Indigenization
In my K-12 education, Indigenous peoples were not the center focus in the curriculum that I was taught, but rather I learned about them in relation to the Europeans. I do not recall learning that the interactions between the settlers and Indigenous peoples were violent or oppressive, but rather their relationship was one of peaceful co-existence and trade. In my educational experience the settlers (or pioneers) were depicted to have brought with them innovation – seen as ‘the trailblazers’ making and paving the way for others to have better lives. The Indigenous peoples were depicted to be helpful, friendly, giving and welcoming towards the arriving settlers and their pursuits. In the year 1996, the last residential school closed in the province of Saskatchewan; I was in the fourth grade. In 2007 I graduated from college, and the year following in 2008, Canada’s Prime Minister Steven Harper extended an apology to former residential school students and Indigenous Canadians. With relevance to this timeline, I do not recall learning anything about the residential schools throughout the duration of my K-12 education. The residential schools were still in existence while I was in school and our country was treating Indigenous peoples in a very wrong and negative way. Until recently upon taking University classes, my knowledge has expanded greatly by learning more extensively about Indigenous culture, their Canadian history, the residential schools and colonization. I have recognized that some of my early educational experiences in regards to true Indigenous histories and experiences may not have been accurately depicted or portrayed – which has been both shocking and challenging to address. I have come to learn how Indigenous peoples in Canada have experienced violence, mistreatment, abuse, loss and trauma – with effects of these experiences even being passed down intergenerationally within families. In sharing songs and stories with our class, Joseph Naytowhow explained to us that: “It is your generation that will need to make sure that this history doesn’t repeat itself. It’s your turn, ‘Kiya ekwa.’” ‘Kiya ekwa’ is the Cree term translated as: it’s your turn. I see ‘my turn’ as having a responsibility to ensure that as an educator I am teaching the next generation of learners about the true experiences and histories of Indigenous peoples to the best of my ability – which is imperative work towards reconciliation, restoring trust and building relationships with all Indigenous Canadians.
“It’s your turn, ‘Kiya ekwa.’” – Joseph Naytowhow