Self-realization and being valued (knowledge, skills) is a key tenet of Francophone communities, and this too is the goal for Indigenous peoples in education. Self-determination and understanding the forces that have shaped where we have come from are essential determinants in Indigenous conceptions of student success (Ismail & Cazden, 2005).

Table 1.1 Pedagogy Honouring Francophone and Indigenous Learners

Decisions about learning must reflect the full range of diverse points of view.

A healthy environment allows students to make suggestions and express feelings about language and culture.

Understand the issues that shape our lives and become engaged to claim our rightful place in society.

Mobilizing is a process that triggers a person's self-determination and respect for cultural & linguistic diversity.

To bring balance to the experiences of young people, we need to offer strong cultural models.

Value the prior knowledge and skills of students and educators to assist them on the path to self-realization.

Note. This table is a summary of the areas in the work of Boucher that compliment the diverse perspectives of Indigenous peoples regarding respectful pedagogy in schools.

In conclusion, Indigenous issues, Indigenous pedagogy and respective educational interconnections complement the holistic aspects of student achievement described in Measuring What Matters. Communities of difference share a vision of success that is highly valuable for all students - a vision based on the recognition that identity, culture, language and worldview are equally critical to literacy, numeracy and standardized notions of assessment.

I grew up on a First Nation in northern Ontario. I am Ojibwe and a woman. I have been very fortunate in my life to learn about my own teachings and all the beautiful gifts that Indigenous peoples have given to the world. It is important that I self-identify in this section, as the cultural lens that I am referencing is one that comes from my community. There are a multitude of diverse Indigenous Nations on Turtle Island (North America) and my Nation is only one of them. While the heterogeneity of Indigenous peoples is vast, the concept of holism and education as lifelong is a worldview that is shared by all (Castagno & Brayboy, 2008; Overmars, 2010). In Measuring What Matters, the papers focused on health, social/emotional wellness, citizenship and creativity resonate with Indigenous notions of teaching/learning. My intent is to explore these papers using a form of analysis that is rooted in the teachings of the medicine wheel. This is the theoretical framework through which I can make sense of and be respectful of both Indigenous epistemology and the authors of these diverse papers.

So, how do we proceed? Where do these papers fit within the medicine wheel? What are the underlying teachings that connect these distinct cultural domains to the four papers? We begin with an understanding of the teachings first.

The medicine wheel

The medicine wheel is also known as the living teachings. It is a circle of life that is continuous and never-ending. It demonstrates that everything is connected and everything is sacred. All of life is equal. All of life is deserving of respect, care and love. The entry point for discussion is the physical domain. This is where birth of children is located. It is also symbolic of spring, the rising of the sun and the direction of the east. The emotional domain is where adolescence is located. It is also where summer resides, where the sun is at its highest and the direction of south is represented. The intellectual domain is where adulthood makes its home. It is where the season of fall arises, where the sun sets and the direction of the west sits. The spiritual domain is where our Elders/Elderly journey to, it is where winter is steadfast, where the moon makes her appearance and the direction of the north is situated. Each domain reflects aspects of a human being that makes them whole; the east is the physical, the south is the emotional, the west is the intellectual and the north is the spiritual. Balance in each is key. Disrupt the balance and each area of life is affected.

The medicine wheel has a direct relationship to quality learning environments that extend beyond literacy, numeracy and standardized curriculum. It is based in holistic learning environments that are inclusive of the preceding, but, also value the physical (health), the emotional (social-emotional), the intellectual (citizenship) and the spiritual (creativity). Figure 2.0 provides a symbolic model of how the discussion surrounding the four Measuring What Matters papers will proceed. As reflected in the living teachings, this next section will be organized with the physical as the beginning and the spiritual as the concluding piece. The emotional and intellectual take their respective (and equally important) places in between.

The Physical Aspect and Health Competencies/Skills

Ferguson and Power (2014) in Broader Measures of Success: Physical and Mental Health in Schools state that,
Both physical and mental health promotion are important from individual, social, and economic perspectives. Because of their centrality in the lives of children and youth, schools have been widely regarded as places for effective promotion and interventions in physical and mental health (p. 3).
These words resonate with Indigenous conceptions of what counts by focusing on the whole learner. Physical and mental health are integral aspects of the medicine wheel (Figure 2.0.) and cannot be separated. The health of a human being is directly interrelated to their wellness and their capacity to develop in all areas of life (Anderson et al., 2011). As children and youth spend large amounts of time in school, it makes sense that physical and mental health should be a valid measure of school success. With this in mind, the Comprehensive School Health model (i.e. teaching/learning, environments, policies, community partnerships), which includes mental health literacy, sexuality education and resiliency programs, aligns with the holistic teachings of Indigenous peoples (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health et al., 2009). So, what does this look like in the day-to-day lives of our children and youth? How do children/ youth show competency in these areas of health? Figure 2.1. offers a view that integrates the teachings of the medicine wheel with the work of People for Education in their Draft Competencies and Skills paper.

While all of the health competencies and skills identified in People for Education's paper are critical, there are certain ones that are foundational in Indigenous worldviews. Therefore, each area from Figure 2.1 will be concisely presented with the key competency/ skill listed and/or edited to ensure that it is inclusive of Indigenous communities. It is important to note that this is being done at a macro level and needs to be vetted by individual Indigenous Nations in Canada as part of their right to self-determination in education (Knowles, 2012).
The Physical - Activity For Fitness And Pleasure

Students develop physical fitness and movement skills needed to participate in diverse activities; fully understanding that the body is a sacred entity.

The Emotional - Understanding of Mental Illness

Students are informed and understand that mental health issues are a collective concern and that cultural knowledge is a critical support.

The Intellectual - Making Healthy Choices

Students have a sense of personal responsibility for their own wellness (activity, eating, sleeping, assessing risks) and humbly share these strategies with others.

The Spiritual - Well-Being in Relation to Sexuality

Students develop and appreciate their own and others sexual identities; knowing that sexuality is a healthy part of being a human and is to be expressed respectfully.

The Emotional Aspect and Social-Emotional Competencies/Skills

Shanker (2014) in Broader Measures of Success: Social/Emotional Learning states that,

"Instead of seeing reason and emotion as belonging to separate and independent faculties (the former controlling the latter), they [a multitude of researchers] argued that social, emotional and cognitive processes are all bound together in a seamless web" (p. 1).

This recognition of interconnectedness as a primary concept in learning and emotional development runs parallel to Indigenous worldviews (Carriere, 2010; Iseke, 2010). Elders, Metis Senators and knowledge keepers in First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities have been relaying these teachings since time immemorial. Traditional education in Indigenous communities valued holism in learning; embedded in this approach is the equity between applied scholarship and emotional intelligence (Lee, 2015; Wildcat et al., 2014). Children, youth, adults and our elderly engaged in a form of schooling that was cooperative, collective and conscientious. Shanker (2014) reflects these Indigenous concepts through exploring the components and impacts of the American-based Child Development Project (i.e. community building activities, engaging curriculum, cooperative learning, literacy development). This preceding endeavour, combined with the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) and the Positive Action Program (PAP), build upon Indigenous conceptions of what matters in social-emotional schooling for students.

With these thoughts in our minds, we turn to Figure 2.2, which captures the complex competencies/skills that Indigenous learners exhibit in expanded notions of student achievement. Once again, the social-emotional competencies and skills identified in the People for Education paper are all critical; however there are particular ones that best reflect Indigenous worldviews. These will be identified and edited to be respectful of cultural teachings and the research emerging from People for Education.

The Physical - Self-Management

Students develop skills for managing their own learning, emotions and behaviours; firmly rooted in the understanding that their actions affect their growth and others.
The Emotional - Interpersonal Relationships

Students cultivate and maintain healthy relationships with the self, others and the earth; acknowledging the sacredness of all these beings that surround them.

The Intellectual - Decision Making

Students internalize and implement appropriate strategies to solve a multitude of issues/problems, with personal humility and collective integrity at the heart of it.

The Spiritual - Self-Awareness & Social Awareness

Students grow in their cultural/personal identities and their ability to reflect on their communities' teachings as critical to being a respectful member of the world.

The Intellectual Aspect and Citizenship Competencies/Skills

Sears (2014) in Measuring What Matters: Citizenship Domain states that,
Civic education begins at home and continues out into the community. Again, evidence indicates civil society involvements of various kinds, both those connected to schooling and those not, profoundly shape young people's civic knowledge, values, and sense of efficacy (p. 4).
Understanding how history shaped our societies and having a commitment to service learning are also an integral part of being an active citizen. This is consistent with traditional Indigenous perspectives on citizenship, where each individual is nurtured and positioned to develop their gifts as a human being (Lee, 2015; Nadeau & Young, 2006). This approach was/is supported through cultural teachings and guided by various knowledge keepers in the community (John, 2009). Each person was/is taught about traditions and their familial role as part of a greater collective. Fundamental to this type of citizenship education was/is understanding the history and impacts of Indigenous and settler governments on all peoples. I use past and present tense here intentionally. Traditional forms of Indigenous government and their teachings were directly affected by colonialism and the imposition of oppressive policies. Although there is a resurgence and return to culture/language for Indigenous peoples, it is happening to various degrees across the country (Overmars, 2010; Wyatt, 2009).

The concept of a civic profile is familiar to First Nations, Metis and Inuit Nations, and focuses on what a good citizen does as a contributing member to that society. Sears (2014) takes this notion further by stating that voting is not a primary indicator of civic duty. In fact he emphasizes that, "a well-balanced democratic society requires a range of civic engagement, and since citizens simply cannot spend the requisite time to engage in all areas...they would be better to focus their participation in areas where they have interest and ability to make the most significant contribution" (p. 18). This thought, based in evidence, aligns with the activities of an Indigenous citizen.

With this, we turn our attention to Figure 2.3, which concisely summarizes the draft competencies and skills identified in the citizenship section of the People for Education paper. What follows this model are critical statements that reflect Indigenous conceptions of citizenship.

The Physical - Civic Knowledge

Students learn about their own traditional forms of government and further understand settler governments and their associative rights/responsibilities.

The Emotional - Civic Dispositions

Students exemplify the values of their respective Nations and utilize these to become effective citizens in two worlds (Indigenous and non-Indigenous).

The Intellectual - Civic Skills

Students acquire culturally-based mediation and problem solving skills as a means to appreciate diverse points of view; knowing when to act (and when not to act).

The Spiritual - Civic Engagement

Students engage in human rights and social justice movements that reflect the integrity of all beings and are consistent with their distinct cultural beliefs.

The Spiritual Aspect and Creativity Competencies/Skills

Upitis (2014) in Creativity: The State Of The Domain reveals that,
New ways of thinking and acting are needed to alleviate the impact of human life on our planet, approaches that will call for creativity and innovation from all disciplines. Over the next few decades, schools will have a crucial role to play. In schools where creativity is fostered, students will develop the intellectual tools to innovate, and also, the passion to direct their skills to problems of global concern (p. 6).
Stewardship of the earth and recognition that all of life (and the universe) is interrelated is a key underpinning of Indigenous worldview (Marin & Bang, 2015). Invention and learning are also factors in the resiliency of Indigenous peoples across the Nation (Marule, 2012). The concept that creativity, the sacred, and personal responsibility are interrelated is not a new idea to First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples (Martin & Garrett, 2010). Therefore, it makes sense that an expanded definition of creativity be included as a measure of success in schools. Student achievement would be amiss if it did not count the range of creative thoughts/practices as essential learning outcomes.

Schools that are resourced to provide opportunities in critical thinking, student-directed learning, integrated curriculum, and community partnerships are steps towards being inclusive of creativity. However, a focused program on the multiple levels, processes and outcomes of creative thought is needed to "contribute to [all] lives that are joyful, productive, meaningful, and prosperous" (p. 3). So, what does this look like? How do students demonstrate creativity? Figure 2.4 provides this view with a concise summary of the draft competencies and skills identified in the creativity section of the People for Education paper. Following this model are critical statements that reflect Indigenous concepts of creativity.

The Physical - Generation of Ideas

Students welcome and discover thoughts, impressions and information from a multitude of senses and teachers (the secular, the sacred, the formal, the informal).
The Emotional - Generation plus Evaluation

Students explore their natural curiosity about the world and universe through the selective integration of this knowledge into their life journeys.

The Intellectual - Generation towards Improvement

Students assess their cultural gifts, creative ideas, artistic work and relative interactions/outputs with a focus on growth and potential change.

The Spiritual - Generation of Possibilities

Students engage in many opportunities to dream and visualize with the intent of realizing and actualizing what is in their mind, heart and spirit.

In conclusion, the four papers describing the domains (physical and mental health, social-emotional, citizenship, creativity) have particular focuses that compliment Indigenous worldviews. The notions of holism, engagement, diversity, action and respect are reflected throughout. The proposed competencies and skills are also Indigenous compatible in terms of expanding current measurable outcomes beyond literacy, numeracy and standardized curriculum. The idea that schooling, pedagogy and assessment can honour the whole child is certainly a welcome change in our complex world.

What is a quality learning environment? How do Indigenous worldviews reflect this concept? Are there particular components that make up this type of teaching/learning setting? The final section of this paper will address these questions through the integration of Indigenous perspectives and select research from People for Education.

In the inaugural paper of the Measuring What Matters (2013) initiative, this statement captures the immediacy and necessity of reframing what counts as student achievement in schools,
Although current approaches to measuring and reporting on educational quality are useful both locally and internationally, they are, for the most part, limited to literacy and numeracy achievement. These measures are necessary but not sufficient. A growing chorus of voices is asking, "Isn't education about more than that? Don't we need healthy kids who can think; who are innovative and will grow up to be engaged citizens?" (People for Education, p. 8)
Indigenous communities across Canada have been asking these same questions and confronting these same issues since non-Indigenous forms of schooling came to dominate the K to 12 continuum ((Iseke-Barnes, 2008). Educational quality for First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners is centred on a holistic method that considers the entirety of a being (Matilpi, 2012). This approach is best represented in Figure 3.0, which posits the student in the middle; interacting with/being affected by four key conditions that are critical to learning (i.e. classroom, school, community, globe).

The needs of the whole student is the base consideration in Indigenous descriptions of education, and the guiding principle in Indigenous conceptions of student achievement. What matters to Indigenous peoples is that each member of the community is nurtured and challenged in respectful ways. This form of teaching/ learning is done through the honouring of the culture, the teachings, the languages, and the gifts of each Nation (Hinton, 2011; Zitzer-Comfort, 2008). It is critical to understand that in our current school system, this vision is affected by particular interconnecting forces: the classroom environment, the school itself, the community (Indigenous & non-Indigenous) and the state of the earth (the globe). Each of these areas will be further explored with the intent that aspects of Indigenous worldview are aligned with inclusive definitions of quality learning environments.

The classroom

What is a classroom? It is the space where an exchange of knowledge takes place. It can happen inside a building. It can happen outside of a building. It has students and teachers that are involved in a variety of learning relationships. It is also a place where the curriculum (mandated and hidden) provides a structure (flexible and inflexible at the same time). It is also where pedagogy can empower or disempower students (Malott, 2007). The classroom is a microcosm of society that has real outcomes (positive and negative) for multiple groups of people (King, 2002).

The conditions in the classroom that foster Indigenous learners are varied. However, these particular edited statements from the Draft Competencies and Skills (n.d.) capture the critical factors necessary for Indigenous inclusive spaces:

The classroom is welcoming and student voice/experiences are recognized as integral to the construction of active knowledge.

Expectations for students are high, realistic, flexible, and supported by teacher/s, peers and other critical friends.

Classroom activities are culturally relevant, differentiated, and promote exploration, imagination, and creative action.

Student learning is expressed in a variety of forms that honour diversity and challenge students to try a multiplicity of methods.

The school

There are approximately 15,500 schools in Canada; of which 10,100 are elementary, 3400 are secondary and 2000 are mixed (Council of Ministers of Education Canada, 2015). In Ontario, there are 3974 elementary schools and 919 secondary (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015). Every school board in Ontario has at least some Indigenous students attending Kindergarten to Grade 12 (People for Education, 2013). The conditions that facilitate Indigenous inclusion in school are as follows (adapted from the Draft Competencies and Skills, n.d.):

School leadership is shared with the teachers, students, the community, and education advocates, with trust and collaboration at the core.

The school is an open learning space where community members with diverse expertise work with students and staff.

School based structures are in place to provide support for students (and their families) with a variety of challenges/issues.

Professional learning for teachers and staff is valued and integrated in evidence- based practices focused on access/equity.

The community

Standardized definitions of community relegate this term to being a noun and describe it as "people living in one particular area because of their common interests, social group or nationality" (Cambridge English Dictionary Online, 2015). Indigenous definitions of community identify particular participants/ conditions, and these are often verb-based (Carriere, 2010). These descriptions take on a more holistic approach, and are inclusive of all beings (humans, plants, animals, seen, unseen) and the interconnections that exist amongst them. The latter definition is more relevant for a cross-cultural understanding of the community factors affecting expanded notions of student achievement.

The competencies that are fundamental to community and student success are (adapted from Draft Competencies and Skills, n.d.):

Meaningful school-community partnerships and agreements are based in time, reciprocity, trust, respect, relevance, and actualized plans.

Programs that de-stigmatize mental illness, prevent bullying, and prevent substance abuse are implemented with culturally relevant tools/resources.

Students develop enriched definitions of community and commit to volunteering in action-oriented projects that reflect those expanded descriptions.

Monitoring and reviewing of domain competencies in relation to student learning and school practices involve Elders, Metis Senators and knowledge keepers.

The globe

Global education with a decolonization focus is best described as, "asking new and difficult questions concerning the erasures, negations, and omissions of histories, identities, representations, cultures, and practices [in schools]" (Sefa Dei, 2014, p. 10). This definition aligns with aspects of Indigenous conceptions of global education; however, the addition of recognizing and living with the earth as our mother will be added here (Overmars, 2010). A quality learning environment that honours global perspectives has these competencies reflected within it:

Students understand and "confront the conditions and unequal power relations that have created unequal advantage and privilege among nations" (Sefa Dei, 2014, p. 10).

Promotion of Indigenous earth knowledge and sacred connections to land as fundamental to "developing a sense of purpose...[life meaning]...and social existence" (Sefa Dei, 2014, p. 10).

Integrating the "idea of pursuing schooling and education as a communal resource intended for the good of humanity" (Sefa Dei, 2014, p. 10).

Connections with learners across the globe to share experiences and discuss the challenges that these generations face; with creative action as an outcome.

In conclusion, student achievement needs to be reconceptualized to include the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of the whole being. This view is supported through examining respectful conditions/competencies that fully consider the impacts of the classroom, the school, the community and the globe. Indigenous epistemologies and Elder/Metis Senator knowledge can facilitate this much-needed educational change (Lavoie et al., 2012).

The questions,

Who are Indigenous peoples?

What are the issues that face Indigenous peoples?

How can education be reconceptualized to include Indigenous ways of knowing? And,

began this paper and close this textual/symbolic journey together. What Matters In Indigenous Education: Implementing A Vision Committed To Holism, Diversity And Engagement is quite simply, the students. This paper is for those young spirits that walk to school, get on a bus, ride the subway, commute and/or reside in educational places that currently (or need to) honour them further. Meaning that we need to move beyond just considering achievement in schooling and look at the real implications and lived outcomes (King, 2008). Indigenous peoples have known and have been experiencing this since time immemorial.
Meegwetch and thank you for listening.
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People for Education - working with experts from across Canada - is leading a multi-year project to broaden the Canadian definition of school success by expanding the indicators we use to measure schools' progress in a number of vital areas.

Author

Dr. Pamela Toulouse
Researcher, Indigenous pedagogy & lifelong learning

The Measuring What Matters reports and papers were developed in partnership with lead authors of each domain paper. Permission to photocopy or otherwise reproduce copyrighted material published in this paper should be submitted to People for Education at [email protected] .

Document citation

This report should be cited in the following manner:

Toulouse, P. (2016). What Matters in Indigenous Education: Implementing a Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity and Engagement. In Measuring What Matters, People for Education. Toronto: March, 2016.

We are immensely grateful for the support of all our partners and supporters, who make this work possible.

Annie Kidder, Executive Director, People for Education

David Cameron, Research Director, People for Education

Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, Educational Studies, The University of British Columbia and Director of Research, Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group

Lindy Amato, Director, Professional A airs, Ontario Teachers' Federation

Nina Bascia, Professor and Director, Collaborative Educational Policy Program, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Ruth Baumann, Partner, Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group

Kathy Bickmore, Professor, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto

Michelle Boucher, University of Ottawa, Advisors in French-language education and Ron Canuel, President & CEO, Canadian Education Association

Ruth Childs, Associate Professor, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto

Jean Clinton, Associate Clinical Professor, McMaster University, Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences

Gerry Connelly, Director, Policy and Knowledge Mobilization, The Learning Partnership

J.C. Couture, Associate Coordinator, Research, Alberta Teachers' Association

Fiona Deller, Executive Director, Policy and Partnerships, Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario

Kadriye Ercikan, Professor, Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology, University of British Columbia

Bruce Ferguson, Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Community Health Systems Research Group, SickKids

Joseph Flessa, Associate Professor, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Joan M. Green, O.Ont., Founding Chief Executive O cer of EQAO, International Education Consultant

Andy Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan Chair, Lynch School of Education, Boston College Eunice

Eunhee Jang, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Psychology & Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Christopher Kotz, Senior Policy Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Education

Ann Lieberman, Stanford Centre for Opportunity Policy in Education, Professor Emeritus, Teachers College, Columbia University

John Malloy, Director of Education, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

Roger Martin, Premier's Chair on Competitiveness and Productivity, Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Ayasha Mayr Handel, Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Catherine McCullough, former Director of Education, Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Robert Ock, Healthy Active Living Unit, Health Promotion Implementation Branch, Health Promotion Division, Ontario Ministry of Health

Charles Pascal, Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Jennifer Riel, Associate Director, Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Joanne Robinson, Director of Professional Learning, Education Leadership Canada, Ontario Principals' Council

Bruce Rodrigues, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office

Pasi Sahlberg, Director General, Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation, Finland

Alan Sears, Professor of social studies and citizenship education, University of New Brunswick

Stuart Shanker, Research Professor, Philosophy and Psychology, York University; Director, Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative, York University; Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative

Michel St. Germain, University of Ottawa, Advisors in French-language education

Kate Tilleczek, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Director, Young Lives Research, University of Prince Edward Island

Rena Upitis, Professor of Education, Queen's University

Sue Winton, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, York University and former Early Learning Advisor to the Premier Deputy Minister of Education

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What matters in Indigenous education: Implementing a Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity and Engagement | People for Education

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Indigenous peoples' experiences with education in Canada has been a contentious one. The focus from the outset of imposed, colonial-based education has centred on assimilation and/or segregation of Indigenous peoples from their communities and worldviews (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health et al., 2009).

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Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories by Wilfred Buck 

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Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories by Wilfred Buck 

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Wilfred Buck is a science facilitator at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre and an Indigenous star lore expert.
Wilfred delivers an amazing experience to schools and provides students with a learning opportunity of a life-time.

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TM9OSqu0TC8zYPSSLM_MSStKTVFIKk3OViguSSwCEvlFmanFACmdDrE&q=wilfred+buck+star+stories&rlz=1C1GCEA_enCA935CA936&oq=wilfred+buck&aqs=chrome.1.0i355i512j46i512l2j0i512l6.6589j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:2a8fe697,vid:VZzyV4YKH6k

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Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds.

Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories

"View the night sky through an Indigenous perspective with this collection of Ininew (Cree) constellations and mythologies. These stories present a brief glimpse of the knowledge held by Indigenous people prior to first contact. Fly inside the... Google Books

Originally published : 2018

Oct 3, 2020 · Wilfred BuckTipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star StoriesWe acknowledge the support of the Canada ...
Duration: 1:20
Posted: Oct 3, 2020

Oct 3, 2020 · Wilfred Buck Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories Atima Atchakosuk: The Dog Stars ... Show ...
Duration: 5:13
Posted: Oct 3, 2020

Oct 3, 2020 · Wilfred Buck Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories Sisikwun: The Rattle We acknowledge the ...
Duration: 2:28
Posted: Oct 3, 2020

Washington DC (Hagerstown MD), Virginia

From your IP address - Learn more

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wilfred buck star stories - Google Search

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Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories "View the night sky through an Indigenous perspective with this collection of Ininew (Cree) constellations and mythologies. These stories present a brief glimpse of the knowledge held by Indigenous people prior to first contact.

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This is a guide for how educators can involve Elders in their classrooms. The amazing thing about this article is that it provides First Nations, Metis, and Inuit perspectives and connects to the curriculum.
https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/elders/documents/elder_wisdom_in_classroom.pdf

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Indigenous peoples are auditory learners, this also allows educators to switch up the styles of enhancing their learning. Medicine walks allow students and teachers to connect to the world around them, along with learning the medicines local to the environment.

https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/medicine-walk/231990?refId=48646&gclid=CjwKCAiAmJGgBhAZEiwA1JZolnLbqU2fDphL1dUi_IhaDiZPsKlLlxTKJHM2HlIInUhw9AUil2l-nxoCuMAQAvD_BwE

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Unabridged Audiobook

Add to Cart - $10.00 Remove from Cart

Summary

By the celebrated author of Canada Reads Finalist Indian Horse, a stunning new novel that has all the timeless qualities of a classic, as it tells the universal story of a father/son struggle in a fresh, utterly memorable way, set in dramatic landscape of the BC Interior. For male and female readers equally, for readers of Joseph Boyden, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas King, Russell Banks and general literary. Franklin Starlight is called to visit his father, Eldon. He's sixteen years old and has had the most fleeting of relationships with the man. The rare moments they've shared haunt and trouble Frank, but he answers the call, a son's duty to a father. He finds Eldon decimated after years of drinking, dying of liver failure in a small town flophouse. Eldon asks his son to take him into the mountains, so he may be buried in the traditional Ojibway manner. What ensues is a journey through the rugged and beautiful backcountry, and a journey into the past, as the two men push forward to Eldon's end. From a poverty-stricken childhood, to the Korean War, and later the derelict houses of mill towns, Eldon relates both the desolate moments of his life and a time of redemption and love and in doing so offers Frank a history he has never known, the father he has never had, and a connection to himself he never expected. A novel about love, friendship, courage, and the idea that the land has within it powers of healing, Medicine Walk reveals the ultimate goodness of its characters and offers a deeply moving and redemptive conclusion. Wagamese's writing soars and his insight and compassion are matched by his gift of communicating these to the reader.

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By the celebrated author of Canada Reads Finalist Indian Horse, a stunning new novel that has all the timeless qualities of a classic, as it tells the universal story of a father/son struggle in a fresh, utterly memorable way, set in dramatic landscape of the BC Interior.

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https://awasis.com/

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Please note: Wednesday, April 26 is Registration Evening Only. The conference begins Thursday, April 27 & 28, 2023.

**All Delegates who pick up their registration package on Wednesday will be eligible for door prize draws that will be announced Thursday at noon. **

We are pleased to announce that the Conference will be held this year on April 27th and 28th. It will be held at the Saskatoon Inn. We have confirmed Tim Eashappie and Dr. Jessie Sylvestre as the two Keynote speakers.

The 2023 Conference program is now below. Please note, due to rising costs, our conference registration also has a small increase in price -$400/person, $350/Elder

Program will remain up for those that are registered. No new registrations allowed as we are full.

All sessions are walk in only, first come first serve, please arrive early to ensure seating availability in each session. We also recommend printing the Conference program for yourself before the conference, thank you.

Please contact Debbie at awasisconf@gmail.com if you have any questions.

As we have to pay the hotel for the number of delegates attending, NO refunds will be given after March 1, 2023.

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Please note: Wednesday, April 26 is Registration Evening Only. The conference begins Thursday, April 27 & 28, 2023. **All Delegates who pick up their registration package on Wednesday will be eligible for door prize draws that will be announced Thursday at noon.

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https://www.albertanativenews.com/first-nations-educators-conference-returns-with-hybrid-format-feb-1-2/

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By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) - The First Nations' Educator's Conference is back for 2023, with in-person attendance an option for the first time since the COVID pandemic began.

The theme for this year's conference, which takes place on February 1 and 2 at the Calgary Airport Westin, is "Advancing First Nation Education."

The purpose of the annual event, which is in its fourth iteration this year, is to bring together educators from Treaties 6, 7 and 8 to discuss the positive impact of education for First Nations.

This year's headline speaker is Jody Wilson-Raybould, Canada's first Indigenous justice minister, who will deliver a keynote address entitled "Indigenous Rights and Reconciliation."

Wilson-Raybould was famously demoted from her cabinet role after resisting pressure from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to not prosecute the Montreal-based firm SNC-Lavalin for fraud and corruption relating to $48 million in payments to Libyan government officials from 2001 to 2011. She detailed her experiences in her memoir, Indian in the Cabinet.

The other speakers are Pam Palmater, Dwayne Donald, Leroy Little Bear, Kerrie Moore and Michael Redhead Champagne, as well as a youth panel. Daryl Kootenay is the event's emcee.

The Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre (IKWC) is co-hosting the conference with the Stoney Education Authority.

IKWC CEO Clayton Kootenay told Alberta Native News that although the event is "operated by First Nations for First Nations," anyone is welcome.

There are 62 band-operated schools in Alberta, educating 18,000 students, highlighting the need for an Indigenous-oriented education conference to assist teachers working in those classrooms, Kootenay said.

In the past, attendees have included teachers, administrators, and support staff in the band school system, as well as the public and separate systems, from across Canada.

Last year, there were educators who tuned into the virtual event from Australia and New Zealand.

The event's speakers are selected by committee based on the conference's yearly theme. Kootenay said it made sense for Wilson-Raybould, who released a book last year called True Reconciliation, to instruct educators how to "enact reconciliation in the classroom."

After her address, Wilson-Raybould will have a question-and-answer session followed by a book signing.

In-person attendance, which has a capacity of 500, is already sold out, he added. But organizers decided to opt for a hybrid format this year, so people who are more COVID-conscious can still attend online.

Kootenay said last year's format had its limitations. With all the participants separated from each other, it lacked the social cohesion that is a major draw for professional conferences.

"You'll get that human aspect to it [this year]," Kootenay said.

He hopes attendees, whether in-person or online, will come away from the conference with "tangible tools" they can use in the classroom.

Virtual tickets cost $195 plus tax and can be purchased online at https://forms.gle/6pE69Y3cgdsatro37.

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First Nations Educator's Conference returns with hybrid format: Feb. 1 & 2 - Alberta Native News

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By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (ANNews) - The First Nations' Educator's Conference is back for 2023, with in-person attendance an option for the first time since the COVID pandemic began. The theme for this year's conference, which takes place on February 1 and 2 at the Calgary Airport Westin, is "Advancing First Nation Education."

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https://cass.ab.ca/conferences-workshops/2023-first-nations-metis-inuit-education-gathering/

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← Back to Conferences/Professional Learning

Decolonizing Education: Truthing Our Way Forward

Truthing is the action attached to learning the truth (Elder teaching). Truthing, then, is facing uncomfortable and necessary truths and taking action in relation to those truths. We acknowledge that the action of truthing holds with it great responsibility.

Areas of focus the concurrent sessionare directly connected to the theme and include:

Time with Elders and Knowledge Keepers

Decolonizing - Anti-Racism - Unlearning

Land Teachings

Treaty Education

Language

Respectful, Reciprocal Relationships

Education Service Agreements

Building Foundational Knowledge

Stories of Practice - First Nations and Provincial Schools Sharing With One Another

Conference Details

In partnership with Alberta Education.

We continue to grow the vision of bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, education partners and members of our communities together to share our experiences and stories as we progress in our collective journey to reconciliation through education.

Please continue to check this website for registration and program information.

Click here to see the 2022 CASS First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Gathering.

READ WHAT PAST PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE GATHERING...

"My learning in this area continues, and I am grateful for all opportunities to make connections, advance my understanding of best practices for Indigenous Education, and realize how I can better permeate Indigenous knowledge into our schools.""I learned that our curricula is lacking in the area of Indigenous perspectives and Indigenous Science, and that we as educators need to fill that gap. I learned that residential school survivors and those suffering from intergenerational trauma have much to teach us about our biases, our lack of understanding, and redefining what resilience means. I learned that we as educators do make a make a difference with our words and actions, so we need to be mindful of them and seek opportunities to make a difference because we never know how our words and actions impact those around us."
" I went with an open heart and an open mind and that openness was filled with an unspeakable amount of a new awareness and understanding. "
"I have a deeper understanding of what "being in ceremony" means. I have learned more about the Indigenous culture that I can share with my colleagues, my family and community. I have made valuable connections that I can reach out to and ask for help. Through this, I am becoming a better listener." "Hearing the elders speak and share stories really helped me gain a deeper understanding of the importance of oral storytelling. There were also sessions that infused facts that I was not aware of. More specially facts and statistics around issues and racism that affect indigenous peoples in the present.""This learning opportunity continues to strengthen my understanding of the necessity of forming and deepening relationships with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Elders as partners in leading this work. Each session contributed to my personal awareness of the culture, struggle, and achievement in Indigenous Education, which will influence my approach and discussions with colleagues.""The Gathering opened my mind and heart to all the goodness we as educators can provide for students. I personally loved the "We Are Spirit North program" operating in Kikino Métis Settlement School. I learnt so much. Although some of the sessions took a toll emotionally and mentally, they also inspired me to continue to be the best that I can be for Indigenous Peoples and to listen to what they need - even if it's to assure them that they are being heard. The Gathering has given me a renewed spirit and the strength and courage to keep striving for them."

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Marie Battiste - Opening Keynote ( Evening, April 24)

Dr. Dwayne Donald - Keynote (Morning, April 25)

Dr. Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Dr. Douglas Sanderson - Keynote (Lunch, April 25)
( Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, A White Town and the Road to Reconciliation)

Andrea Menard LLB / LLM - Banquet Keynote (Evening, April 25)

Dr. Verna St. Denis - Keynote (Morning, April 26)

Registration Coming Soon...

LOCATION and ACCOMMODATIONS:
Conference occurs at the Fantasyland Hotel, 17700-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

If you have not already done so, please consider booking your accommodations at your earliest convenience by calling 780-444-3000 or toll-free at 1-800-737-3783. To receive the negotiated rate of $159/night plus tax, delegates must use the booking code 9650603 by March 24, 2023.

If the room block is full, alternate hotels close by include: West Edmonton Mall Inn, River Cree Resort and Casino, Courtyard Edmonton West, and Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton West. Room rates at these venues vary.

Goal:

Goals for the First Nations Métis and Inuit Education Gathering include:

an increase in understanding how to apply foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit for the benefit of all students;

an increase in capacity building to meet the learning needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students;

an increase in understanding how to engage and collaborate with First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders, Elders, communities and organizations; and

an increase in awareness and understanding of how to implement and lead practices that support reconciliation within our schools, school systems, and communities

These goals are in support of the Alberta Education Ministry's outcomes for 2019-23:

Alberta's students are successful;

First Nations, Métis and Inuit students in Alberta are successful;

Alberta has excellent teachers, school leaders, and school authority leaders; and

Alberta's K-12 education system is well governed and managed.

CASS Professional Learning Priorities for 2020-23: Leadership and System Excellence

Date(s):

April 24 - 26, 2023

Location:

Conference occurs at the Fantasyland Hotel, 17700-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

The College of Alberta School Superintendents upholds the standard of practice for system leadership in Alberta.

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2023 First Nations, Métis & Inuit Education Gathering

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← Back to Conferences/Professional Learning Truthing is the action attached to learning the truth (Elder teaching). Truthing, then, is facing uncomfortable and necessary truths and taking action in relation to those truths. We acknowledge that the action of truthing holds with it great responsibility.

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https://takemeoutside.ca/conference/

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Call for Presentations

The Outdoor Learning Conference Program Committee invites educators, practitioners, professionals, students and allied organizations immersed in this work to submit presentation proposals relevant to evidence-based best practices, innovative programs, facilitation techniques, management issues, theories/models, research, and other strategies and resources that advance and develop our sector of outdoor learning within the education system.

The three main areas of focus for this Conference will be Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Health and Wellbeing, and Environmental and Climate Change Education.

The Program will be developed by a volunteer committee that will include representatives from the Conference Steering Committee, Take Me Outside's Teacher Advisory Committee and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, as well as a number of other key stakeholders. The outdoor learning sector is quite diverse in terms of the work we do and our hope is to have strong program content for everyone.

Who will attend this Conference?

A mix of both rural and urban educators, practitioners, volunteers, students and elected officials, including examples such as:

K-12 Educators

ECE Educators

Post-secondary Educators

System leaders

School administrators

Organizational practitioners/coordinators

Contract staff, consultants and strategic planners

Academics and researchers

Emerging leaders, students and new professionals

Community organizations and staff

Apply to Present

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2023 Outdoor Learning Conference - Take Me Outside

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Call for Presentations The Outdoor Learning Conference Program Committee invites educators, practitioners, professionals, students and allied organizations immersed in this work to submit presentation proposals relevant to evidence-based best practices, innovative programs, facilitation techniques, management issues, theories/models, research, and other strategies and resources that advance and develop our sector of outdoor learning within the education system.

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https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/aerf/

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Aboriginal Education Research Forum 2023

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Dr. Don Robertson Richard Perrault Dr. Laara Fitznor Doris Young Dr. Helen D. Armstrong Dr. Mary Young Dr. Marlene Atleo Dr. Sherry Lynn (Ward) Peden Dr. Myra Laramee

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Educators need to continue to strive to enhance their knowledge and understanding of concepts we are working to incorporate into our classrooms. A good book helps to expand our views.
https://www.amazon.ca/Indigenizing-Education-Transformative-Research-Theories/dp/1648026907/ref=asc_df_1648026907/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=578917332644&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=494900663795959667&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001263&hvtargid=pla-1620382621409&psc=1

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Indigenizing Education: Transformative Research, Theories, and Praxis

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Indigenizing Education: Transformative Research, Theories, and Praxis brings various scholars, educators, and community voices together in ways that reimagines and recenters learning processes that embody Indigenous education rooted in critical Indigenous theories and pedagogies. The contributing...

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Healthy spirituality gives a sense of peace, wholeness and balance among the physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of our lives. Spirituality is imbedded within Indigenous ways of knowing, and is often practiced in ceremony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RYByws56TQ

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The Legend of Weesakayjack | First Nation Legend | How North America came to be | Dir: Rabbithead

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https://www.fnesc.ca/learningfirstpeoples/

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Learning First Peoples Classroom Resources – First Nations Education Steering Committee FNESC

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https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/migration/hc-sc/fn-an/alt_formats/fnihb-dgspni/pdf/pubs/fnim-pnim/2007_fnim-pnim_food-guide-aliment-eng.pdf

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When we smudge, we first cleanse our hands with the smoke as if we were washing our hands. We then draw the smoke over our heads, eyes, ears, mouths, and our bodies. These actions remind us to think good thoughts, see good actions, hear good sounds, speak good words, and show the good of who we are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5x7oZIbYkI

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Hello, my name is Fawn Chartier (Gaetz) and I teach in Sturgeon Lake First Nation. I teach grade 9, and Art. ed 10/20. I have been teaching for 4 years and have been with Sturgeon Lake Central School since I received my B. Ed in 2019. I have been building my cultural awareness and knowledge, while being out in Sturgeon Lake.

I am a mother of three children, a wife, and a dog mom.

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Fleshing and Scraping a Moose and Elk hide with the Grade 9, Elder Leonard Ermine, Knowledge Keeper Floyd Cook.

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Wanuskewin has been a place where educators and families have been able to go for many years. Not only does Wanuskewin tell our Saskatchewan history, it also displays it beautifully.
https://wanuskewin.com/

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Incorporating Indigenous Education perspective inside the classrooms

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Incorporating Indigenous Education perspective inside the classrooms

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNmH7Gixero

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Agricultural Connections to the land, food sustainability, and sustenance. 

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Agricultural Connections to the land, food sustainability, and sustenance. 

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Agriculture can create opportunities for students to connect with the land while learning and understanding how to provide a healthy source of food for future practices, individually or community.

Having a school garden or a community garden where students can participate in giving back to the school or community.

https://sustainablefoodcenter.org/latest/gardening/indigenous-agriculture-and-sustainable-food

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Increasingly, food growers around the world are recognizing that modern agricultural systems are unsustainable. Practices such as monocultures and excessive tilling degrade the soil and encourage pests and diseases. The artificial fertilizers and pesticides that farmers use to address these problems pollute the soil and water and harm the many organisms upon which successful agriculture depends, from pollinating bees and butterflies to the farm workers who plant, tend and harvest our crops. As the soil deteriorates, it is able to hold less water, causing farmers to strain already depleted water reservoirs.

In the search for alternative, sustainable food growing practices, gardeners are turning to traditional farming methods used prior to the advent of plows, artificial chemicals and mechanized irrigation systems. The founders of permaculture, for example, developed their set of agricultural principles by studying "premodern" food systems around the world. In turn, they developed an agricultural method that promotes indigenous agricultural practices.

Indigenous farming is not just farming practiced by indigenous people. It is the product of indigenous cultures that are deeply connected to particular places. In the words of one indigenous farmer, Vena A-dae Romero, "indigenous people are as much part of the land as the land is part of us. We cultivate the land while the land cultivates us. This relationship that has supported my people since time immemorial is remembered daily when we place our fingers in the dirt, pull the weeds from our fields, or plant our seeds with water, prayer, and hope, cook the food which we grow, and ingest the world with each bite of food we eat."

This connection between culture and land shaped and continues to shape indigenous agriculture by creating food growing practices that are adapted to specific, local environments and that work with as opposed to against natural processes. Traditional Native American farming practices exemplify this relationship. Throughout North America indigenous peoples grew the Three Sisters. A sophisticated practice of companion planting that is at least 3,000 years old, the Three Sisters combines corn, beans and squash to create a polyculture that feeds and protects the soil and controls pests. In wet regions, farmers grew the Three Sisters on elevated mounds to improve drainage, while in arid West, they planted in depressed, bordered gardens to capture the rain.

Throughout the Americas, indigenous farmers combined and continue to combine intercropping and agroforestry to produce high yields of crops on small spaces. For example, in the continents' mountainous regions, farmers cultivate cafetales. These are shady, multistory systems with tall fruit trees forming the upper layer, coffee trees at the intermediate layer, and smaller food plants and vines such as chiles, chives, and chayotes near the ground. The trees protect the plants below from high winds and cold temperatures, and their fallen leaves provide a natural mulch that inhibits weed growth, adds fertility, and retains soil humidity.

Along the Pacific Coast of South America, indigenous farmers used a range of sophisticated hydraulic systems to turn a geographically and climatically extreme region into a productive landscape. In the mountains, they built thousands of acres of terraces that reduced erosion, and on the plateaus, they dug sunken gardens (qochas) that reduced runoff. In the flood-prone lowlands, they built thousands of raised platforms to improve drainage and constructed embankments to protect their fields and canals from flash floods. In the drier coastland valleys, they built sunken fields (hoyas) to capture rainwater.

By and large, these practices were sustainable and endured for thousands of years until interrupted by colonial conquests and settlement. While indigenous American crops were introduced in colonies and around the world, the production methods of indigenous farmers were for the most part shunned by western and settler societies for over 500 years. Faced with environmental crises caused by modern food systems, food growers are now embracing these place-specific practices.

At the same time, indigenous peoples are interjecting their voices into the food security movement. In particular, they have developed a concept of food sovereignty, defined as "the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems." The food sovereignty movement has four key principles. One, the right to healthy food is a divine right that can only be achieved when humans nurture healthy, interdependent relationship with the land, plants and animals that provide us with food. Two, to achieve food sovereignty, individuals, families and communities must be able to participate in food systems. Three, to achieve food sovereignty, communities must enjoy self-determination, meaning they must be able to produce their own food. Four, we must change unsustainable farming practices as well as policies that prevent individuals and communities from enjoying self-determination and participating in food systems.

While the food sovereignty movement seeks to address issues specific to indigenous communities, we here at SFC believe that both the movement as well as the indigenous food growing knowledge that it promotes are crucial to creating sustainable food systems. Central to the concept of food sovereignty is a sense of stewardship for the earth and its resources as well as a celebration of the relationship between communities and place. When we try to create a sustainable food system by promoting food growing stewards and by teaching regionally-specific food gardening classes, we are following the lead of food sovereignty advocates. When we teach companion planting, composting, rain gardening and other sustainable gardening techniques, we are sharing knowledge developed by indigenous food growers over thousands of years. On this Indigenous People's Day, we would like to acknowledge our debt to indigenous farmers and give thanks for the food growing practices and ecological wisdom that they have given us.

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Indigenous Agriculture and Sustainable Food

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Increasingly, food growers around the world are recognizing that modern agricultural systems are unsustainable. Practices such as monocultures and excessive tilling degrade the soil and encourage pests and diseases.

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Incorporating Indigenous stories into our classroom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx9CDVkN9xU

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Out Ice Fishing with our Land Based Program, Learning from one another is a way Indigenous Knowledge has been passed on for many generations.