Start Again [ENGL 340]

Reflective Writing #1

Today is Monday, September 22, 2014. I promised myself this year would be different. Just as I have told myself since 2008, I would start this year head-first, go hard, make friends, do my homework, make music, create art, and excel at all of it. Two weeks later, the reality of my nature has been revealed to me once again. So far I’ve missed two classes in this course alone, for fear of showing up late. Starting today, that all ends, and I mean it. I’m going to be prepared for each class a day in advance by doing the required readings and exercises posted in the outlines of each course. All of them are English courses, so it would also be in my best interest to practice writing too.

            I chose this. I knew that the English Language would eventually consume me. I can’t just enter into this career for the income and paid summer holidays. I need to know this job inside and out, because otherwise I fear when I apply for a job, I will be dismissed as a straggler who half-asses everything. If I’m going to be the best, I have to start acting like the best.

            I need to re-read the outline, because I don’t even really understand the purpose of this class, other than to “study” Old and Middle English literature, neither of which have I any real interest in reading. What is the purpose of studying literature, anyway? Is it our way of trying to figure out the best way to live, to understand what is good and bad about societies, and how to learn from history’s mistakes? Reading a book could be merely an act of escapism, but to actually start dissecting the words of the author must serve some purpose, as was there a purpose in those words being used. Like certain sounds make me feel certain emotions, certain words also serve to understand people, places, things, if only I paid more attention to them, I would be able to thrive in the world around me.

What I Have Learned (So Far)

When I started this class, I felt like it would be middle school Social Studies all over again. For most of the semester I could not see the connection between an Aboriginal person's culture and how it directly affected their education. But there are lots of connections, as I have recently found. Treaties and legislation determine where, how and by whom FNMI students will learn. This is why it is so important that land laws are properly settled and adequate funding is provided for those who wish to attend reserve schools. On another hand, some families do not have the choice to send their children to public schools, whether due to money, housing, etc. FNMI students in public schools face their own challenges, as we have explored. They must try to balance their Aboriginal identity with their new Western identity. If they do not have strong roots in either one, they will have problems fitting in, finding a sense of belonging and purpose. I learned the true importance of family in the everyday life of an FNMI youth, and the importance of the roles that each family member plays in each individual within their families and communities.

I am now taking a break from learning about FNMI people, but not for long. The issues between FNMI and colonial societies are still prevalent, due to the major lifestyle differences. The dominant culture has its own way of running things, a way which is very much in disagreement with the close-knit functions of FNMI ways. These differences make it very difficult to find a balance which will bring peace to the province. Our society has spent hundreds of years trying to make "them" more like "us," but I now see that there is much that we can learn from them, to help us not only find a way to coexist, but also maybe to help our own culture live a more peaceful and balanced lifestyle.

Ways of Being and Well-Being

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/#/well_being

This post will explore the significance of kinship and well-being in FNMI cultures. I am putting both of these subjects in one blog post because I believe they go hand-in-hand.
In the Well-being segment, I learned about the value of "balance" in Aboriginal worldview. The most influential video to me (found in the Respecting Wisdom tab) was Wilton Goodstriker's speech on balancing the mind , the body, and especially the spirit.
I don not believe in "spirits," nor do I believe in "souls" in the sense of ghost-like vapor trails that leave our bodies to roam elsewhere when we die. However, I do believe "spirituality," in the sense of having an emotional, self- and  environment-aware consciousness that is with us every waking moment. Like the First Nations and Aboriginal people, I believe it is through this type of "spirit" that we experience life, and make sense of it all after moving through it with our bodies and witnessing it through our intellect.
Through prayer, meditation, ceremonies, and various means of fellowship, traditional FNMI people strive to attain the balance between the mind/body nd the spirit; once balance is achieved, it is said that peace, wellness, and oneness with the environment around us is also attained.

In the well-being section, there are speeches about different age groups spending time with each other on a frequent regular basis, and how it affects the wellness of the individuals and the community.

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/#/kinship

The kinship section goes into further detail the value of each member of an individual's community. Not surprisingly, this connection with a person's family is demonstrated by a flower model (as can be seen here). It is of note that aunts and uncles in Aboriginal cultures have just as much signinficance in parenting as the mothers and fathers. This is why language is so important to FNMI peoples - in English "aunt" and "uncle" do not have the same strength, because in English speaking cultures, aunts and uncles have little to no parental power in most cases.
The connections between family members in FNMI communities are much, much closer in comparison to Western cultures and therefore are of much greater importance in regard to the individuals that are a part of their community or heritage.

Indigenous Pedagogy

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/#/indigenous_pedagogy/beginning_together

ped·a·go·gy

ˈpedəˌgäjē,-ˌgägē/

noun

1. the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

   "the relationship between applied linguistics and language pedagogy"

In this segment of the Walking Together resource, I learned about some of the ways in which First Nations people transfer their knowledge to the younger ones. The purpose is the same as it is in public education (preservation of culture and society, as described in the reflection statement), but hte methods are different.
In Canadian public schools, students are made to sit down and listen to a standing teacher, read from an academic textbook, and write and write and write. Nearly 100% of students' educational experience after elementary school takes place in classrooms. This works for allowing students to take in a curriculum in a familiarized environment; however, indigenous pedagogical approaches serve to get students familiar with the outside world.
From what I have learned in the resource, Indigenous education is mainly about immersing oneself in nature and learning how to make practical use of what nature has to provide. The lessons demonstrated to me in the videos included how to read the stories attributed to markings and tracks etc. in the forest, how to carve a flint knife the traditional Cree way (using sticks), and how to pass knowledge from generation to genaration via storytelling (covered in more detail here).
One video I found especially interesting was the flint cariving video - whle some may have seen it as learning how things used to" be done, the fact is it is still done like this in some places; the reason for this is that learning to do things the old-fashioned, complicated and slow way, helps to not only teach the history of Indigeonus weaponry and how to make weapons from all natural resources,but there is also an emphasis on the personal experience involved in creating the flints, as well as the uniqueness of every finished product. I think that the basis of Indigenous Pedagogy is holistic, personalized learning, and the belief that every individual achieves the most from their learning experience by making learning "a part of themselves."

The Importance of Symbolism and Traditions in FNMI Culture

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/#/oral_tradition
http://www.lib.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=2824be3a-68da-4ecb-8492-49a2db4737fb


What is the significance of oral traditions in FNMI culture?

The oral passing of stories, teachings, and stories containing teachings, is a tradition going back thousands of years. According to John Janvier the Dené has stories that date back to before their people was said to have arrive in North America, and tell of creatures that no longer exist; he believes that this is an indicator that not only does story-passing keep the spirit of ancient things alive, it also can disprove some current popular ideas.
In the above article from Saskatchewan Libraries, storytelling has a much different meaning in Aboriginal cultures than modern culture. The stories we tell are mostly either for entertainment or a recollection of current events. They have no lesson or historic roots, and they are soon forgotten. Stories that take place in Indigenous cultures are different in that they have those roots, and those roots are attached to every member's identity and way of life. They can teach how we came to be, how other creatures or things came to be, and how we should live and why. Whether perceived to be historically accurate or not, its symbolism hold true to many as sacred remnants of the world they live in and strive every single day to appreciate, understand and care for.
With the growth of modern Western society, it has become harder and harder to balance the traditional way of life with with the modern. Today, not all descendants of First Nations, Metis, or Inuit people have the same attachment to the land of their ancestors or their traditions. Some barely have any connection at all, and others struggle to reconcile the things they have been taught by their families growing up, with the materialistic, self-interested lifestyles of their non -Indigenous peers.

What is the significance of symbols?
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/#/symbolism_and_traditions

Symbols and their importance in everyday life are not solely limited to Aboriginal cultures. Symbols are used around the world to give specific, and often metaphorical, meanings to objects or images.
 In the above link, we see some education-related symbols to do with graduation/convocation and how their meaning compare between First Nations, Metis, and Non-Aboriginal systems.
Looking at the chart, you can see that the Non-Aboriginal symbols indicated by the mortarboard cap, gown, hood and Doctorate hood are standard throughout all systems. These symbols did not previously exist in Aboriginal cultures prior to the European colonization and reformation of the North American education system.
However, on top of the standard grad apparel, Metis and First Nations grads have their own symbols to add:
Metis grads add a Sash on top of their gown, no matter which degree they are receiving. It serves as a reminder for Metis students to be proud of their Metis heritage and identity.
First Nations have two extra items to add (excluding the Metis sash) - first, the Eagle Feather (presented for all degrees) - a symbol of "courage, bravery, wisdom and accomplishment." Second, a blanket (presented to holders of Master's and Doctorate degrees) to show the community's embracing and supporting the individual.

These symbols are essentially what make things like graduation so special and important. The meaning behind the items worn and the ceremonies performed are what give the tradition its purpose - the celebration of a massive milestone in all walks of life.

Treaties, Relevant Legislation, and Aboriginal social systems as contextualizations for FNMI education

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/#/aboriginal_and_treaty_rights/beginning_together

The problem with FNMI Treaties and Land Entitlements is that the government, federal or provincial, doesn't always honor the contracts they wrote, mainly due to policies and laws that should have been thrown out a century ago. The Indian Act gave the government power to determine who "is" or "is not" an "Indian" based on their rules in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as how the government will alow their bands to operate. It seems little has changed since then. Even Metis people, officially recognized as a nation in Alberta in the 1920s, struggle with the government's reluctance or outright refusal to fulfill their written contracts with Metis people and give them the rights to land that they are entitled to. This may be a prime reason for there being so many poorly-housed or homeless Aboriginal or Metis people in Alberta. To add insult to injury, despite some people regaining their "Indian" statuses thanks to Bill C-31, there are still far too many First Nations/Metis people who are not considered to be "Indians" in the eyes of the government because of problems with paperwork, and therefore are not entitled to any "Indian" benefits. This is especially problematic for them in a society which, to quote the resource in the link, "views them as neither Aboriginal nor part of the mainstream society."

How does this affect education for FNMI youth and students?

Interestingly enough, the Treaties do not just affect FNMI people; they affect all of us.

Here is a good resource I found for Treaty 6:
http://treaty6education.lskysd.ca/treaty6basics

It tells about Treat 6 - where and when it was signed, who was involved in and impacted by the Treaty, and what was expected to be fulfilled by signing the treaty.

All the treaties in Canada work this way; they have a purpose in mind, generally to serve as a contract between two or more nations to co-exist in the same land peacefully, and receive the benefits of said land.

But it still seems like a case similar to two siblings sharing a room who can't get along, where they split the room down the middle, and if one sibling crosses into the other's territory, there will be trouble. In essence, the nations are still struggling to coexist. While politics is happening on the forefront of education, within the public and private schools, First Nation students are minorities trying to juggle school with trying to fit in, faced with the stigma and discrimination that challenges most Native Canadians - ideas of alcoholism, juvenile delinquency, drug use, etc. In a society that expects failure from students, it is hard for one individual to change that society's perspective. When people see you as being a burden beyond help, it is hard to seek genuine assistance that will help you succeed.
As teachers, we need to meet them halfway. If they ant to be treated with the same courtesy that we give other students, while also having their cultural identities recognized, then that's what we should do.

The effects of colonial history on the learning needs of FNMI children and adolescents and their families and communities.

While reading the Learning Alberta Resource Walking Together, I learned some interesting and disturbing facts about Canada's history in regard to their treatment of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people from the first settlement until recent years. These events played a dramatic role in breaking, molding and transforming generations of Aboriginal people. The struggles many of them face remain unsettled and are reflected in the way FNMI students and their families are able to experience school and home life in Canada.

Here are some nasty bits of history that took place in our home country, the country known as the "land of the peacekeepers":

European diseases killed off the majority of the Aboriginal population, destroying legacies and ties. This was before the Indian Act.
Once the Indian Act and  Residential Schools were put in place by the Catholic church and the federal government, children were ripped from their families ad put into Catholic schools to be transformed into the "white man's" way of living, and other Aboriginal people were banned from performing any of the activities that were a part of their old cultures. This included sundances, potlatches and smudge ceremonies.
Sexual abuse by authority figures was a part of life in residential schools.
Many survivors of residential schools have turned to substance abuse, alcoholism, and passing their own abuse on to their children.
In the 1960's, thousands of First Nations children were taken from their families and put into foster, mostly with non-Aboriginal families
Today, nearly 50% of foster children or children under the Welfare Act are Aboriginal.
Any aboriginal people who married non-Aboriginal spouses had their "Indian" status revoked and were not allowed to live in reserve communities until Bill C-31 was passed in 1985.
Over 12,000 First Nations men served in World Wars I and II but did not receive veterans' benefits until 2002, when legal action resulted in each of them receiving settlements of $20,000, not nearly sufficient payment for their efforts nor adequate reward to justify the post-traumatic stress many of them suffer(ed). Despite this, most Aboriginals still support Canadian war efforts.

The Learning Alberta "Walking Together" resource says that healing historical trauma requires recognition, support, and commitment. I think the first problem is recognition. As teachers, our responsibilities to address the issues of Aboriginal students would be limited to things that primarily affect their learning experience. Yet this alone would still prove difficult when teaching in a public Canadian school, where many cultures abide.

So the next step to tackle this issue would be support. Support programs,groups and clubs dedicated to FNMI cultural activities, places where non-Aboriginal teachers and students can learn about and understand FNMI culture and history, and FNMI students have a place in the school where they belong with like-minded individuals and are understood, supported, and be themselves. a comfortable student will thrive in settings wherein they feel safe and supported.

The last step, and maybe the most important, is commitment. Once and initiative is taken, it must be seen through to the end. For example, a program to provide aid to at-risk Aboriginal youth in school would prove fruitless if the program was cancelled within the first month due to lack of awareness or interest. Promotion, money and necessary resources would help get more people aware of what needs to be done, why it's important, as well as what is needed to make a change. Finally, all the people involved in the initiative would be the ones actually making the change through their efforts, care, support, and connections.