Podcast

This podcast discusses Indigenous Ways of Knowing 303 at the University of Calgary. The concept of neurodecolonization, healing through mind and body collaboration, was interesting. The service barrier and research paradigm resonated, emphasizing community bonds and open dialogue. Questions arose about Indigenous knowledge and gaps in education. The course developed understanding of Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing, helpful for future law career. Revitalizing the Gwich'in language is important. Indigenous frustrations with land claims and settler relationships were highlighted. Respect and understanding are crucial for reconciliation. Advice for taking Indigenous 303 is to be open and connect with others. Health and education challenges in Aboriginal communities were discussed, emphasizing the need for good nutrition and better resources. Education is key to employment and stability. Good morning, my name is Danielle McAdam and you are listening to my podcast regarding Indigenous Ways of Knowing 303 held at the University of Calgary. I hope you enjoy this podcast from my perspective. Today we'll be focusing on six questions in relation to the Indigenous 303 outline. What was the most interesting thing you've learned in Indigenous 303 and why? The concept of neurodecolonization was very fascinating to me for the use of mind and body to collaborate the healing process. It can take many years to reconnect with yourself and the community when you've had trauma, struggles with substance abuse, or domestic abuse, feeling like an outsider or having imposter syndrome can isolate you from loved ones. Caleb Bird truly gave me inspiration while working on my presentation with his quote. Using neurodecolonization ceremonial approaches within an ethical space, both Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous allies are able to work in solidarity to build a collaborative future in the areas of Indigenous health, wellness, and education. The premise of healing is working through trauma, reintegrating the community togetherness, love, and patience. This stood out for me for the fact of personal trauma and finding new mechanisms to cope. Everyone has their own story and is entitled to find their peace on their own time. Question two, what issues or concepts resonated with you? The first concept that resonated with me was the service barrier because of my experience in gift economies. In this sense, gifting is not meant to be instantly reciprocated. However, being raised in a tight-knit community, there's an unspoken acknowledgement to return the kindness when you have the means. Robin Kibner wrote in the article, The Service Barrier, An Economy of Abundance, that a gift economy nurtures the community bonds that enhance mutual well-being. The economic unit is we rather than I, as all flourishing is mutual. When I was growing up in a town of 500, the gift economy effectively harnessed inclusivity and reciprocity throughout the community. The second concept that resonated with me was the research paradigm noted in the article regarding the development of an Indigenous paradigm, specifically the axiology noted from Sean Wilson's 2003 outline of Atkinson's Identification of Certain Principles. The 11 concepts discussed are extremely important. However, the eighth point about reflective non-judgment where one would consider what is being seen and heard without immediately placing a sense of right and wrong on what is shared and where one would consider what is said within the context presented by the speaker. Having an open dialogue when you are researching a community and speaking with that person is pivotal. Question three, were there any questions or challenges that arose for you regarding indigeneity? Why or why not? The questions that arose for me were more about Indigenous knowledge and how it is taught and received. I enjoyed seeing and hearing so many perspectives during my time in this course. My main question was, why are there so many gaps in our learning of Indigenous people so early on? While there are steps to lessen these gaps, integrating Indigenous culture in early education is so important. What can I do to impact my son's upbringing in a way that benefits our culture? This would be bringing him back home to learn, listen, and experience the knowledge of elders, aunties, uncles, cousins, and people who reside in Inuvik. There were not many challenges that arose, however. It has mainly to do with recognizing my own Indigenous identity. Growing up and not being around my culture can make me feel like an outsider. This can be rectified through experiencing different types of indigeneity around Calgary. Going back home to the Northwest Territories with this knowledge will make the experience enlightening. My mother grew up in a very tumultuous household with ten brothers and sisters. She in turn was distant from her culture, other than experiencing the land firsthand, going to Tree River, which was the family's cabin, and experiencing trauma from my grandmother's experience at the residential school. This brings up another challenge in regard to my first-hand experience with my Gwich'in heritage. How can I reconnect with the land when being in Calgary so far away from my relatives who reside up north? Going to the mountains, hiking, and camping brings me closer to the land. If I had more financial means, I would visit the cabin at Tree River and learn the Gwich'in language from my elder, who is my auntie. Question four. How has the course developed your understanding of Indigenous perspectives in ways that will be helpful to you in your life and chosen profession? This course helped me develop an academic understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing. This will be helpful for my chosen field of law because I will be moving to the Northwest Territories once I complete my education. This course gives me a grasp on the way different Indigenous groups have the same trauma but can be explored differently, having the education, care, and compassion to move forward in changing policies. With the revitalization on my Aboriginal language, Gwich'in, I will put the pronunciation in my notes. This is the most endangered Indigenous language in Canada and the most endangered Athapaskan Dene language in the NWT. With only 20 people being fluent in the Northwest Territories, there is a need for the younger generation to learn. The official Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute website has a plethora of information regarding how we speak, projects, web-based exhibits, and plans. This is an amazing resource, as I only know how to say good day, which is Djirin Gweensy. Question five. How has the course developed your understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and being in current social and political Indigenous and settler relationships? This course has benefited my understanding of how frustrated Indigenous people are with land claims and promises of the government. Self-determination processes are important, but the hoops the Indigenous community are still dealing with is shocking. Herbert C. Nabygon and Annie Wegner Nabygon noted in their article of Wise Practices that the greatest wisdom often comes from integrating paradoxical truth. This is a wisdom that must be infused into the hearts of willing helpers in the journey to help is to be realized. Indigenous people have been living with the aftereffects of settlers since they came to Canada. There are so many people who believe that Indigenous people are not entitled to what the government promised, which is taught to them by their parents or grandparents, uneducated thoughts, and simple ignorance. Combating this previous statement with understanding and compassion will work wonders for reconciliation. There are unspoken tensions between Indigenous peoples and settlers to this day. The fact that the residential school only ended 28 years ago in 1996 and I was born in 1991. In the article of Complicated Pathways, Lynn Davis et al. speak on finding ways to include Indigenous voices and perspectives respectfully without burdening Indigenous peoples is a balance to be considered. Respect is pivotal when elders offer their knowledge, giving a gift, acknowledgement of their time, and recognizing the importance of their shared knowledge. Question six, what advice would you give a friend planning to take Indigenous 303? Be specific. My advice for a friend planning to take Indigenous Ways of Knowing 303 is that it is more experiential than a regular lecture. Be open to the fluidity of the class and make connections with people. It is a smaller class than 100 or 200 people all. Ask questions and learn what Professor Beattie must input as well as other students. Specifically, do not be afraid of the 45-minute presentation. It will go by faster than you originally thought. Be open to the new experiences and don't be nervous. For this next part, these next questions were sourced from Indigenous corporate training in BC about the key issues facing Aboriginal communities today, which are poorer health, lower levels of education, lower income levels, inadequate housing and crowded living situations, and higher rates of suicide. We will focus on these four issues and discuss them. How can we resolve Aboriginal people's lack of good health? Starting at the early ages of life with good nutrition is a fundamental part of good habits growing up. My mother lives in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, and they tend to travel to Yellowknife, which is the capital city for food. This is because food prices are extremely pricey, especially for organic food that we love in Calgary. Harriet L. McMillan et al wrote in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health, a significantly larger portion of younger children were reported with bronchitis, asthma, and ear problems. Significantly, a greater number of older children were reported as having overweight problems. Access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and affordable healthy meals are hard to come by in most Aboriginal communities. There have been multiple funds and organizations to help alleviate this burden. However, there is a lengthy application process. How can we increase education and employment levels in Aboriginal communities? Education is the best way to get ahead in life, secure a good job, and ensure economic stability. Some Aboriginal communities need better resources and teachers to develop young minds. Linda Gerber wrote in her article on education and employment of Aboriginal men and women. Despite remedial programs, policies, and the annual infusion of billions of dollars, Aboriginal peoples remain at the bottom of the hierarchy in terms of education, employment, income, health, and imprisonment. With certain grants and programs, they will fund your education with conditions. One of them being returning to the community to work after you get your education or during the summer. In regard to obtaining education, Gerber commented, polarization in educational attainment is apparent only among Indian and Inuit people. By 2006, relative to 2001, Métis and non-Aboriginal men and women were more likely to have acquired high school, college, and university credentials, meaning that performance improved at both ends of the educational continuum. While obtaining secondary school or trade, Aboriginal peoples are still at a disadvantage compared to non-Indigenous peoples. Gerber therefore added that the impacts of education on labor force participation, employment, and income are crucial to our understanding of social inequality. Ensuring Aboriginal peoples have access to quality education is important to the inclusivity needed in the workforce of Indigenous peoples. The need for proper housing in Aboriginal communities. I feel blessed to live in a single-family home with my family and dogs. This is not the case for many families living on reserves, and it is heart-wrenching. A recent article written by the Anishinaabe Aski Nation, NAN, Grand Chief Alvin Fidler spoke on a NAN-wide housing state of emergency was declared by NAN chiefs in 2014, following years of deplorable housing conditions that have contributed to severe health issues exacerbated by overcrowding and mold. This deeply saddens me and makes me emotional. Everyone deserves a proper place to live and it to be a safe space. The fact that the government has not taken steps to close the housing gap on a reserve by 2030 is just insane in my opinion. Highlighting this issue and pushing policy change is necessary for this to move forward. How can we mitigate the higher rates of suicide in Aboriginal communities? Mental health is near and dear to my heart after going through my own struggles with bipolar. Talking about it has made it easier to navigate, as well as a good support system. Growing up in a small town, there was only partying and drug use to turn to after programs closed. This led to losing a lot of friends while growing up. This is a national and international issue that brings the need to mental health open dialogue. Marla Turner wrote in the Arbitus Review on the life in high-risk communities has been shown to include family dysfunction, loss of cultural beliefs, and the inability to meet basic needs or attain the skills to do so, allowing feelings of low self-esteem and hopelessness to develop. What does public policy have to do with changing suicide rates? Turner further elaborates in her review that public policy can facilitate well-being for Aboriginal youth by modeling and promoting cultural safe processes and behaviors to all Canadians. This in turn pushes the government to implement funding or at least resources to help youth during these tough times. When you cannot lean on your parents, the self-isolation can be dangerous and lead to rapid deterioration of the mind. Now, what is the future of Indigenous peoples in Canada? Looking to the future is important for closure, moving forward, and refocusing on the important matters of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, fixing the water, housing, rates of suicide, and many other important issues. Focusing on the youth is the best way to move forward. Mind and body go hand in hand with the concept of narrow decolonization, which I spoke about earlier. An article with Jeff reading regarding improving the health of future generations, increasingly Aboriginal communities are incorporating the principles of ownership, control, access, and possession into health research activities, affecting them. Ensuring the principles of the seven generations is important in Aboriginal communities. They are fundamental as uniting three fires against violence, the teaching of all Aboriginal cultures encompass the morals, values, structures, ceremonial practices, spiritual beliefs of the group. They include humility, bravery, honesty, wisdom, truth, respect, and love. We all need to be intentional in our communication and respect one another. Current events and Indigenous perspectives. Something I wanted to touch on is regarding the event on Monday, April 8, 2024. Monday, April 8, 2024. There was a phenomenon regarding the solar eclipse, and the world was in awe. It was a magnificent sight. However, I saw a few articles regarding Indigenous peoples' beliefs. An article from Maricelia Amador in the APTN News regarding that the solar eclipse is no ordinary day. Keep an eye on your surroundings, on what's happening around you. It's going to get colder and darker. We'll see shadows. We'll see the solar corona, the astronomer said. For a little backstory, I found an interesting article regarding the sun, moon, and eclipses. David O'Connor writes in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction that these stories are not just stories. They are representations of a worldview where celestial bodies, the planets, moon, sun, and stars interact with the world, human life, and even in concepts of afterlife and rebirth. Oral history is vital to the Indigenous culture. In the Ojibwe culture, storytelling is an ancient and important art. It's how tales and teachings about the world are passed from generation to generation, from elder storytellers to eager children. This is reminiscent of how elders used to teach young children for residential school time. However, gaining an explanation of the eclipse can be traced back to the Grecian times. Nikhil Ora et al. wrote in the Queen's Gazette that the beliefs about eclipses motivated ancient Greek astronomers to create the Antikythera mechanism, a complex analog computer that predicted the timing of future eclipses with a precision of 30 minutes. Every culture has their own interpretation of the eclipse cycles. However, this is something we can globally share together. What does Palestine have to do with Indigenous globally? This is a major problem happening in the world today to Indigenous peoples in Palestine. We touched on this briefly during my group presentation. However, I have not done sufficient research to have made an educated argument. Reading an article from Nala Addo from the Carleton University that settler colonialism is, in general, comes ready with its racializing, othering policies, which often extend beyond the Indigenous peoples and includes immigrants, settlers who are deemed unlike us. False information surrounds us daily, but it isn't hard to decipher what is going on in Palestine. This is a huge issue that must be dealt with speed, acceptance of the Palestinian people. Addo will further explain in their article that mention of Zionism slash Israel as a superior race, rendering all others inferior, made it possible for the state to use all means to control its Indigenous and other Jewish undesired population, regardless of how unethical, immoral, and inhuman an act is, such as the use of eugenics against some of its population. Eugenics as a colonial method is used as a means of control and to redesign the future generations as desired by the state, with white and European characteristics. We cannot let this happen to the population and need to be educated regarding this matter. What about the LGBTQ plus community in all these colonization tirades? Scott Morgenson wrote in the article regarding queer settler colonialism in Canada and Israel that the sexualization of settler colonialism is being naturalized by the decolonizing critiques of queer Palestinian and two-spirit people. Settlers must respond by applying these critiques to challenge the colonial conditions of their life. Societies and politics in that way open them to radical change. Being around constant turmoil and not being able to be comfortable being yourself daily can introduce anxiety, depression, and further mental illness. Morgenson expanded on the fact of Palestinian and allied critics also locate the marginalization of queer Palestinians in a broader racialization and sexualization of Palestinians, all of which produces Israeli queers and the state of homonationalism. Being aware of the majority Muslim communities and their general disinterest in the lifestyle of the LGBTQ plus can be dangerous. This is why having a community is important for safety and health purposes. To conclude this podcast, I want to say that this was definitely out of my comfort zone, but a great experience. I appreciate the ability to share my interests and research some topics that I have been interested in. This will further push me in the directions of indigenous knowledge and ways of being. Thank you, Professor Beattie, for all your time, consideration, and patience during this course. I hope you have a great summer, and I hope to take one of your classes sometime soon. Thank you.