Learning Portfolio

Indigenous and Ecologically Relevant Curriculum Design

INDG 3350Y

David Karanga

IntroductionWelcome! My name is David Karanga and this online journal/ blog is a collection of my learning experiences during my two week Indigenous and Ecologically Rel-evant Curriculum Design course in the summer of 2013. The course aimed to give students the knowledge and skills to educate others about environmental con-sciousness, but it also gives students an increased knowledge of indigenous history and customs. The course was led by Nicole Bell at Lovesick Lake (Burleigh Falls) and consisted of daily learning activities, each with a particular lesson embedded within it.

Overall it was a very interesting and eye opening experience and I will elaborate on each day’s activities and what I learned from them within this journal.I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Day 1ArrivalLovesick lake is part of traditional territory in Mississauga Ontario and it is beauti-ful. And the story behind its name is also very interesting. If I recall a young woman named Pauly Cow, would sing by the lake every evening. At a certain point construction began on the highway near the lake. One of the men working at the construction site heard Pauly’s beautiful singing and fell in love with her. A few months later Pauly fell ill and died maybe because of “love sickness” and it is from this story that the lake got its name.It is always interesting hearing the stories behind the things around us and the story behind Love Sick Lake was no different. I did not really know much about the in-digenous people but I was excited to see what this course had in store. I have never had a course like this before; all my classes are always in a lecture hall or class-room so I was intrigued to see what Nicole had planned for the two weeks we were about to spend together.

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Day 2 SunriseIt is on this day that we first began to dive into the culture of the indigenous people. On the morning of the second day we took part in the sunrise ceremony which highlighted that we must be thankful for the day. We would sit in a circle, a symbol of equality amongst individuals within the group, creating a sense of com-munity. This circle symbolized the fact that each of us has something to contribute to the community. The circle is a constant theme in indigenous culture. It was here that we were also introduced to the medicine wheel.

It is a circle divided into four equal parts, each in a different color, and each point-ing in the four directions, north, east, west and south. Each of these directions also represents the four seasons of the year. The circle also symbolizes balance, harmo-ny, connection and the circular flow of energy. Looking deeper into the medicine wheel we see that it has several uses in indigenous culture as the different seasons of the medicine wheel dictate the different stories and lessons of the time.During out morning ceremonies not only did we give thanks for the day and aim to make the most of it, but we also gave each other hugs (all while maintaining the circle). This was a nice experience as it shows the importance of community within the indigenous people, something that we do not see too often in individualistic western culture.

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Day 3On this day we did the Camera People activity. This involved writing three things about a person that we liked about them or that described them, on a piece of paper. After this the papers were collected and passed around. As the pieces of paper were passed around each person took a piece of paper and read the three de-scriptions, if they believed the paper was describing them they would keep it. It was nice reading all the good things that people had to say about each other. This further drove home the importance of community and seeing the positives in each otheother. This would be an interesting element to add to primary schools as it teaches them to see the good in their fellow students.

Day 4 The Eagle; the Messsenger to the CreatorDuring the morning ceremonies we would light a fire in the centre of the circle. Each of us would be given a small amount of tobacco. In indigenous culture tobacco is used when giving thanks.tobacco is used when giving thanks. While holding this tobacco we would give thanks for the new day and make a wish. After this we would offer the tobacco to the fire and the smoke would carry our thanks and wishes to the creator. Speaking of which, we were also taught of the importance of the Eagle in indigenous culture. The eagle is highly revered, as it is the messenger to the creator. The eagle carries our thanks and wishes to the creator and therefore is one of the most important animals in indigenous culture.animals in indigenous culture. The respect for nature seen in the indigenous culture is so deep. The indigenous people call the earth, Mother Earth showing the closeness of their relationship with the Earth. This is seen in how much respect is shown for the natural environment.

Day 6 The Hunt For FoodOne of the biggest lessons was taught on this day; the lesson of how to live off the planet we were given by the creator. We went hunting for food near the lake. This was an important experience and a very educational one. It was emphasized that children need to learn how to fend for themselves without the use of technology. We need to know nature enough to know where and how we can get food if we need it. We were taught that plants are a gift from Mother Earth and are here for us to use. If we do not use them they will wither and die however we must not simply take away from Mother Earth, we must also give back. Each time we found a plant take away from Mother Earth, we must also give back. Each time we found a plant we could eat, we would take it and in its place we would offer tobacco, a sign of giving back to Mother Earth. This idea reminds me of how the modern world seems to take so much from nature and never gives back. It is no surprise that many of Earth’s natural resources are being depleted. A big lesson in sustainable living can be learnt from this. If the whole world gave a little back every time they took something from nature I am sure the planet would not be in such poor condition.

Day 7 Colonization Of Indigenous LandThe course had been very enjoyable so far. Each day was a new experience for me and most of my friends as well. On this day however we did the Colonization ActivitActivity. This involved us reading a story about the colonization of indigenous land by the Europeans. The story was divided into short paragraphs that broke down the “stages” of the colonization. We were asked to imagine ourselves as the victims of the colonization and express how we feel, after each paragraph. This ac-tivity is quite sad as it made us imagine what the indigenous people went through and how they felt as their land was taken from them unfairly. One cannot imagine what it feels like to actually experience what they had to but this activity at least brought those feelings to light. It was a very thought provoking activitbrought those feelings to light. It was a very thought provoking activity. After thinking about it, I do admire the indigenous people of this land. Throughout all the suffering and attempts to destroy their way of life, they persevered and still hold on to their culture even in a modernized world that behaves in an almost opposite nature. It shows that no matter what happens one must acknowledge their origins. It is who they are and despite all the westernization going on in the world today, we must hold on to and celebrate the things that make us all unique from our bodily features to our cultures.My sadness was lifted later in the day as we left the camp site to see a beaMy sadness was lifted later in the day as we left the camp site to see a bear. I was really excited for this because I had never seen a bear before. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a large bear but we did get the chance to see a baby bear. The bear is an important animal in indigenous culture with an image I saw during the visit to the Petroglyphs saying, “The bear is considered one of the greatest animals, the holiest, the healer. The bear represents knowledge of the medicines as well as maintaining peace and order on earth.” In the end it was another great day during the course. the course. .

Day 10We were reaching the final days of the course and at this point I realized that earlier when Nicole Bell mentioned that it was a course that could only be learnt earlier when Nicole Bell mentioned that it was a course that could only be learnt through experiencing it first hand, it was true. Something I had noticed but was highlighted on this day was the fact that in indigenous culture lessons are taught in stories. Nanabosho is a character in one of the most popular stories. These stories are passed from generation to generation teaching children important life lessons and maintaining the rich traditions of the indigenous people. Modern culture is full of so many forms of media and at times it can be overwhelming but simple, memorable stories can in fact teach you so much and allow for people within a memorable stories can in fact teach you so much and allow for people within a community to come together.

Day 12 A night of camping On this day we spent the night at a camp site along Love Sick Lake. Camping is another activity I have not done before but I was looking forward to it. We made a bonfire and gathered around it. Each of us brought food to share with each other. I think this was another lesson in indigenous culture. The sense of community that sharing with one another creates is something I am sure has held indigenous people of any tribe so close to one another throughout the years.

Favourite ActivityThe activity I really enjoyed was the canoeing. I have never done it before so I was really nervous. It did not help that Nicole mentioned that there were water snakes inside Love Sick Lake. One my first time canoeing our boat flipped over. While in the water I was so scared that a water snake or something in the lake would bite. Luckily nothing happened and even though I was soaked it was a nice experience. Later on in the course I was a pro in canoeing; just another thing I learnt during this amazing course.

Lessons Taken AwayThis course helped me learn a lot about the indigenous people and their way of life in such a short space of time. I believe there is a lot that can be learnt from the way indigenous people live their lives. From a social perspective the morning ceremo-nies not only show the importance of being thankful for a new day but also the im-portance of community. The circle formed that represents equality shows how each of us has something to contribute, an idea that is not seen as much in a very com-petitive individualistic westernized world. By teaching children that each of them no matter how big or small can contribute to making the world a better place in their own unique way we can ensure that future generations work together to not only take care of each other but also to take care of the fragile planet on which we all live. In a paper by Dr Pamela R. Toulouse entitled Integrating Aboriginal Teaching and Values in the Classroom (2008), she highlighted that an educational environment that honors the culture and views of indigenous people is critical to the success of indigenous students. For example, when telling stories from indige-nous culture, one must avoid using words like, “myth,” and “legend” as the stories are true in indigenous culture (Bell, 2009). Given the values indigenous people hold i.e. love, respect and humility to name a few; I believe that such views and beliefs should be welcome in all classrooms. Teachers need to be given a working knowledge of indigenous customs to enable indigenous students to do well in a classroom but to be honest I believe such values can allow any student to flourish in any classroom and that these same values can help them become better men and women of societwomen of society.

Lessons Taken AwayFrom an environmental and ecological perspective it was clear to see that indige-nous people have a strong connection to the land on which they live. They treat Mother Earth with the utmost respect, viewing the land as sacred, not only taking from the land but preserving, conserving and enhancing it. There is a lot to learn from indigenous ecological culture and these were highlighted in a paper by Dr Clinton L. Beckford and Russell Nahdee (2011) called, Teaching for Ecological Sustainability. In this article they highlight that the indigenous beliefs that focus on how one must treat nature can teach positive environmental values on sustainable how one must treat nature can teach positive environmental values on sustainable lifestyles and consumption. The same paper also highlights that we can also learn from how the indigenous people teach their children, by the telling them stories. Children love stories and by telling them stories that not only highlight the beauty of nature but also why it is important to preserve that beauty will hopeful ensure that future generations grow up respecting Mother Earth and living more sustain-able lifestyles.I learnt so much about indigenous culture during the two weeks of this course, from the fact that the Anishinaabe medicine wheel is not simply about elements, and seasons but consists of elements that work in harmony together to create and sustain life. To the importance of animals in indigenous culture which made me think that if western culture held so much respect for animals, they would probably put more effort in preserving their habitats and living more sustainable lives. In summation, I really enjoyed this course, I had so many memorable experiences and as Nicole Bell said, it teaches lessons that can only be learnt by experiencing them.as Nicole Bell said, it teaches lessons that can only be learnt by experiencing them.

References and ReadingsBear Symbolizing Healing retrieved from: http://ojibwenativeamericans.weebly-.com/religion.html

Beckford, C. L., (2011). Teaching for Ecological Sustainability. Incorporating In-digenous Philosophies and Practices.

Bell, N (2009). Considerations for Planning.

Medicine Wheel retrieved from : http://www.med.uottawa.ca/sim/data/Aborigi-nal_Medicine_e.htm

Nanabosho (Brief reading) retrieved from: http://www.goodminds.com/nanabo-sho-dances-paper-ed-6th-printing

Toulouse, P.R., (2008). Integrating aboriginal teaching and values into the class-room.

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