My journey towards reconciliation began in my first semester of university in my Education Core Studies 102 and Indigenous Studies 100 classes in the fall of 2021. Throughout these courses, I have been introduced to the many stories and resources to acknowledge the atrocities that have occurred relating to the history of the Indigenous community in Canada. Since then, my perspective on Indigenous peoples completely shifted and I have learnt the importance of allowing the voices of Residential Schools survivors as well as those experiences intergenerational trauma to be heard and represented. “Reconciliation begins with truth” (Every Child Matters, Act One, 3:00).
When I was in elementary school and high school, I was taught very briefly on the atrocities that have taken place upon the Indigenous community throughout history. I was taught that Residential Schools were a bad place but wasn’t able to give a thorough explanation to the events or abuse that had taken place. As a young girl, I only ever saw the beauty of the Indigenous community – I had no idea what atrocities had still been taking place less than a decade earlier. I remember elders coming to our school and taking field trips to Crescent Park in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Here, I was given the chance to create dream catchers, listen to stories, and make bannock. My mother would also bring me to Powwows which is where I saw a representation of song and dance, and the performers would be wearing beaded traditional Indigenous clothing.
Until taking Education Core Studies 102, I failed to acknowledge my white privilege by claiming that I view and treat everyone the same and that this was fair. The curriculum is based on white, middle-class, Euro-western, and colonial ways of being and knowing, (Spaces, Places, and Boundaries Lecture) this leads individuals being unable to see through our own lens to gain an accurate perspective of someone besides ourselves. This ignorance is common because “much of oppressiveness is unconscious.” (Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack). Students and educators need to acknowledge that not everyone shares the same experience in life in order to move towards reconciliation. For the Indigenous community, the government have disobeyed treaties and used white dominance and privilege to create the genocide of Residential Schools along with the Sixties Scoop. During this time period, the government caused deterioration of Indigenous peoples languages, cultural identities, and knowledge systems. In order to understand the effects that colonialism has left on the Indigenous community, it is crucial to listen and learn from their stories and amplify their voices. Any individual should feel safe and comfortable to express themselves in the classroom regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, class, abilities, sexuality, language, and age. In order for reconciliation to occur within classrooms and communities, educators such as I, need to share the responsibility to incorporate Indigenous education within the classroom. Although challenging past beliefs and cultural norms can be unsettling, unlearning and relearning is essential to achieving social justice. Incorporating Indigenous education in the classroom will let their community feel welcomed, heard, and understood in the classroom.
For my aesthetic representation I chose to demonstrate my personal journey towards reconciliation through painting a variety of symbols that have displayed major importance for me throughout my learning journey this semester. The road represents the continuous learning path that is allowing me to gain the knowledge needed for growth throughout not only this semester but for my entire life. Alongside the road is the hand of a white person grabbing the hand of an Indigenous person, I demonstrated this as my hand leading my future students along the path to knowledge and empowerment needed to ensure reconciliation. The painting of the turtle represents one of the Seven Sacred Teachings – truth. In the video “Our 7 Teachings”, the turtle is represented as the grandmother, it leaves a trail that we are to follow of respect, love, courage, honesty, wisdom and humility (Our Seven Ojibway Teachings 2014). The medicine wheel and the Metis symbol were used to acknowledge any and all peoples of the Indigenous community to ensure they aren’t forgotten. Throughout my lifetime, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the medicine wheel to represent my four dimensions of health – spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional. The Indigenous woman in the red skirt was painted to commemorate murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. The orange feather is displayed in order to represent Truth and Reconciliation Day, although wearing an orange shirt may seem as a small gesture to some, this is a big step in raising awareness of the Indigenous community and giving them the opportunity to truly be heard.
As a future educator I will create an inviting atmosphere in the classroom by incorporating my students needs and wants in the lessons, “being inviting as a teacher focuses on how one relates to the students and how one creates a classroom space that motivates students to want to be there and want to learn” (Invitation and Hospitality Lecture). Not only will my students learn from me, I will learn from my students. I will create an open environment for my students to grow on their own personal journey by “helping students form their identities rather than forcing an identity on them” (Decolonization in an Educational Context). I promise to teach my students about truth and reconciliation to my fullest capability by acknowledging Indigenous history in Canada because “we are all treaty people” (Every Child Matters, Act Two, 2:58).
I am extremely hopeful for the future of our nation now that children and educators share opportunities to gain valuable skills and lessons surrounding Indigenous education alongside the continuous changes in the curriculum.
“Our people will be healed” (Every Child Matters, Act Two, 25:20).
References
Courchene, D. (2014). Our 7 Ojibway teachings.
Every Child Matters: Reconciliation Through Education. Every child matters: Truth – act one [Video].
Every Child Matters: Reconciliation Through Education. Every child matters: Reconciliation – act two [Video].
McIntosh, P. (2003). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. In S. Plous (Ed.), Understanding prejudice and discrimination (pp. 191–196). McGraw-Hill.
Pirbhai-Illich, F. (2020). A relational approach to decolonizing education: Working with the concepts of space, place, and boundaries.
Pirbhai-Illich, F. & Martin, F. (2020). A relational approach to decolonizing education: Working with the concepts of invitation and hospitality.