Action
It is not enough to be driven to exhibit minimum or no bias regarding the fight for Indigenous peoples. I, as a non-Indigenous person, need actively participate in decolonizing to be allies.
Steps that I take to center Indigenous voices/perspectives and combat the erasure of Indigenous people, their cultures, and their voices:
1. I have a desire to actively support social justice; promote the rights of the non-dominant groups and eliminate social inequalities that the allies benefit from; By establishing meaningful relationships with people and communities of the non-dominant group that they wish to ally themselves and to ensure accountability to those people and communities
2. I will continually engaging in self-reflexivity, and must consistently work at being an ally (through learning, acting in a de-colonial manner, and sustaining relationships with Indigenous people).
3. Sharing my emotions, and encourage myself to not shy away from difficult conversations.
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---Indigenous community in Kingston
Situating Ourselves: Engaging Indigenous Storywork
As stated by Jo-Ann Archibald, “Indigenous storywork is not an easy process but is essential to educating the heart, mind, body, and spirit, which is what we mean by Indigenous education” (2008, p. 143). Through storywork as pedagogy, students reflect on their physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual development, and make meaning through metaphor.
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Through this activity, you will engage in storywork as pedagogy, reflection, and resistance. In this exercise, you are asked to share your experiences and where you are in your life stories to reflect on your holistic development (physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual). You are asked to reflect on your lived experience of the legacy of settler colonialism and work you may have done to decolonize yourself and the world around you
Think about stories you may wish to share with the teaching team that relate to your lived experience of settler colonialism and decolonizing. Please ensure that you have immersed yourself in course content to date as this will help guide you as you reflect on these experiences.
Following your reflections, decide on a story that communicates this lived experience. Remember that your story should be one that will convey your holistic development, i.e. the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical aspects your journey.
One should think of every story as a lesson, and one’s story could always be considered a gift for the community and for oneself. This is one way Indigenous people learn, heal and support one another.
If you are not an Indigenous person, be careful not to appropriate Indigenous culture in this exercise.
