meghan.stewart INDG 201 Podcast

The speaker enrolled in Indigenous Studies 201 without specific expectations. Throughout the course, they learned new concepts and perspectives on Indigenous learning. The course objectives included increasing awareness and respect for Indigenous worldviews, understanding colonialism and its impacts, and exploring decolonization. The speaker found the concept of the four R's (respect, relation, reciprocity, and responsibility) particularly interesting and important. They also discussed the Land Back movement and the importance of Indigenous voices in land discussions. The speaker now values Indigenous perspectives and supports the fight for land restoration and sustainability. They believe in a future where Indigenous communities have their land back and have a say in its use. The concept of Indigeneity was also explored, raising questions about its recognition internationally. Overall, the course changed the speaker's perspective and increased their understanding of Indigenous issues I enrolled into Indigenous Studies 201 because I felt an urge to take the class. Nothing specific, but when I saw it as an option for me to take, I wanted to take it. After being on the wait list all of last summer, by fall I was enrolled. I didn't really have any expectations or ideas on what the class would teach or what I would end up learning. But I must say, I did learn new concepts, ideas, teachings, etc. which have changed my perspective on Indigenous learnings as a whole. Reflecting back on my time in the class, listening to lectures, reading passages and stories, and just learning new material throughout Indigenous Studies 201, it is evident that this class has taught me new material and concepts about Indigenous perspectives that I will ultimately keep with me through my entire life. Here is a bit of context of the class and what students were expected to learn by the end of the semester. Indigenous Studies 201 is an introductory course to Indigenous Studies. According to the University of Calgary's Course Description Guide, it is a multidisciplinary, theoretical, and empirical overview of the situations, perspectives, and aspirations of selected Indigenous people with a focus in the Canadian context. Now, what students were meant to leave the course knowing came from the objective that the course professor, Ramona Beattie, made specific to the materials that we would be taught, which included articulating how issues, ideas, living and inanimate beings, and communities are interrelated, increasing students' awareness of, understanding of, and respect for Indigenous worldviews and perspectives, knowledge, realities, experiences, introducing students to ways of knowing that fall outside the Western scientific perspective, demonstrating insights of Indigenous realities from a multidisciplinary approach to the field of Indigenous Studies, giving students experience at critically thinking and analyzing Indigenous peoples' experiences with a historical and contemporary context, demonstrating awareness of the fundamental concepts of this course and how together they aid in the understanding of issues faced by Indigenous peoples, developing the students' understanding of colonialism and the diverse, enduring impacts upon Indigenous people and the legacy of colonial relations, expanding understanding of the concepts of decolonization and the understanding of concepts of indigeneity, analyzing nuances of one's social, political, and economic position in the context of histories of Indigenous people, to compare ideas through a diverse array of Indigenous systems and sources of knowledge, and to explore areas of personal and societal transformations that will lead us towards a decolonized world. At first sight, these objectives were kind of intimidating. How could a class teach me all these aspects? And further, how could I utilize these objectives towards my thinking and perspective, not only in this class, but in society? Nonetheless, it was a teaching from my professor, our TA, Dawn Moffitt McMaster, and the relevant readings in the course that assisted my learning and understanding of Indigenous ways of learning and Indigenous perspective, which will be demonstrated through answering a number of reflection questions. I'm a non-Indigenous person who had little to no prior understanding of education of Indigenous Studies as a whole. My small high school attempted to make students aware and educated of Indigenous issues and ways of living, but only did so much. So many of the topics presented in this course were new to me. The topics and materials that were presented in this course throughout the semester were all in their own way, interesting to learn about. Some topics, like Indigenous relationship with the land, I was previously knowledgeable about, or a topic like the concept of worldview where I had zero previous knowledge of. These were all interesting to learn, and this course enhanced my knowledge to what I know now. When reflecting back to the materials that we've learned in class, the most interesting topic we covered to me were lectures that covered who are Indigenous people, and more specifically, we learned about the four R's, respect, relation, reciprocity, and responsibility. This concept was introduced to us at the very beginning of the semester and opened my mind early on to the ways of Indigenous learning and perspectives. It was like a gateway to the rest of the topics that we would learn later on in the semester. As again, the four R's truly represent the concept of Indigenous ways of living. By understanding the importance of the four R's, you can then understand other aspects to come, like Indigenous identity, social perspectives, Indigenous relations to the land, etc. For our group project, we looked at Indigenous movements and their importance to Indigenous rights, both nationally and internationally. My duty of the presentation was to look at Indigenous movements regarding land and environment in Canada, which I then found, researched, and discussed the Land Back movement in Canada, which actively fights for Indigenous rights to land and Indigenous voices during land discussions. During my research of the Land Back movement, the thought of Indigenous relations to the land and the four R's were a common thread, as relationship to the land is a vital part of Indigenous ways of living. The idea that Indigenous life is embedded into the land that surrounds us was a topic that was discussed periodically in this course throughout the semester, which all ties back to the concept of the four R's. A quote from the Faculty of Education at UBC posted on a page of the four R's, which reads, by embracing the principles of respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility, non-Indigenous people can build respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities. Through these relationships, we can work towards a more just, equitable future for all. I like this quote because it shares a belief that I strongly believe, that by building relationships that involve Indigenous ways of living, we can work towards a peaceful coexistence with Indigenous people and communities. Now that I am knowledgeable about the four R's and Indigenous perspectives that utilize them in life, I now like to grasp the concept of the four R's in my daily life, making me more grateful for everything and those around me. I thought this topic was a great topic to introduce this course to, as it was a concept that introduces Indigenous perspectives and can be found in all topics of Indigenous studies. Many of the concepts and issues that I was taught over the semester were ideas and concepts that were new to me, or ones I had little to no knowledge on. An issue that I was aware of and continue to resonate with most is the fight for the Indigenous land and rightfully returned to Indigenous communities. Back to the last aspect of the four R's and Indigenous ways of living, Indigenous relation, reciprocity, respect and responsibility to the land is a topic that I enjoy learning about, because I believe that land sustainability and restoration is important for a future where generations after us can enjoy and use the land. Because of that, I think it is highly important for Indigenous communities to regain their land that was stolen from them during the colonization period, and for Indigenous people to have a voice when land, water and environment are being discussed at the governmental levels, like municipality, provincially and federally. During the topic of the Land Back movement for my group presentation on Indigenous movements, you'll be more aware and educated on what the Land Back movement fights for and why it is important, not only to Indigenous people and communities, but for society as a whole. Prior to taking this course, I understood the fight for Indigenous communities to get their land, but since taking this course and learning about the Indigenous ways of living, Indigenous perspectives, the four R's, and then doing the Indigenous movement presentation, this issue has more meaning and more importance to me, because of my care and interest towards a future where the land can be restored and used sustainably, and where water is clean and usable for all species, and where we do not need to worry about future generations not being able to use the land. After taking this course, I now understand that my values are shared with Indigenous communities, who are actively fighting for the well-being of the land. I also now understand that it is not just land restoration that is being fought for, but also the well-being of Indigenous communities and individuals in Canada, where they can have a future where Indigenous people have their land back, and where they can have a say in what happens to the land. This whole topic resonates with me because, again, I would wish to see a future where land is thriving and where water is clean, not to mention that I now understand the fight for land back, the four R's, and how they relate to Indigenous relations to the land, the importance of a future where Indigenous voices are heard. I remember when the word Indigeneity and the idea of what it means to be Indigenous was taught for the first time in class, and as a non-Indigenous person, it made me think hard and long about what the term means. From the lectures, we learned that Indigeneity is what it means to be Indigenous. To my understanding, Indigeneity does not necessarily mean to be directly an Indigenous person. Rather, it looks at what the aspects of being Indigenous are and what it means to be Indigenous. In terms of challenges or questions that arose from my own understanding of Indigeneity and what it means to be Indigenous, I guess one question that comes to mind is if it is a concept that is recognized by all Indigenous people internationally. I understand that not every Indigenous individual or community is the same. With around 370 million Indigenous people spread across 70 countries, a statistic that came from the No-Nonsense Guide to Indigenous People by Lonnie Hughes, it would be ridiculous to assume that they all have the exact same ideas, beliefs, and whatnot. But when it comes to Indigeneity and what it means to be Indigenous, it is the same general perspective across all 370 million Indigenous people across the world. According to Emory College, located in the United States of America, their Indigenous Studies course classifies Indigeneity as a quality of a person's and group's identity that links them to specific places with knowledge of and respect for original ways, with other sources describing Indigeneity as the same way. A quality of being Indigenous person. Although I am a non-Indigenous person, I cannot connect with the feeling of being Indigenous or Indigeneity and what it means to be Indigenous. I believe that the perspective regarding Indigeneity, although connected by the factor of being Indigenous, can also be personal to individuals across the world and what it means to be Indigenous to them on a personal level. This fourth reflective question is one where an answer came to mind right away. It is because of Indigenous perspectives that I feel more comfortable in my decision to be at university and to further my education and to then graduate with a bachelor's degree. Like I said a little bit ago about how Indigenous perspectives opened my mind up about the four Rs and my understanding towards Indigenous perspectives, Indigenous relations to land, this class also introduced me to Indigenous perspectives that helped me decide decisions in my life, rather small or large. But it was something that the professor said during lecture that made me understand Indigenous perspectives in my life more. Little story time for my reasoning of this. It was the very first, or second, but I strongly believe it was the very first lecture of the semester, and Professor Beattie was indulging us in the story, as she would continue to do for the rest of the semester. But besides that, the story, which is not very much a personal story as it was more of a life lesson, wherein her story she inputted, quote, being a good student, end quote, and being a good ancestor. I cannot tell you why those two sentences fully flipped my perspective on my academic career and just my life in general. But to me, this perspective of thinking makes me not only want to succeed academically as a student, but succeed in life as an ancestor of those before my time. Prior to this realization of Indigenous perspectives that my professor shared, I looked towards my future and academic career with very much, it is how it is, and it goes how it goes. I had no real ambition to pave the way myself, I just hoped that things would work out for me. Since hearing what my professor shared about being a good student and being a good ancestor, it changed my own perspective to now believing that what I do in life reflects to myself as a student and as an ancestor. I want to be proud of myself in both of those aspects. Learning this perspective just creates a helpful outlook on life itself, as it is not always easy to be happy and carefree all the time, as university and life itself gets stressful and grim, or sometimes it feels easy just to give up and take the easy way out. A feeling that I have, and I'm sure many others have, I felt at one point in time or another. But the perspective that looks at being a good ancestor is something I will now always turn back to when faced with decisions that will ultimately affect my life and future. After hearing that perspective on the first day of lectures, it honestly just raised my respect towards my professor and the class in general. It felt really reassuring to hear. This course, as I probably mentioned before, truly developed my own thinking and understanding of Indigenous perspectives, which have had an active change in how I view Indigenous issues. This is a previous trend in this podcast, but going back to the group presentation, we just completed, my group looked at Indigenous movements, in which we were looking at and researching current and past Indigenous movements that deal with relationships between Indigenous individuals and communities with a settler-dominant society. These relationships were also discussed through the course with social, political, and economic perspectives, as well as the differences in Indigenous worldviews and Western worldviews. The way of living and knowledge for ancestral Indigenous communities was entirely different to the life of that European settler that they knew, ultimately dividing the two groups, with one being the dominant society, the settlers, and the other becoming the minority, the Indigenous individuals and communities, which ended in the loss of land, culture, and indigeneity for those Indigenous individuals affected by the settler-dominant society. And the same for those Indigenous individuals affected by colonialism. Current relationships with the Indigenous communities and the dominant society is still not great, as Indigenous people are still actively fighting for rights to land, for their voices to be heard, for their communities to matter, to the government, which only falls on deaf ears, and there has been little to no change in this century, nor will there be any change any time soon. What I understand from this course is that in terms of differences between Indigenous and settler views, there is quite a gap, where Western views are different from those of Indigenous worldviews and knowing and being, which might affect how social and political perspectives look between the two groups. Understanding these issues involves understanding what is being fought for and why they need to be fought for and what is being done to change it. Again, thinking back to Indigenous movements, the presentation my group and I did, and what we found during the research that we've done, learning how and why these issues stem from and how different approaches from each perspective to try to solve these issues, understanding relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is the key to a future where justice is served to Indigenous people and where we can live together in a peaceful coexistence. If I knew a friend of mine was interested in taking or was enrolled in Indigenous Studies 201, which is being taught by Professor Beatty, I would be sure to tell them what to expect, how lectures would usually go, and what happens during class time, what assignments and quizzes they'll be expected to do, and what kind of material they will be learning. I would tell them to be prepared for group presentation and to make sure they choose a topic they are generally interested in for the sake of their own work, their group, and the class whom they will be presenting to. I would also prepare them for the teaching dynamics from the professor. If anything, a nice change. She is attentive and passionate about what she teaches and makes her lectures personal by sharing her own stories here and there. As far as the course material goes, I would explain to them that the course of learning that I've learned, starting with Indigenous identity and who Indigenous people are, focusing on Indigenous identity and with Indigenous identity and with social and political constructs from the national and international perspective, looking at the UN DREP and colonialism as a whole, with the importance of differentiating holistic living compared to Western living, moving from Indigenous identity to worldview and how one views the world individually or as a collective, looking at both Indigenous and Western worldviews and how they differ from one another and how it is diverse in nations, even in our country, and how one or a collective group develops a worldview from time perspectives of the past, the present, and the future, then ending with power and representation, discussing politics, sovereignty, representation, colonialism in our nation and how to move towards a decolonized world, while including the perspectives from both Indigenous individuals and settler scholars, a presentation that was done by the T.A. Don Moffitt Before a friend takes Indigenous Studies 201, I would tell them to go into the course with an open mind. They do not need to be an expert in Indigenous Studies and can virtually know absolutely nothing about the topic, as long as they are willing to learn and leave the course knowing more than what they went in with. Overall, the material, ideas, perspectives, and life lessons that I have learned in this class, like no other course I have ever taken, not only was I learning about facts and ideas and concepts, but I was learning about real-life issues and problems that Indigenous people face in society. I went into this course knowing very few things about Indigenous individuals in Canada and almost nothing about Indigenous Studies as a whole, but I am leaving the course truly knowing and understanding Indigenous perspectives as a whole, and I hope to continue to do so. This class got me out of my comfort zone by thinking about these real-life world issues and grasping new concepts I have not heard of before. Also, by discussing with others and coming up with a presentation with a group that discusses real-life Indigenous issues. This class has also made me aware of Western and Indigenous worldviews by how they relate to societal, political, and economical perspectives in our country and around the globe. I was able to expand my knowledge of colonialism in our country and what it means to decolonize and what actions need to occur in order to have a decolonized world and exist in a peaceful coexistence. As a non-Indigenous person, this class opened me up to new ideas and concepts to educate myself on and expand as an ally to Indigenous communities in Canada, as well as utilizing those concepts in my daily life. I must say, however, my favorite and most memorable learnings from Indigenous Studies Tool 1 came from the personal stories that Professor Beattie would share in class, her own experiences in her own personal life and teaching life, which just goes to show how Indigenous ways of learning, storytelling being one of them, are an aspect that we as a society should learn and utilize. It was a pleasure being taught in what makes up Indigenous Studies, and I am grateful to be well taught and educated on Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing and living.