reflection
Helping Relationships: Week 3 “Reflection Paper on Small Talk”
Small talk can be defined as polite and casual conversation about unimportant and uncontroversial matters—sports, weather, a TV show or movie, a recent purchase, talk about other people that might move toward gossip. Many cultures use small talk as a way to first get to know someone. Small talk is usually a good thing and part of knowing someone, but how can you become increasingly skillful with your small talk? Our goal is to become more skillful in every conversation. Answer the following:
- Do you engage in small talk?
- How have you moved (nudged) small talk to even more important places?
- What questions or phrases do you use?
- In light of this, how are you growing to be more skillful with your conversations? Include specific examples.
- 1) Do I engage in small talk? Yes. I think in our culture, it is really hard not to engage in small talk when going about your daily life. The teacher’s union I am in right now has called two strike days where teachers have to go to our legislative buildings in our city and picket. This is obviously not ideal, and no one likes to go on strike, but it has been a nice time to catch up and see former colleagues and friends that I haven’t seen in years. As you run into different people, small talk inevitably flows, and you can quickly catch up before you are swept away into the mob of people and you keep walking on.
- 2) How have you moved (nudged) small talk to even more important places? Thankfully I feel like God has gifted me to get deep with people really quickly. I hope it’s because people know I care, and so they are willing to answer some of my deeper questions, but I don’t tend to shy away from deeper conversations. In fact, quite the opposite. I sometimes wonder if I go too deep too often, and I sometimes need to learn to “chill” a bit. I usually move small talk to deeper conversation by bringing up things I know about their life and then asking pointed questions.
- 3) I mentioned this in one of my first posts for this class, but I tend to use the F.O.R.D. method for small talk. It stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams. I first heard it from a professor at Bible School. The best part about this model is that it can be as deep or as surface level as someone wants. When I ran into my friend this week, the first thing I asked them was about their family. They shared some really hard news with me that had to do with relationships. They could have easily jumped into talking about the things their child is involved in that are great and fun, but they shared the hard stuff. I really appreciated that. It also allowed me to ask some follow up questions that went to a bit more of the heart matter there.
- 4) In light of this, how are you growing to be more skillful with your conversations? The biggest thing that I have been aware of is from my first week’s reflection around how much I talk/enter into the conversation. I am so thankful that this was brought up the first week, because it is singlehandedly one of the biggest areas I am aware of and working on right now. I mostly need to remember that when I am small talking with a friend, I am not counselling them. I don’t just need to ask questions. I can leave space for them to ask me questions. I can throw in some of my own stories, struggles, and thoughts. I am not a better friend when I’m trying to control the conversation to make things go deep. I am the best type of friend when I am listening to the Spirit, and actually allowing the Spirit to move and guide the conversation the way He wants it to go.
Helping Relationships: Week 2/Part 1 Ephesians Reflection
This week’s passage is Ephesians 4:1-16:
Unity in the Body of Christ
4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”[a]
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?[b] 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
(1) Paraphrase, briefly, the movement of the passage:
Paul is a prisoner, yet still finds joy in his imprisonment. While he is trapped in prison, he is thinking about ways that the body of Christ can still encourage one another and be spurred on for the glory of God. He urges the believers to be humble, gentle and peaceful. Again, this is ironic considering it is the exact opposite way that he has been treated for his beliefs. He does not point to his captors as examples, but Jesus. He wants believers to be unified by their one belief in Jesus, and to follow Christ’s example of grace and mercy. Paul points out that Jesus fills all things, and Colossians 1:17 also mentions that He holds all things together. Through the Holy Spirit, all believers are equipped to minister through their unique giftings, The goal is spiritual maturity, spiritual unity, and a depth of love for one another that only comes when the head of the church is Christ.
(2) What in verse 2 or 12 captured your interest and why? Identify how this can shape your care for others. Include specific applications from current conversations and make a connection to skills/categories we’ve introduced so far in this course:
The main attribute that has jumped out to me in verse 2 has been humility. It has consistently been on my heart, and I have been praying through what it looks like as a friend, mentor, and counsellor. I am so glad that this has been a focus at the beginning of my counselling journey. What better way is there to prepare to care for other’s hearts than in humility? It is the exact opposite of what the clinical doctor would be taught in school. I have heard stories of friends that have been in medical school that talk about how they are taught to put on the white coat and be confident, even if they aren’t. See The Problem with Fake it Until you Make it in Medical School. I think it is beautiful that we can approach those we are counselling with humility. We are prepared to share our weaknesses and sin. We are all brothers and sisters together, and we stand/sit before each other humbly. In my conversation with my conversation partner this week, I went in trying to be aware of this. This looked like me trying to listen well; trying to leave space for her to talk, but also to feel like I could share when I needed to. (See last week’s post about my conviction of not sharing.) As we talked about her story/journey through life, she felt comfortable to share some sin that she has been struggling with. I was honoured and humbled that she was willing to open up about this in our first “formal” session. (We have been in relationship over the last few years, and I would already hold somewhat of a mentor role in her life), but it was my absolute privilege to tell her that her sharing her sin does not change her in my eyes. I have been more than humbled by my own struggles with sin, and so I hoped to approach her in humility; “not thinking of myself more highly than I ought: Romans 12:3. After listening to Ed Welch’s lectures this week, one of my goals for next week is to work on asking good questions that “wander into people’s hearts.”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )A Spiritual Journey to Reconciliation
Before you begin reading, know that this is not a blog post. It is a final paper that has been cut and pasted into a blog post. It is my attempt at answering all of the questions I previously asked in past blog posts from my Ed890 class. It is written for a professor, and I posted it so that I have record of the final steps in my journey through that class.
A quick update as well would be that since having my daughter, I decided to postpone my project until I have officially finished my masters of education through course route. I still plan on completing the project, but I will be taking as much time as I need, not rushing to complete it so I can finish my degree. Here you go!
As I move forward with my Treaty 4 Reconciliation Project, I know there will be some hard decisions to make, and difficult questions to answer, especially as I start getting into the practical production of the project. I have already asked many of these questions on my blog, but I came at them hypothetically. I wasn’t really looking to answer them. Now it’s time to engage with them on a bit more of a practical level. As I enter into the creation of my project, I will begin to answer how I am going to come at some of these difficult decisions/questions. Below I will engage with each question separately and begin to answer how I plan on taking some of these bigger epistemological questions and engage with them pragmatically.
How can I help settlers unlearn Canada’s typical national story?
Before participants enter into the Treaty 4 story, they need to be reminded of the dominant Western expansion story and its pitfalls. I would suggest that before participants take part in my project, they watch clips from “Canada, a People’s History” videos. There are some clips on YouTube, and the whole series can be borrowed from the library. Students should be asked to think critically about who is represented in the story, and who is not. By watching just a few clips, can they recognize who “Canada’s people” are? Who is the story about? What/who is missing?
Once students have looked into the dominant narrative of Canada’s history, the Treaty 4 story can be entered into thoughtfully. The Treaty 4 story needs to be re-told through the eyes of First Nations people. “I describe our stories as (re)tellings to signal that I am telling again – but telling differently – stories that have been narrated before… I want to convey to others, to elicit in others, the desire to listen and (re)member, to listen and acknowledge that which has happened” (Dion, 2009, 46-47). Voice needs to be given to the experiences and history of the First Nations people that were involved in the signing. That said, it cannot shift to become “just Treaty Ed.” The re-telling needs to look more like what Claire Kreuger calls “Settler Ed.” During the ARIS experience, students need to be questioned to be mindful of how this re-telling differs from the dominant narrative, and where they and their ancestors fit into the story… Aboriginal or not.
“Although this is distressing work, it is not to be done in the absence of hope – hope for a new and better relationship between Aboriginal people and Canadians is exactly what motivates me” (Dion, 2009, p. 113). How can I, like Dion, emphasize the power, strength, and wisdom of the First Nation’s people within the Treaty 4 story?
I think the videos I create need to show how resilient and strong the First Nations people are at the signing of Treaty 4. Each character that is introduced in the story needs to have a bit of a backstory and introduction. They shouldn’t just be a random character. I will have to be careful how many characters I introduce into the story so that participants can connect with each on a personal level. I think 4-5 characters is probably a good number for participants to follow along with. Using the backpack feature of the app, participants will pick up Cree words that emphasize these character’s strength qualities. Participants can pick up a word of strength and resilience before they meet each character in the story. I will do my best to tie in the correct word to the right character.
How can I foster an environment where the acts of colonial settlers can be investigated, and questions of responsibility can be taken up?
“If the current quest for reconciliation is no different from settler practices of the past – a new colonial tool of oppression – it has now become imperative to challenge Canada’s peacekeeper myth. Peeling back the layers of myth reveals that we must confront our own repressed and unscrutinized past as part of our own truth telling” (Regan, 2010, p. 67). I struggle to know how to push someone to investigate acts that have become so commonplace. I often think why didn’t anyone question what was happening to the First Nations people when thousands of Settlers were coming to Canada and First Nations people were being displaced right and left? We know that obviously there were some people who questioned what was happening, and certain people who challenged the policies that led to residential schools and reserves. That said, they were not loud enough, and we know that these systemic oppressions continued for too long, and still continue. I think the best way to have participants investigate these acts is to allow the participants to “interview” a Settler within the Augmented Reality Treaty 4 story. The app gives options for the participants to ask characters within the app questions and receive answers. I think one of the characters will have to be a Settler, and as the participants ask them questions, their racist worldview will have to be exposed, as will the benefits they received because of the Treaties. With some proper questioning afterwards, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on Settler actions and policies.
When is it our turn as colonizers/settlers to take responsibility for our own history, and work towards reconciliation from our end? Where do these understandings fit into the way I take up my Treaty 4 Reconciliation Project?
I believe the time is now. As Vanessa Watts from University of McMaster and Hayden King from University of Toronto point out in their article, “TRC Report a Good Start, but now it’s Time for Action,” there have been many Canadian reports done in the past that report on the violence and atrocious conditions First Nations people have had to deal with.
“The formulaic response to these moments of clarity and accompanying opportunity has been tacit acceptance, followed closely by delay and obfuscation, then apathy, and finally the status quo. It is a tradition in this country to ignore progressive solutions to the Canadian problem. This aversion is rooted in a resistance to sacrificing privilege and sharing power” (Watts & King, 2015).
Watts and King believe that it is no longer good enough to ignore yet another report about the racism and oppression facing our First Nation people. After reading the Truth and Reconciliation report’s Calls to Action, anyone can see how clearly something needs to be done. That said, these Calls to Action in some ways are much bigger than me, and in other ways, they are exactly for me.
“The dynamics of symbolic violence are evident in the visceral exchanges between residential school survivors, government officials, and church representatives in public forums and less visibly in the everyday bureaucratic processes and practices that serve to reinforce colonial power relations. This subtle violence is all the more elegant because it is embedded in a language of healing and reconciliation that is seductive to both the colonizer and the colonized, albeit for different reasons” (Regan, 2010, p. 116).
I do not want to be a part of more subtle violence towards First Nations people. First Nations survivors have been putting in the time, the effort, and the back-breaking work of fighting policy, stigma, and oppression for years. It is time we as colonizers/Settlers stand behind them as allies and support the important work they have been doing all along. Reconciliation does not require me to re-tell the Treaty 4 story. Reconciliation does not require me to create a new lesson/unit for my own students. Reconciliation requires me to take responsibility for my own Settler history, learn about the ways I take part in racism and oppression, and work towards making that right in my own life. For me specifically, that has come as a call to make this Treaty 4 Augmented Reality app. I have realized that as I begin to take responsibility for my portion of history, I can work towards helping others understand where they might fit as well.
Who/What audience should my project be intended for?
After reading through the course texts, I have decided that this project should be mainly intended for Settlers. Sure, others can take part in the experience, and learn alongside us, but the First Nations people of Saskatchewan have been historically re-victimized by being asked to continually share about the oppression their people faced, teach others about this oppression, and then fight the governmental policies and systems that continue to oppress their people. It is time that Settlers learn about our own oppressive history and challenge our own ways of knowing.
“Decolonization is about changing lives and, in connection with research, conducting studies in different ways that directly benefit Indigenous peoples, instead of once again subjecting them to a research process that has ‘extracted and claimed ownership’ of Indigenous ways of knowing only to reject the people responsible for those ways of knowing” (Strong-Wilson, 2007, p. 117). I feel like I am struggling to find a balance between my desire to re-tell the history of Treaty 4 from a First Nations point of view and my desire to help White Settlers disrupt their own historical understanding of Saskatchewan’s history. Can I do both well?
When I first asked this question, I was bound by the fear that I had to do both well. In the weeks following, I have realized that the freedom lies in an open hand mentality. Though I have previously stated that I don’t want to be the White Knight, my thoughts and even actions proved otherwise. I felt like this project was my one shot to get it right. How on earth was I going to help Settlers disrupt their racist thought patterns and honour Saskatchewan’s Indigenous people through the re-telling of Treaty 4? I have now come to a place of open hands. It is not my responsibility to do anything in anyone else’s hearts or minds. God, the Creator, has set me on a reconciliation journey. I have realized that my role is to walk in obedience to what I feel called to, and trust that He is big enough and strong enough to guide the rest. This project’s success is not measured by how many people it reaches. If this project reaches 100 people, or just 1 person, (myself), it has been useful. This project has been a spiritual journey for me, and as I have begun to de-colonize my own life, I have come to realize that success cannot be measured by Western standards. In fact, if I try to do that, I am losing sight of the spirit of intent that began this whole project in the first place.
Where do I fit as I blend my own spiritual understandings of creation and promise with those of our First Nation’s ancestors?
This process has also caused some inner turmoil for me over the past few months. I consider myself a Christian, a believer, and a Jesus follower. With these names have come years of Bible training, church attendance, and Euro-centric understandings of the world. I don’t think all of these experiences have been bad ones, and I don’t think all of them have been good either. What I do know is that my basic understanding of God has been framed through a Western church lens. That said, I have had many moments of deep spiritual connection with the Creator of the World, and for these times, I am forever grateful. I believe God has set my path for me, and called me into a relationship with Him. In the times when I have experienced God in the deepest ways, it is not surprising that they were free from the constructs of church policy, church business, and church frameworks.
I wish I could say that I have figured it all out and can now give you a solid vision statement of what I believe and how First Nation’s understandings of the world fit into my Christian beliefs. I can’t. What I do know is this:
- I have a lot to learn when it comes to First Nation’s spiritual practices and ceremonies. I don’t have much experience with them, and my understanding in this area is limited to historical accounts of these practices or other’s experiences with them. I would like to grow my knowledge base of the spiritual side of ceremonies and traditions. Especially those surrounding the signing of Treaty 4.
- “Indigenous peoples are those who have creation stories, not colonization stories, about how they came to be in a particular place – indeed how they came to be a place” (Tuck and Yang, 2012). Right now, I feel like God is calling me to go deeper with Him in my understandings of Him as Creator. I have been convicted that I don’t have much of an appreciation or relationship to the land or creation. I have been conscious of this, and have began taking time to appreciate the outdoors in ways that I haven’t before. It has started small by giving gratitude while on a run near my local creek, thanking Him for the cat tails and birds flying by. While driving through the prairies, I have looked out the window and tried to imagine what the natural Saskatchewan landscape would have been like before the farmer’s fields. I thank God for the beautiful never-ending sky and clouds that seem to represent His vastness. I also feel like I want to take a bigger step and devote a day or a weekend to being outdoors; learning and appreciating all that the Creator has given to us. This would be deeper than just a camping trip. The intent and spirit behind the day/weekend would be connecting with God as Creator and honouring all that comes with being on the land. I am trying to wait on the Lord in this respect, and trust that I will know when this trip should happen, where it should happen, and with who.
- This is a journey. I don’t have to have all the answers, and I don’t have to be at a certain point to feel like I can move forward with reconciliation. I want to meet with, and dialogue with First Nations people who are on this journey as well. I want to learn from Elders and listen to teachings that challenge my mind and heart. I want to trust that the work God is doing in my life is a good one, and that it will continue. I believe this journey is bigger than myself and as I move forward, I know I must remain humble and contrite in spirit.
To conclude, I have realized that this journey is a messy one. It’s not always clear what road I will go down next, and I’m not always sure where I fit or how. I know I have grown tremendously over this last year as I have learned about these topics, yet on the same hand, I feel just as helpless and just as inexperienced as before in many ways! I look forward to starting the practical part of my project with open hands, and I am willing to see this project change, shift, and grow as it continues.
References
Dion, S. (2009). Braiding histories: Learning from Aboriginal peoples’ experiences and
perspectives. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Regan, P. (2010). Unsettling the settler within: Indian residential schools, truth telling, and reconciliation in Canada. Vancouver: UBC Press
Strong-Wilson, T. (2007). Moving Horizons: Exploring the Role of Stories in Decolonizing the Literacy Education of White Teachers. International Education. 37, 114-132.
Tuck, E. & Yang, K.W. (2012). Decolonization is not a metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society. 1, 1-40.
Watts, V. & King, H. (2015, June 5). TRC report a good start, but now it’s time for action. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/trc- report-a-good-start-but-now-its-time-for-action/article24824924/
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Re-situating Early Childhood Education
I read Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw and Larry Prochner’s Introduction to Re-Situating Early Childhood Education. I love that they are taking a critical look at how early childhood is done in Canada. A couple years ago, I would have never thought there was a reason to do early childhood differently, but since starting my masters, I have taken some post-colonial theory and anti-oppressive education classes that have really opened my eyes to the systemic oppression evident throughout our education institutions.
“The Ivory Tower” photo credit: Daniel Parks via Flickr
To be completely honest, I battle this idea of changing ECE. To be “developmentally appropriate” is something I am proud of as I teach primary. I am very passionate about play-based learning, and learner centred environments. I see “success” in the way I have been teaching, and I believe in it. Challenging traditional paper centred classroom environments would be quite a bit easier for me then challenging the way ECE is thought of. To buy in, my entire pedagogy needs to change, and thankfully it has been… slowly… but surely.
Reggio Emilia is a play-based early childhood approach that claims to be based in neuroscience. I have used this style of teaching/learning to inform my own practice over the years.
An example of this is shown through a story that happened this past year. I was teaching grade one at W.S. Hawrylak School. I often dismiss students from the carpet by what colour they are wearing. “Whoever is wearing blue, go wash your hands for lunch… Whoever is wearing red go line up etc.” One day I dismissed any students who were wearing the colour black. One student piped up and said, “My skin is black! Can I go?” I sort of stumbled over my words and said, “No, we just do coloured clothes” or something like that, and left it. When sharing this story with my professor, Carol Schick, she challenged me to acknowledge what the child was doing in recognizing race. She encouraged me to affirm that child’s statement of race next time rather than ignore it. This seemingly made a lot of sense. I shouldn’t pretend like we don’t see race and we only see clothing colours. We do see race, and acknowledging it is a simple initial step to combatting racism. This was only one of the few “ah-ha” moments I have had as my knowledge has been increasing around post-colonial issues/structures.
This is my 3 day old niece who’s father is black and mother (my sister) is white. I often wonder how race will play into her life.
What the book’s introduction started to clarify for me was that it’s not that the learning happening in ECE that is bad, it’s the system of learning that needs critiquing. We need to think critically around the institutionalizing of learning. Education has valued early learning, but only through a neo-liberalistic lens; “Investments are made with an expectation of future benefit” (p.5, 2013). Basically we are investing and feeding into early childhood as a part of “the system” expecting/encouraging it to produce and support that very system. (One in which is based in capitalism of course.)
The authors also call out the binary/dualistic thinking that permeates early childhood education. These discourses are based in power, surveillance, and regulation. “Reconceptualist scholars remind us, these [binary] distinctions are contingent upon dualistic conceptions of power and, as such, they are problematic” (p.7, 2013). I think it’s Canella who suggests that childhood itself is a constructed concept. It allows the adult to become a powerful body, and the child to be seen as vulnerable. When we look at these issues from a re-conceptualist point of view, we are encouraged to change perspectives and come at them from a strength based approach; “This fluid and strength based approach de-establishes the developmental psychology perspective of the unified, rational, vulnerable child” (p.6, 2013).
One question I have is how does this knowledge challenge educators to approach planning/viewing/co-creating space in a strength based way for children?
How do we re-conceptualize Regina’s ECE’s power issues in regards to language, heteronormativity, and race specifically?
In what ways can educators disrupt capitalism and colonialism while still working within the common local framework of a play-based/developmentally driven childcare environment? Does this mean that classrooms should not include grocery store/post office centres for example?
I know that these musings will only be the beginning of what comes out during this class, but I am excited to dive into the work of post-colonialism through the lens of early childhood education.
Although I only can write about one introduction- this video reminded me of the word pathologizing from Early Childhood Curricula and the De-pathologizing of Childhood.
I can’t find the shorter version of Austin’s story that I saw on Facebook, but here is the whole episode
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Decolonization is not a Metaphor
I just finished reading Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang’s article called Decolonization is not a metaphor. It was a great article that challenged me on how our liberal arts education has started to use the word decolonization to describe any type of activism or social movement that is related to anti-oppressive education. Some people seem to lump decolonization into being “critically conscious of racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and xenophobia” (Tuck & Yang, 2012). Tuck and Yang are clear that this is not what decolonization is, and decolonization should not be used as a metaphor for all of these others things.
Regina’s pride parade. Photo credit and story at CBC.ca
“When metaphor invades decolonization, it kills the very possibility of decolonization; it recenters whiteness, it resettles theory, it extends innocence to the settler, it entertains a settler future. Decolonize (a verb) and decolonization (a noun) cannot easily be grafted onto pre-existing discourses/frameworks, even if they are critical, even if they are anti-racist” (Tuck and Yang, 2012).
Tuck and Yang make it very clear that “decolonization brings about the repatriation of Indigenous land and life” (Tuck and Yang, 2012). Not surprisingly, AGAIN my mind has been opened to thinking about these concepts in a new way. Never before had I thought about decolonization as a term that applies only to Indigenous reconciliation and repatriation. Perhaps this is because I just finished a University class called Introduction to Post Colonial Theories that touched on many different colonial/imperial histories and topics. I was under the impression that decolonization is fighting against colonialism in general… and I was under the impression that colonialism in general was around anything capitalistic, Eurocentric, and “White privilege.” Tuck and Yang were very clear in their article that we are doing more harm than good when we use decolonization as a metaphor for all of these other critical theories. When we do this, we produce a false Settler innocence to try and reconcile Settler guilt and involvement.
“Save Indigenous Land” Photo credit: Survival international
I am once again embarrassed to admit how easily I am wrapped up in a colonial way of thinking. As I have been working on this Treaty 4 Reconciliation project, I actually thought I was taking the initiative and really helping to decolonize our world in the local Aboriginal context. After my Post Colonial class, I felt some pride in being moved to take part in First Nations activism because of my position as teacher here in Saskatchewan, and how I was affected by the TRC’s Calls to Action. After reading this article, it has become very apparent to me that no, decolonization is always about re-centering Indigenous peoples. It’s about accepting and learning how Aboriginal ways of knowing are at the core of decolonization, and this is always in direct relation to the land. Again, I need to start seeing things differently.
Aboriginal ways of knowing are at the CORE of decolonization; this very idea has been resonating with me a lot. First Nations ways of knowing are centered around Indigenous spirituality, rituals, and ceremonies. I cannot take up this work of reconciliation without becoming familiar with Indigenous spirituality, rituals, and ceremonies… AND entering into them. When I began this work, that wasn’t on my agenda. In fact, as a White Christian female Settler, I have some tensions there. I can honestly say I don’t know where I fit when it comes to Aboriginal beliefs and customs. I am finding myself consistently battling spiritual and knowledge based tensions. I know that to continue this journey, I need to start having an epistemological, ontological, and cosmological relationship to the land. Tuck and Yang say,
“In order for settlers to make a place their home, they must destroy and disappear the Indigenous peoples that live there. Indigenous peoples are those who have creation stories, not colonization stories, about how they came to be in a particular place – indeed how they came to be a place. Their relationship to land comprise their epistemologies, ontologies, and cosmologies. For the settlers, Indigenous peoples are in the way and, in the destruction of Indigenous peoples, Indigenous communities, and over time through law and policy, Indigenous peoples’ claims to land under settler regimes, land is cast as property and as a resource” (Tuck and Yang, 2012).
For me to move forward with reconciliation, I need to start digging into my understanding and relationship to the land. I need to start becoming familiar with the spiritual side of First Nation’s history. If I re-tell the history of Treaty 4 for my project without acknowledging and entering into the spiritual/cultural significances present at the time of the signing, I am not RE-telling the story of Treaty 4, I am just telling the story of Treaty 4 again. I know my next step is trying to figure out where I fit as I blend my own spiritual understandings of creation and promise with those of our First Nation’s ancestors. But as you can guess, this is not going to be a mere day long journey…
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