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These days, people are looking for ways to keep warm in Winter and save on their energy bills. Many years ago Iranian people used “korsi”: it is a device that was traditionally used by Iranians to warm their houses in the winter. It consists of a wooden table usually rectangular in shape; the table was covered with a large quilt, so that the heat from the brazier or fire pan did not come out from under the table and get wasted. The quilt was sometimes decorated with “termeh” - that is the kind of precious fabric woven from very delicate, expensive fiber. Nowadays, korsi is used in some parts of Iran; however, it is heated with an electric heater rather than a fire pan or brazier. Korsi used to be quite popular for entire families; they got together during celebrations like Yalda, which is the longest night of winter, and it is celebrated by Iranian people.

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In our culture, we know that people and all the creatures of the world are equal on this Earth. So, they are treated equally. And, in our epic Ramayana, this is portrayed very clearly. Rama has to fight a war to bring back his wife Sita from Lanka - ruled by Ravana. He [Rama] has to create a bridge between the tip of India [and] Sri Lanka. And all the animals, everything, even the little creatures, help Rama to construct this bridge over the ocean. The forces mainly consist of all the monkeys, bears, and other animals around that area who come to help. And there is a little squirrel who also wanted to participate in this construction. So, he makes a great effort, bringing little, little stones to put on this bridge - it’s a “stone” bridge. And by doing the “little” stones, they all fill up the little gaps between the big, big stones, thrown by the bigger animals. This really helps to smoothen the path on the bridge. Rama was so touched by this, that he takes the little squirrel - and we call it “chipmunk” in North America - and he fondly touches with the three fingers on the back of the squirrel. That’s how the chipmunk, the squirrel got the three lines across the body. This shows that even the little animals can help in a big way.

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I guess the one story that comes up for me, from my mother’s stories, in terms of sustainability, would be how she utilized all different resources to find ways to survive and raise her family. I am the youngest of six children [I think I mentioned this to you before] and my mom and dad separated when she was pregnant with me. My mom had a small business - we call it a pulperia, which is like a variety store, but she would do this [business] from home. She did this along with sewing to make sure she was home to raise all six of us. She was very creative in all the products that she sold. She was very good at making this homemade milk-based, candy-like product we called cajeta, which is basically hardened, boiled custard - it’s like milk and sugar boiled, and it becomes this hard thing. It was very popular and it would sell out every time she made it! She would also boil this large pot of small red beans, and she would sell that in individual portions as well - it was a hit! That would also sell out every day! She would also sell something called helados of different flavours. We had lemons, we grew lemons in our garden, so she would make sort of like a sweet lemonade, and she would freeze that [helado]. She would also make this thing, it was like a milk-vanilla-mixed-drink which she would then freeze in small bags and sell individually. And, in the midst of hot weather, this was a hit with all the people who came to the store! We also had a vegetable garden: we grew avocados, papayas, watermelons. And that would also be sold in the store. I never realized until we came to Canada and started hearing of “organic produce” that we had been raised on all organic meats and ingredients! It was very interesting to learn this. We were fed with what we had at hand. My mom would also buy meat daily. Even our milk most of the time came from “cow milk” that would come to the store every day. And our fruits and vegetables came from items that we either grew in our garden or bought from local markets. I think in terms of sustainability, we were pretty much self-sufficient in so many different ways.

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Long ago, there was an old man with a sparrow as a pet. But, one day, the sparrow eats an important cornstarch. And the old man’s wife gets very upset, and cuts out the sparrow’s tongue! The sparrow is in a lot of pain, and runs away to the mountains, or to the hills. The old man feels very bad and goes looking for the sparrow, and finds the sparrow in a bunch of bamboo. The sparrow welcomes the old man, and brings over a fancy meal and shows some lovely dancing. And, when it’s time to leave, the sparrow brings out a large gift box and a small gift box, and tells him to choose one; and, the old man chooses the smaller. When they get home [or when he gets home], the old man opens the box, and there’s a lot of gold coins that are inside. The old woman gets angry, because the old man didn’t choose the large box. The old woman then goes to the hills, and goes to find the sparrow. She finds the sparrow and says: “I don’t need any fancy meal, I don’t need your dancing, just give me the big box!” And, the sparrow gives her the big box. She is so excited, she can’t wait until she gets home. She opens the box, and from inside, there’s snakes, and centipedes, and ghosts that crawl out. And after that, the old lady starts acting nicer. This teaches children to respect animals and respect wildlife, and to not be greedy [the idea of taking only what you need].

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Oral narrative in English: by Kitty Lynn Lickers                 Adapted to Odawa Boy

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Oral narrative in English: by Kitty Lynn Lickers                 Adapted to Odawa Boy

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Citation
Debajehmujig Storytellers. (2020, September 17). The Three Sisters [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0qIYzqGFTJU

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Oral narrative in English, Ojibwe (Dan Kimewon)

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Oral narrative in English, Ojibwe (Dan Kimewon)

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Cultural educator, Dan Kimewon, shares First Nations teachings of corn and Three Sister plantings in both English and Ojibwe.

Citation:
Wabano Centre. Corn Teachings with Dan Kimewon [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/sBBoQqcjT90

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The following story, entitled “The Three Sisters,” was recorded by Lois Thomas of Cornwall Island, Canada. It is one of a collection of legends compiled by students at Centennial College, Toronto, Canada. Out of respect to native culture, we ask that you share the legend in a spirit of respect.

Once upon a time very long ago, there were three sisters who lived together in a field. These sisters were quite different from one another in their size and also in their way of dressing. One of the three was a little sister, so young that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green. The second of the three wore a frock of bright yellow, and she had a way of running off by herself when the sun shone and the soft wind blew in her face. The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters and trying to guard them. She wore a pale green shawl, and she had long, yellow hair that tossed about her head in the breezes.

There was only one way in which the three sisters were alike. They loved one another very dearly, and they were never separated. They were sure that they would not be able to live apart.

After a while a stranger came to the field of the three sisters, a little Indian boy. He was as straight as an arrow and as fearless as the eagle that circled the sky above his head. He knew the way of talking to the birds and the small brothers of the earth, the shrew, the chipmunk, and the young foxes. And the three sisters, the one who was just able to crawl, the one in the yellow frock, and the one with the flowing hair, were very much interested in the little Indian boy. They watched him fit his arrow in his bow, saw him carve a bowl with his stone knife, and wondered where he went at night.

Late in the summer of the first coming of the Indian boy to their field, one of the three sisters disappeared. This was the youngest sister in green, the sister who could only creep. She was scarcely able to stand alone in the field unless she had a stick to which she clung. Her sisters mourned for her until the fall, but she did not return.

Once more the Indian boy came to the field of the three sisters. He came to gather reeds at the edge of a stream nearby to make arrow shafts. The two sisters who were left watched him and gazed with wonder at the prints of his moccasins in the earth that marked his trail.

That night the second of the sisters left, the one who was dressed in yellow and who always wanted to run away. She left no mark of her going, but it may have been that she set her feet in the moccasin tracks of the little Indian boy.

Now there was but one of the sisters left. Tall and straight she stood in the field not once bowing her head with sorrow, but it seemed to her that she could not live there alone. The days grew shorter and the nights were colder. Her green shawl faded and grew thin and old. Her hair, once long and golden, was tangled by the wind. Day and night she sighed for her sisters to return to her, but they did not hear her. Her voice when she tried to call to them was low and plaintive like the wind.

But one day when it was the season of the harvest, the little Indian boy heard the crying of the third sister who had been left to mourn there in the field. He felt sorry for her, and he took her in his arms and carried her to the lodge of his father and mother. Oh what a surprise awaited here there! Her two lost sisters were there in the lodge of the little Indian boy, safe and very glad to see her. They had been curious about the Indian boy, and they had gone home with him to see how and where he lived. They had liked his warm cave so well that they had decided now that winter was coming on to stay with him. And they were doing all they could to be useful.

The little sister in green, now quite grown up, was helping to keep the dinner pot full. The sister in yellow sat on the shelf drying herself, for she planned to fill the dinner pot later. The third sister joined them, ready to grind meal for the Indian boy. And the three were never separated again.

Every child of today knows these sisters and needs them just as much as the little Indian boy did. For the little sister in green is the bean. Her sister in yellow is the squash, and the elder sister with long flowing hair of yellow and the green shawl is the corn.

Citation:
Thomas, L. Cornwall Island, Canada. The three sisters legend. Recorded Oral Teaching. N.d. Retrieved November 15, 2022 from https://library.rrc.ca/c.php?g=709597&p=5055778

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Kate shares a version of the Words Before All Else in English.

Citation:
Community Story Strategies. (2019, August 7). Words Before All Else English [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7I97xKlRVZU

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Transcript in English: The Thanksgiving Address (Words Before All Else)

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Transcript in English: The Thanksgiving Address (Words Before All Else)

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People here, listen to the words that come before all else.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the different peoples. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to our Mother, the Earth. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the waters. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the varieties of fish. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the varieties of roots. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the varieties of grasses and green plants. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the varieties of insects. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the varieties of fruits and berries. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the different medicines. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to the life sustainers. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the free animals. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all of the trees and bushes. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the varieties of birds. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to the four winds. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to our grandfathers, the thunder beings. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to our elder brother the sun. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to our grandmother the moon. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to all the stars in the sky. And so it is in our minds.

Everyone, bring your minds together as one and send your greetings, love and gratitude to the one who finished our bodies. And so it is in our minds.

Now it is done. I have done my best but if there is anything I have forgotten, you can complete the words for yourself. These are all the words I have.

Citation:
Community Story Strategies. (2019, August 7). Words Before All Else [Video Transcript]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/B-fIkL2ps_U

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Four Directions Teachings - Dr. Jennifer Wemigwans (Digital Bundle)

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Four Directions Teachings - Dr. Jennifer Wemigwans (Digital Bundle)

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Fourdirectionsteachings.com is a visually stunning audio narrated resource for learning about Indigenous knowledge and philosophy from five diverse First Nations in Canada.

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To learn more about the history and the future of the Four Directions Teachings project,
please click here

The goal for the project was to create an engaging site where people could experience Indigenous knowledge and philosophy and where educators could incorporate the site into their curriculum. FourDirectionsTeachings.com honors oral traditions by creating an environment where visitors are encouraged to listen with intent as each elder/ traditional teacher shares a teaching from their perspective on the richness and value of cultural traditions from their nation.

The elders and traditional teachers represented on the site are:

Dr Reg Crowshoe and Geoff Crow Eagle -Blackfoot Teaching

Mary Lee -Cree Teaching

Lillian Pitawanakwat -Ojibwe Teaching

Tom Porter -Mohawk Teaching

Stephen Augustine -Mi'kmaq Teaching

Each of the elders and traditional teachers who have shared a teaching on this site were approached through a National Advisory Committee of Indigenous people concerned with the protection and promotion of Indigenous knowledge. This committee was formed directly for the purposes of this website to ensure a community based approach that was respectful and accountable.

Our advisors:

Dr. Marie Battiste is Mi'kmaq, a member of the Potlo'tek First Nation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is Academic Director of the Aboriginal Education Research Centre in the College of Education and co-author of Protecting Indigenous Knowledge: A Global Challenge (2000). Dr. Battiste has served as a United Nations expert and co-chair for the UN Workshop on Indigenous Heritage in Geneva, Switzerland.

James [SÁKÉJ] Youngblood Henderson is Professor and Research Director at the Native Law Centre of Canada, College of Law, University of Saskatchewan. He is a noted international human rights lawyer and an authority on protecting Indigenous heritage, knowledge, and culture. He is currently a member of the Sectoral Commission on Culture, Communication and Information of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and of the Experts Advisory Group on International Cultural Diversity.

Dr. Reg Crowshoe is a well-known Piikani Blackfoot Elder who is also Executive Director of the Oldman River Cultural Center in Alberta. Dr. Crowshoe has pioneered and initiated cross-cultural programs for many organizations and institutions across Western Canada, and recently earned an honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Calgary.

Diane Hill (Katsitsawaks) is a member of the Mohawk nation, Bear clan, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. For the past 20 years, she has been consulting in various Aboriginal education initiatives internationally and working to promote culturally-based educational strategies in the field of social work and in the area of portfolio-assisted prior learning assessment with the First Nations Technical Institute. Currently, Diane is completing her Ph.D. in Adult Education with a focus on Aboriginal approaches at the University of Toronto.

Sylvia Maracle is Mohawk from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and a member of the Wolf Clan. Ms. Maracle has been involved in Aboriginal Friendship Centres for over thirty years, serving as the Executive Director for the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres (OFIFC) for much of that time. Ms. Maracle has also served as the Vice President of the National Association of Friendship Centres, President of the Native Women's Resource Centre and Co-Chair of the City of Toronto Taskforce on Access and Equity.

Project Credits:

Jennifer Wemigwans: Producer

Doug Anderson: Content Developer / Director and Curriculum Supervisor

Winston Bromley: Lead Technical New Media Director

Deepa Kanal: Publicity Coordinator

Marlene Finn: Curriculum Consultant and Advisor

Alexei Romanov: Flash Programmer / Designer

Stefan Valent: Graphic Design / Background Imagery

Tim Thompson: Animation / Vector Artist

Andjelka Jovanic: Photography

James Rohr: Audio Production Consultant

Wolfgang Webb: Sound Design

Susan Gorbet: Interface Consultant

Ilona Posner: Usability Consultant

Narrators:

Doug Anderson, MetisIntroduction to site

Lawrence Bayne, Metis Blackfoot Teaching

Lorne Cardinal, OjibweMohawk and Mi'kmaq Teachings

Monique Mojica, Kuna-Cree and Ojibwe Teachings

Rappahannock

We also want to thank the following people for their belief and faith in the project:

Mary Barroll, Jacquie Carpenter, Nancy Cooper, Kari Dehli, Sara Diamond, Chris Hamden, Tal Henderson, Lorre Jensen, Susan Kennard, Ningwakwe, Caitlin O'Donovan, Diane Pujen, Myriam Rafla, Albert Resnick, Gabe Sawhney, Maria Vasilodimitrakis, Leah Visser and Rinaldo Walcott.

Chi Miigwetch!

Four DirectionsTeachings.com was made possible through the Canadian Culture Online Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Produced in association with:

Produced by:

FEEDBACK

We are always aiming to make our sites the best they can be and would like to hear your feedback on this educational and interactive site.

Send us an email by clicking here to let us know what you like, dislike, feel we should expand upon, etc.

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FourDirectionsTeachings.com is a visually stunning audio narrated resource for learning about Indigenous knowledge and philosophy from five diverse First Nations in Canada. The site is provided in English with French subtitles and includes curriculum resources in both English and French.

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Bechtel, R. (2016). Oral narratives: reconceptualising the turbulence between Indigenous perspectives and Eurocentric scientific views. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 11(2), 447-469.

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Bechtel, R. (2016). Oral narratives: reconceptualising the turbulence between Indigenous perspectives and Eurocentric scientific views. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 11(2), 447-469.

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Mojica, M. (2012). In plain sight: Inscripted earth and invisible realities. New Canadian Realisms, 2, 218-242.

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Mojica, M. (2012). In plain sight: Inscripted earth and invisible realities. New Canadian Realisms, 2, 218-242.

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Project Inspiration: The Danger of a Single Story

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Project Inspiration: The Danger of a Single Story

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Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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I grew up in Lebanon, in a village in the mountains, in the Lebanese mountains. And I remember really well that olive trees were very important in our life, and in the Lebanese culture. What we did is, during the specific season, we would go to the land. Almost everyone in the village had owned some olive trees - some owned big lands, some owned small lands. But, everyone had access to olive trees. And, we’d take these olives, when they are ripe enough. And some olive trees would produce olives you could eat, we would them in jars. We’d put water, salt and vinegar, and we’d store them; we’d eat them all winter, and the spring and summer, until they’re ready for the next fall, when the new season is ready for us to get new olives. Some olive trees produced olive oil; so, we’d take certain olives and we’d go to the local place in the village where we could make olive oil - where they would crush the olives, with some sustainable methods of cultivation and pressing that are kind of handed down from generation to generation, and we would make olive oil. And from that same olive oil, as well, we would make olive oil soap, or olive soap: a very organic, great quality of soap. So we’d use soap, we’d use olive oil, and we’d eat olives, all from the land. And that meant a lot for us, because that meant that people would bond over olives. Lebanon had been through many wars, including the civil war, and there are eighteen or nineteen religious sects in Lebanon, and one thing that unites the country are olives. They are eaten by rich people, they are eaten by executives, they are eaten by villagers, by poor people - everyone eats olives, and people will always share the different methods of producing the olive oil, depending where they are from in Lebanon. So, olive oil is essential in the Lebanese kitchen. And, not only in Lebanon, but many Lebanese immigrants - including myself - actually try to get either olive oil or olives from Lebanon. So, even the olive oil, culturally, is very important for originally Lebanese people who have left Lebanon to always bring back olives and olive oil or olive-produced products from back in Lebanon. So there’s a history, there’s a culture of connection which unites the people, and it feeds a lot of people; it’s a staple in the kitchen.

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In the Philippines, there is a Goddess known as Maria Makiling. She lives in the forest and she can stop natural disasters from happening, such as earthquakes, great storms and floods. And after a storm, she would walk through the forest and heal everything that’s been broken. So, the birds can fly again, the land will be dry, and the butterflies with their broken wings can take flight. She helps everybody in need - if you’re poor, if you’re hungry, if you’re lonely, she will be there for you. And, you can have anything that you need in the forest, but you cannot take it with you. And if you take any fruit away, she will get angry and you will not be able to find your way out. And, the only way that you can resolve the problem, is by putting the fruit back, and putting your clothes inside and out, so you can find your way home. That is because you can’t take more than what you need; you have to leave enough for everybody, and share.

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Storytelling to Push Western Concepts of Finding Love Through Scrabble

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Storytelling to Push Western Concepts of Finding Love Through Scrabble

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From video description: "Director: Rodrigo Saavedra Agencia: Lola Madrid"

Again, storytelling, here, is used to propagate a Western notion of "finding love" even when you feel alone in far off places (e.g., two Westerners finding each other in Tokyo, Japan). Through the power of stories, we can feel connected, but Mattel is suggesting that you can only create stories through their products - 'go out and buy our product because it will give you love'!

Citation:
LANDIA.(2015, May, 21). Scrabble / Anagram Lovers / Rodrigo Saavedra. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/iGKWNtqWP5Q

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Scrabble / Anagram Lovers / Rodrigo Saavedra

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Storytelling Used to Push Consumerism Culture

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Storytelling Used to Push Consumerism Culture

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From video description: "This Christmas is filled up with magic. Turn on the lights, get cozy and get a hot chocolate. It's all about being together and finding the magic in words."

Storytelling and relationality, here, are clearly used to push a capitalist-consumerist culture, particularly during a highly profitable, holiday period.

Citation:
Mattel. (2016, November 14). There's Magic in Scrabble [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/DS7BurEr4ic

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Visual Artwork Promoting Unsustainable Flower Arrangements for Holiday Profitability

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Visual Artwork Promoting Unsustainable Flower Arrangements for Holiday Profitability

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Public art installations are often critiqued for "selling" artisanal works without considering the costs to neighbourhoods, local artists (who are not from affluent/privileged backgrounds), and the environment. This flower show is an example of using flowers that are not in season for Christmas/holiday themed installations. This attracts customers to purchase unnecessary arrangements from flower markets.

Citation:
Fleurs de Villes NOEL (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2022 from https://www.bloor-yorkville.com/fleursdevillesnoel/

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Fleurs de Villes NOEL - Floral Pop-Ups to Celebrate the Holiday Season

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A festive floral trail through Bloor-Yorkville in time for the holiday season, created by Toronto’s favourite florists.

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Honey Bee Network Philosophy | Supporting Knowledge Symmetry Against Epistemic Injustice

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Project Inspiration: Honey Bee Network, Gujarat, India

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Project Inspiration: Honey Bee Network, Gujarat, India

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Websites
https://www.sristi.org/
http://honeybee.org/index.php
https://www.localfutures.org/programs/global-to-local/planet-local/culture/honey-bee-network/
https://twitter.com/honeybeenetwork

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I am going to share a story about Nuwa, which I believe is a Goddess in Chinese mythology and Creation Stories. And, the story I grew up hearing is how she [Nuwa] molded humans individually by hand with clay. She is also known for patching the holes on the sky with coloured stones, and using the legs of a tortoise to mend the pillar that support the sky. Growing up, I also saw artworks of her making the clay-humans, and all the clay humans she made seem to be very little in sizes, but all can speak. And, I’ve also heard, she made those humans based on her own look. THe clay humans, they call her 'Mother'. I believe this is how Mother Earth - the concept - originated in Chinese mythology. The representation of Mother also influences the way I understood ‘womanhood’: which is something larger than themselves, and are selfless and powerful. The Creation Story also signifies that woman has, since day one, been working with nature to heal catastrophes.

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Artwork Representation of Pedagogical Concepts, Sustainability and Resurgence

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Two-Eyed Seeing: Co-Constructing New Knowledges from Different Worldviews

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Two-Eyed Seeing: Co-Constructing New Knowledges from Different Worldviews

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This artwork brings together all of the concepts of All My Relations, Indigenous Pedagogy around The Three Sisters Teachings. Our class learned the hand gesture during the Dish Dances Movement Workshop with Ang Loft (Fort York, 2022, May 28): it symbolizes two nations that are apart, coming together as equals. There is still a space in between the hands, signifying the “ethical space”. Nations must share the land, in peaceful coexistence, and give back to all our relations. They avoid infringing upon each other’s ways of life. The ship on the left represents European settlers, and the canoe on the right represents Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island. Connected with the covenant chain of peace, made of three links: peace, friendship and “how long it will last”, they made an agreement (Lyons, 2008: 59). The ship and canoe merge into the heart-centre of the mandala. The heart’s map-of-the-world illustrates the need for everyone to be grateful for all entities that sustain us, and on this we agree or “so be it our minds”, as in the Thanksgiving Address (Mohawk, 2008: vi-viii), Wampums and treaties are made to engender peace, equity and unity (Lyons, 2008: 63). They require continuous renewal through fire ceremonies (Corbeire and Hill, 2021). The mandala furthers this ideology of regeneration and circularity. The colours account for the gifts of The Three Sisters: corn – yellow, red – bean, orange – squash, and brown – soil / gardener (she is the Fourth Sister; Kimmerer, 2013: 139). Finally, the sky colours transform into stars and space – bonding the material and spiritual world. The artwork celebrates my ancestral knowledges, and demonstrates how “simple” hand gestures have deeper meanings in Indigenous Pedagogies from all over the world.

Citations:
Corbiere, A. O., & Hill, R. [Polishing the Chain: Treaty Relations in Toronto]. (2021, September 29). The Symbolic Language of Wampum Diplomacy [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/HFdxbqLiAAk

Kimmerer, R. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed editions.

Lyons, O., (2008). Chapter 8, A Democracy Based on Peace. In M. K. Nelson (Ed.) Original instructions: indigenous teachings for a sustainable future (pp. 59-65). Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Company.

Mohawk, J. (2008). Introduction, A Seneca Greeting – Relationship Requires Us to Be Thankful. In M. K. Nelson (Ed.) Original instructions: indigenous teachings for a sustainable future (pp. vi-viii). Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Company.

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Overlapping Theoretical Models and Foundations within Cultural Sustainability

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Different Frameworks of Adult Education for Sustainability

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Different Frameworks of Adult Education for Sustainability

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Developing a framework for storytelling and art as drivers of cultural change through existing theoretical models and foundations for practice of sustainability strategies (Sumner, 2007: 74) and adult education as sustainability (Schreiber-Barsch & Mauch, 2019). The framework was also inspired by principles of knowledge democracy (Adichie, 2009; Hall & Tandon, 2017; Honey Bee Knowledge Network, n.d.), arts/language as resistance to cultural hegemony (Clammer, 2016), relationality (Lange et al., 2021), uMunthu/Ubuntu (Mbiti, 1969, in Anderson et al., 2016), reciprocity (Kimmerer, 2018), and radical hope in praxis (Stradz, 2019).

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Shantiniketan: Co-Building A Better World Through Storytelling and Artwork (Theoretical Framework)

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Shantiniketan: Co-Building A Better World Through Storytelling and Artwork (Theoretical Framework)

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Shantiniketen in Sanskrit means "Abode of Peace". A town by this name is now part of the town of Bolpur. It began as Shantiniketan Ashram, a meditation centre founded and endowed in 1863 by Maharishi Debendranath, the father of the world-famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore in turn established the Brahmo Vidyalaya (school) and in 1901 another open-air laboratory school. By 1921 the latter had expanded into Vishva-Bharati University, which sought a basis for a common fellowship between the cultures of East and West (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica).

Inspired by the Honey Bee Knowledge Network, which shares knowledges about agricultural practices, as generated by the farmers themselves, I constructed a publicly accessible digital bundle[1](Wemigwans, 2018), that incorporates overlapping theoretical models.

The resulting framework, Shantiniketan (“Abode of Peace”): Co-Constructing a Better World Through Storytelling and Arts Education, expands upon the Regenerated Freirean Literacy Through Empowering Techniques (Archer & Cottingham, 1996). Figure 2 features a tree, whose roots of planet, place, prosperity, peace, people, and partnerships[2], within a triangle of place, permanence, and persons (Lucas Seghezzo, 2009, in Schreiber-Barsch & Mauch, 2019: 527), are all affected by storytelling seeds, and wide-ranging weather patterns in three dimensions of structured power relations, communicative action and codes of values (Sumner, 2007: 74). Depending on these inputs, the roots of the tree may germinate into varied degrees of trunks or structures of learning, branches or processes of learning, and leaves or contents of learning – components of adult education as sustainability (Schreiber-Barsch & Mauch, 2019: 528). Gradually, the tree may also produce a diverse array of fruits or knowledges or changes.

In other words, this framework incorporates an un-boxed theoretical model for practice of sustainability strategies (Sumner, 2007: 74), and a rhetoric-to-action model of adult learning as sustainability (Schreiber-Barsch, 2019: 528), inspired by principles of buen vivir (DeSousa Santos, 2014), uMunthu/Ubuntu (Mbiti, 1969, in Anderson et al., 2016: 8), and relationality (Lange et al., 2021: 27). Through knowledge democracy (Hall & Tandon, 2017: 13; Honey Bee Knowledge Network, n.d.), pedagogies of radical hope in praxis (Stradz, 2019) and arts/language as resistance to cultural hegemony (Clammer, 2016: 50), stories and art have the power to change the world from rhetoric-to-action (Schreiber-Barsch & Mauch, 2019), in response to global challenges.

As an artist and educator, I see colour and beauty in the world. I see stories and art, storytelling and artistry, and storytellers and artists as the seeds of change. Once seeds are planted, through knowledge-sharing, they mutually flourish, creating trees, or even entire community gardens. These knowledges could transpire into cooperative actions that improve the here and now. If successful, these collaborative efforts and sustainable relationships would produce long-lasting changes in the world.

[1] A bundle is “made by bringing together of spiritual and material objects, elements, allies and energies that will be needed to sustain the spiritual life and secular outcomes of a ceremony or gathering that is being undertaken”, wherein these collections become “teaching bundles” that are the “curriculum” for educators (Nelson, 2008: 4)
[2] United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Schreiber-Barsch & Mauch, 2019: 517).

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Video clip of "The Parable of the Mousetrap" by Wakanyi Hoffman, Founder of African Folktales Project. Full video and panel discussion available on YouTube (see citation).

Citations:
Hoffman, W. (2020). African Folklore and Indigenous Wisdom Retold. African Folktales Project. Retrieved November 19, 2022 from: https://www.africanfolktalesproject.com/our-folktales

South South Women. (2020, November 17). Honoring Indigenous Knowledge - Ubuntu [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/m0LUt4clEbc

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Video clip of "Explaining Parable Through Ubuntu" by Wakanyi Hoffman, Founder of African Folktales Project. Full video and panel discussion available on YouTube (see citation).

Citations:
Hoffman, W. (2020). African Folklore and Indigenous Wisdom Retold. African Folktales Project. Retrieved November 19, 2022 from: https://www.africanfolktalesproject.com/our-folktales

South South Women. (2020, November 17). Honoring Indigenous Knowledge - Ubuntu [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/m0LUt4clEbc

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I am because you are, you are because I am. The essence of Ubuntu is something many Africans learn from an early stage. We grow up appreciative of our existence as part of the larger family and community. We learn to co-exist, to be, share, and respect, and to collaborate, because we have a responsibility to be part of something bigger than ourselves. In Rwanda, ubudehe was modeled by elders to show collective action and social support. Adults would meet together and dig up one person’s land, then in the evenings they would be seen drinking local beer together from a large pot with many straws. The next day the group would meet at a different person’s land and the host would once again appreciate their help with a drink. This is similar to Ubuntu, which taught us not to be competitive with each other, but rather to support each other. Ubudehe is one of the practices that has been used for restoration of Rwanda after the genocide. Ubuntu was also used in restorative justice in South Africa. The two are not political agendas or modern philosophies, but our Indigenous ways of being.

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Citations for Padlet, Posters & Research Paper

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Citations for Padlet, Posters & Research Paper

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Griswold, W. (2017).  Sustainability, ecojustice, and adult education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 153, 7-15.

Hall B.L., Tandon R. (2017). Decolonization of Knowledge, Epistemicide, Participatory Research and Higher Education. Research for All, 1(1): 6–19.

IPCC (2022a). Climate change 2022: Mitigation of climate change: Summary for policymakers. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, April 4. Available at IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf

Johnson, H.R. (2022, October, 15). What story of colonialism do you want to believe in? The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-what-story-of-colonialism-do-you-want-to-believe-in/

Kimmerer, R. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed editions.

Kimmerer, R.W. (2018). Mishkos Kenomagwen, the Lessons of Grass: Restoring reciprocity with the good green earth.  In M.K. Nelson and D. Shilling (eds.) Traditional ecological knowledge: Learning from Indigenous practices for environmental sustainability (pp. 27-56). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Kellerman, J. K., Hamilton, J. L., Selby, E. A., & Kleiman, E. M. (2022). The Mental Health Impact of Daily News Exposure During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. JMIR Mental Health, 9(5), e36966.

King, T. (2003). The truth about stories: A native narrative. House of Anansi.

LANDIA. (2015, May, 21). Scrabble / Anagram Lovers / Rodrigo Saavedra. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/iGKWNtqWP5Q

Lange, E. A., O'Neil, J. K. P., & Ross, K. E. (2021). Educating during the great transformation: relationality and transformative sustainability education. Andragoška spoznanja, 27(1), 23-46.

Little Bear, L. (2011). Native science and western science: Possibilities for a powerful collaboration [DVD]. Available from http://lib.asu.edu/librarychannel/2011/05/16/ep114_Little Bear/

Lyons, O., (2008). A Democracy Based on Peace. In M. K. Nelson (Ed.) Original instructions: indigenous teachings for a sustainable future (pp. 59-65). Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Company.

Mattel. (2016, November 14). There's Magic in Scrabble [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/DS7BurEr4ic

Mbiti, J.S. (1969). African religions and philosophy. New York, NY: Praeger.

Mohawk, J. (2008). A Seneca Greeting – Relationship Requires Us to Be Thankful. In M. K. Nelson (Ed.) Original instructions: indigenous teachings for a sustainable future (pp. vi-viii). Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Company.

Mojica, M. (2012). In plain sight: Inscripted earth and invisible realities. New Canadian Realisms, 2, 218-242.

Nelson, M. K. (2008). Lighting the Sun of Our Future – How These Teachings Can Provide Illumination. In M. K. Nelson (Ed.) Original instructions: indigenous teachings for a sustainable future (pp. 1-19). Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Company.

Nelson, M. K. (2008). Mending the Split-Head Society with Trickster Consciousness. In M. K. Nelson (Ed.) Original instructions: indigenous teachings for a sustainable future (pp. 288-297). Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Company.

Schreiber-Barsch, S., & Mauch, W. (2019). Adult learning and education as a response to global challenges: Fostering agents of social transformation and sustainability. International Review of Education, 65, 515–536.

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Ohen: ton Karihwatehkwan - Words Before All Else

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Kate and Erica are from Tyendinega and share the Words Before All Else. The gratitude is expressed for our insect family, animal family, plant family, and ultimately, all of creation.

Citation:
Community Story Strategies. (2019, August 21). Words Before All Else [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/B-fIkL2ps_U

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Building knowledge democracy, buen vivir, relationality, and radical hope in praxis.

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The Power of Stories and Art for Adult Education as Cultural Sustainability

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The Power of Stories and Art for Adult Education as Cultural Sustainability

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Please take some time to read (and comment/critique) my final paper submission, based on this ongoing, emergent participatory research design. Note: You may need to open this in a separate tab to get access to the full text.

This paper was submitted for:
LHAE 1193: Adult Education for Sustainability to Dr. Jennifer Sumner, Ed. D.
(Adult Education and Community Development, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto)

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In a farm in Africa, there once lived a clever rat, whose task, that of pick up after others, was not much appreciated. The rat was considered dirty, and a thief, for he took some of the food that the farmer kept in a storage. It wasn’t much food, really, a grain of maize, a couple of beans, a handful of lentils. But, it caused the farmer’s wife great irritation. She complained so much, that the farmer decided to buy a mousetrap. This, he believed, would fix the problem once and for all. No more rats! He thought. Later that day, the rat went to the house to get some food. Then he saw the trap at the door! Sensing the danger ahead of him, he decided to go to his friends for help. He walked to the chicken and said, “My dear friend, I come to you with a big problem. The farmer has set a trap for me, so that I cannot enter his house. But I am hungry and need a few grains of maize. If you go to the house, you will be able to cross the trap as you much bigger than me. Please help me!” But the chicken looked at the rat and said, “Ah, look at you! You are such a dirty creature and a thief! I cannot be seen talking to you, much less help you! Go away!” The rat walked off, feeling sad. He then approached the goat with the same request, and the goat replied, “You dirty thief! You bring nothing but trouble around here. Go away!” It was now getting dark, as the rat approached the cow with the same request. But again, he was dismissed. The cow said to him, “You are a thief and cause great trouble to the farmer and his wife, we would all be better off without you!” With these harsh words, the rat walked back to the house to contemplate his fate. By now, he was starving. He found a nice spot under the house where he would spend this fateful night. But in the night, a loud, snapping sound was heard! Thinking that it was the rat trapped at last, the farmer’s wife stumbled out of bed and felt the trap with her hand. But then she felt a sharp pain going across her fingers! It was a snake that had been trapped, and it had bitten her! She let out a loud scream that woke everyone in the village. The village medicine man suggested to give her some chicken soup to remove the snake poison. So, the farmer quickly got the chicken and turned it into soup. But the wife did not get better, and sadly, by morning, she had passed away. As people began gathering at the farmer’s house, he needed to feed them. He looked around and decided to make some food for the guests. So, the goat was turned into soup. On the day of the funeral, everyone came to say goodbye to the farmer’s wife. So, the farmer had to prepare a big feast. He turned the cow into a bigger soup. As you can guess, it was only the rat that remained, and he walked majestically into the hut, got himself a few grains of maize, beans, and lentils, and continued living his life.

This story tells us that when we fail to lift each other up, we also fail to lift ourselves up. When one of us fails, we all fail. But when we collaborate, in a trustworthy and sincere way, and when share and honour our boldest visions, we become successful. So, what happens to the rat? We might ask. Because of the oral nature of folk storytelling, this is an open-ended conclusion, and is open to your interpretation. But I’ll tell you what my conclusion is. I picture the rat as being any one of us here today. You did your best to collaborate with others, but they had a fixed mindset about what their roles are: the cow was fixated on being the grazer, the goat was fixated on being second to the cow, and chicken had one role – he was the time-teller, he was the alarm clock – and that was that. Nobody wanted to expand and think differently. But the rat was so futuristic, and he was a disrupter. He disrupted the social norms, constantly shifting mindsets, and finding new ideas about how to survive and live together. The rat is the entrepreneur in all of us. I picture him or her migrating into a digital city, building new relationships with others, and learning new ways of improving his or her quality of life in a world that now includes this bunch of spaces we are all migrating toward. And this migration, to digital cities, is probably the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time, which nobody is really talking about. We all need to channel all our ubuntu, all our energy into making this space livable for everyone and everything. We will have to decide who lives, who dies, which ideas are picked and which ones are torched, which languages will survive and which ones will fade away, which cultural norms we will follow and which ones we won’t. And so, our key to survival, lies in our shared ubuntu – that was our ancestors’ wildest dreams. And, today, we are those future ancestors. And long after we exit this world, the generations that will come after us, will be fulfilling our wildest dreams. So, in conclusion, what I want to leave you with is this message: let’s collaborate. Let’s create the best analog and digital world that we can, together.

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Sustainability Themes of Reciprocity, Relationality, Responsibility & Ethical Space of Engagement

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Connecting Teachings: The Three Sisters, Maria Makiling, Nüwa

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Connecting Teachings: The Three Sisters, Maria Makiling, Nüwa

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Sharing Space & Mutual Flourishing
The Three Sisters, of corn, beans and squash, were quite different from one another in their size and also in their way of dressing. Indeed, the sisters were alike in only one way: they loved one another very dearly, and they were never separated. They symbiotically support one another. The youngest sister, the squash sister, requires the greatest care. She represents the "ethical space of engagement" between different ways of knowing - a place where we can co-construct new knowledges and build pathways forward.

The three sisters lean on each other, and on us - the fourth sister.  Maria Makiling, Goddess of the Forest, also depends on us to share ‘space’ with all others. No matter your circumstance, she will be there for you. We, as forest travelers, rely on her ability to heal everything that’s been broken following natural disasters. Still, while she encourages us to consume what we need in the forest, we must leave enough for everybody, and share the space. She depends on us to not take any fruit away from the forest.

Nüwa, Mother Goddess in Chinese mythology, cared for all the clay humans, who were little in size; yet, she also relied on them to follow her lead, as she based [them] on her own look, and they would call her ‘Mother’.

Nature & Women as Knowledge Keepers
Like Maria Makiling, Nüwa could ‘heal’ the universe of catastrophes, by patching the holes on the sky with coloured stones, and by employing the legs of a tortoise to mend the pillars that support the sky.
These stories not only illustrate co-dependent relationships between humans and nature, but they also feature powerful ‘women’ figures as the keepers of knowledge.

Honorable Harvest & Responsibility
These stories teach us about the unwritten guidelines of the Honorable Harvest: to harvest only with good intentions, with our hearts and minds clear of negative thoughts, never take the first, never take the last, take only what you need, use what you gather respectfully, never waste what you have taken, and share with others. Maria Makiling will get angry if you unnecessarily take fruits with you, and you will not be able to find your way out of the forest, and can only leave after putting the fruit back. Even with the technologies available, we must practice ecological restraint and spiritual reverence for the landscape of gifts around us.

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Connecting Folktales: The Mouse Trap, Tongueless Sparrow and Lord Rama & The Squirrel

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Connecting Folktales: The Mouse Trap, Tongueless Sparrow and Lord Rama & The Squirrel

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Respecting All Beings
When Lord Rama needed to build a stone bridge from India to Lanka, all the monkeys, bears, and other animals around that area brought big rocks to help him. Despite being teased, a little squirrel who also wanted to participate in this construction, put in effort to bring little stones, that fill in the gaps and smoothen the path.

In the parable of the mouse trap, the rat is considered dirty, and a thief, for simply picking up after others, and eating grain[s] of maize, from the farmer’s storage.

In the tongueless sparrow story, the sparrow is severely punished for eating a little bit of important cornstarch; yet, the sparrow ultimately shows the old man gratitude by serving him a fancy meal and performing lovely dance moves for his kindness.

Collectively, these small acts, through the efforts of many, are necessary for the radical hope that brings about transformative actions towards sustainability

Gratitude & Reciprocity
All of the human characters, in these stories, had a chance to show reciprocity towards the smallest animals; in return, the animals acted in kind.

Lord Rama, touched by the squirrel’s devotion, strokes his three fingers on the back of the squirrel and blesses him.

The old man, feeling very bad, searches for the tongueless sparrow, who is in a bunch of bamboo up in the mountains. Given a choice of a large gift box and a small gift box, the old man chooses the smaller one, and he opens it to find a lot of gold coins inside.

Consequences of Harming Environment
The old man’s wife, in her anger about the eaten cornstarch, cuts off the sparrow’s tongue; in her greediness, she demands that the sparrow give her the larger gift box, only to find snakes, and centipedes inside.

The farmer and his wife buy a mousetrap to kill the rat, so they suffer the consequences: the wife dies after being poisoned by a snake that had been trapped, and the farmer has to cook the cow, the goat and the chicken to feed the community at his wife's funeral.

uMunthu/Ubuntu/ubudehe
These folktales all portray uMunthu/Ubuntu: humaneness, care, understanding, and empathy, an interconnectedness of beings, and a valuing of the contributions of others.

The rat represents the entrepreneur in all of us; he disrupts the social norms in order that the entire community thrives. So, when one of us fails, we all fail, yet when we collaborate […] we become successful, such that we mutually flourish, if we cultivate our shared ubuntu.

All the folktales represent the uMunthu/Ubuntu way of becoming: “I am because we are, and because we are, therefore, I am.”

In Rwanda, there is the practice of ubudehe. When elders garden together on one host’s land, they drink local beer together from a large pot with many straws; they meet again the next day to work together on another host’s land, reciprocated in kind, by the host, with drinks. This shows collective action and social support in practice.

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Connecting Autobiographical Narratives: Olives (Lebanon), Korsi and Yalda (Iran) & Pulperias (Nicaragua)

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Connecting Autobiographical Narratives: Olives (Lebanon), Korsi and Yalda (Iran) & Pulperias (Nicaragua)

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Self-Sufficiency & Circularity
In Lebanon, everyone [has] access to olive trees, but people only harvest when they are ripe enough.

In Iran, people use korsi, or wooden table[s] covered with large quilt[s], so that heat from the fire pan[s] underneath does not get wasted.

In Nicaragua, the local pulperias sell ‘organic produce’ such as avocados, papayas, and watermelons that already grow in nearby family vegetable garden[s]; so, people learn through intergenerational transference, and they are fed with what [they have] at hand.

Regenerative Practices
In Lebanon, too, the cultivation and pressing of olives into olive oil and olive soap highlight people’s self-sufficiency, and their intergenerational, circular and seasonal ways of sustainably living from the land. Olives are stored in jars with water, salt, and vinegar and not re-gathered until the new [fall] season is ready for people to get new olives. There is no waste, as the entire olive tree is utilized for: cooking with olive oil, cleaning with olive soap and eating picked olives.

There are ‘unwritten guidelines’ of Honorable Harvest in these traditions around the world as well.

Truth in Storytelling
Autobiographical narratives introduce alternative ways of thinking; we can openly and honestly investigate our past and present ways of sustainable living.

In Lebanon, there have been several wars between diverse religious sects, including the civil war; the one unifying factor country-wide, is that everyone – executives, villagers, and poor people alike – consumes and bond[s] over olives.

In Iran, people’s use of korsi, to keep warm in winter, also saves money on energy bills.

Solidarity in Difference
In reality, it is often those who are being oppressed who are already actively creating the change they wish to see in this world through cooperation amidst struggle.

Buen vivir / 'Living Well'
All the autobiographies encourage ‘living well’ or ‘buen vivir’ – people, planet and passion ahead of markets, profits and scientific thought. ‘Living well’ is about relating to nature, living in harmony and dignity, and experiencing surprise and wonder.

In spite of it being the longest night of winter, Iranians still enjoy telling stories of Nane Sarma and Nowruz during family celebrations like Yalda. Amu Nowruz or “Uncle Nowruz” and Nane Sarma or “Grandma Frost” are characters in Iranian folklore, who share traditional love story. These characters meet each other once a year, at the time of seasonal change from winter to spring.

A convivial way of living also resides in the Nicaraguan pulperias through simple pleasures, like enjoying a homemade, milk-based, candy called cajeta, with a frozen sweet lemonade, in the form of helado.

Ontological Bridge-Building
Through ‘Buen vivir’ and Mi’kmwa/Mi’kmaq, “Two-Eyed Seeing”, these narratives incorporate a mixing of both indigenous and non-indigenous components: we learn from past ways of living while continuously assembling alternative presents and futures.

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UPDATED Theoretical Framework Shantiniketen (Abode of Peace): Co-Constructing a Better World Through Storytelling and Art Education

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UPDATED Theoretical Framework Shantiniketen (Abode of Peace): Co-Constructing a Better World Through Storytelling and Art Education

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CASAE 2023 Conference: Developing a Shantiniketan Framework_Co-Constructing Sustainable Communities Through Reflexive Storytelling and Art

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CASAE 2023 Conference: Developing a Shantiniketan Framework_Co-Constructing Sustainable Communities Through Reflexive Storytelling and Art

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Vidya Sri_CASAE 2023 Conference Paper Submission

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CASAE 2023 Presentation: Developing a Shantiniketan Framework_Co-Constructing Sustainable Communities Through Reflexive Storytelling and Art

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CASAE 2023 Presentation: Developing a Shantiniketan Framework_Co-Constructing Sustainable Communities Through Reflexive Storytelling and Art