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Cultivating Intergenerational Resilience through disruptive pedagogies of Decolonization and Reconciliation
Dr Lewis Williams, Associate Fellow, Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria, Founding Director International Resilience Network and KIN.XXI Society for Human Ecology Conference, 12-15th April, 2016Santa Ana, U.S.A.
Tane Ascends to the Heavens
“A Moment in Time”, Dawn, September 21st, TIXEN Spit, traditional territory Tsawout Nation, Vancouver Island.
In Conversation with the more than human
‘Instead of holding onto anger…….they held on to something much stronger – they held onto love……..[they held on to] the art of connection…….the honouring of all our relations, not just with people, but with plant nations, and the water nations…and that art of connection is resilience – resilience is love”
Young Cree woman at the Summit, talking of her Elders resistance to colonization
Elders Voices Summit, Tsawout Territory, Vancouver Island Sept 19-22nd 2015..
1 Tixen Spit, Saanich Peninsula
About Tsawout and the WSANEC people
WSANEC known as the ‘Emerging People’ also known as Salt Water people
Part of the Coast Salish Group Have occupied this territory for
at least 10,000 yrs Tsawout refers to house on the
hill Cedar and salmon people 1852 Douglas Treaties (Hudson
Bay company) To Fish as formerly – ReefNet
fishing
The Sacred Money
And Markets
Story
Colonization of perception
And consciousness
Soul Wound
Contracted life world
Questions for enacting life-giving Futures.
What are the kinds of practices that will facilitate the alchemical potential of the collective - enabling epistemological, relational and creative solidarities to emerge?
What are the types of pedagogical practices (disruptive and regenerative) that will enable us to re-map and renew our cultural-ecological terrain in more life-giving ways?
What kinds of pedagogical practices enable us to hold the paradoxes – e.g,, our common humanity and ‘Shared Skin’ with all life forms, AND work skilfully with our diverse ancestral lineages, cultural-power disparities and respective woundings that are often seen to divide us?
What taonga (treasures) in our own cultural – epistemological lineages can we bring to this work? (This latter question is particularly important for those who have lost touch with their own Indigenous heritage).
Our Collective Work“We need to re-imagine a way
of being as we’re all in this canoe together!” (Paul Lacerte, Summit participant, Canada).
Elders Voices Summit:What, Why and How
International Resilience Network – Developing Community Indigenous, Intergenerational, Intercultural, insectoral Over 100 people, between 17-80 years of age, over four days Indigenous, Setter-migrant groups, Turtle Island, Oceania,
U.K. Held on Tsawout Territory, B.C, Canada Combination of ceremony, arts-based approaches, dialogue,
land based learning Spiritual holding by Elders, Tsawout Band and Council, Local
org committee
Day 1 19th Sept Preparing the GroundElders and Youth Circles
Day 2 20th Sept Indigenous Knowledge & Resilience
Day 3 21st Sept Holistic approaches to learning
Day 4 22nd Sept Social-ecological Resilience & innovation
10.00 Colonial Reality Tour
Elders day on the land Youth Dialogue Circles, Victoria Native Friendship Centre
9am Opening Ceremony 9.30am The Radical Human Ecology of Resilience
10.00 am Unpacking the Challenges – Stirring the Potential 11.15 – 12.30pm Toku Reo Ngaiterangi, Toku Mapihi Maurea Lunchtime resilience dialogues
9am Ceremony and Holistic Learning 9.30am WSANEC EldersLand base learning – visit to TIXEN Traditional food preparation, stories of the land and traditional plants, shamanic drumming and healing of the land. Networking Lunch
9am Ceremony and Social Innovation 9.30am Innovating for Resilient Futures: Where Social Innovation is at and Where it Needs to Go.
11.15-12.30pm Indigenous and Inter-peoples Resilience - Examples
Networking Lunch
6.30-8.00pm The Whole of Human Relations
1.45-3.15pm Intergenerational Resilience: Youth Elders Panel 5.00-6.00pm Concurrent paper and workshop sessions
1.45 – 3.15pm Concurrent paper and workshop sessions
6.30pmBanquet and Public Event: Changing Cultures – Changing Climates: Institutionalizing Indigenous practices of Resilience for our Common Futures.
1.30 pm Dr. Richard Atleo (Umeek): Tsawalk trilogy - 3.45- 5.00pm Concluding reflections: Indigenous Youth, Indigenous scholars & Elders Summation Panels Closing Ceremony.
Elders’ Voices Summit: Nurturing Intergenerational Resilience Ensuring to the best
extent possible that the next generations of human and other than human relations have what they need to flourish
Involves intergenerational knowledge transmission within (vertical) and between (horizontal) species.
Maori Whakapapa (genealogy) stick used to recite geology
Cultural Re-mapping
‘Cultural Mapping’: Processes of reclaimation of submerged cultural, spiritual and ecological heritages towards re-integration of traditional knowledge and ways of being in ways that are relevant to contemporary life.
Cultural Re-mapping 1) The remapping of socio-historical
narratives that involves the disruption of dominant white-settler colonial narratives of the ecology of culture and place through re-surfacing and repositioning Indigenous narratives of country, culture, and kin; and
2) The remapping of ontology and epistemology in an embodied sense upon the human psyche through the dreamtime, ceremony, stories, and simply being one with country.
Day 1 19th Sept Preparing the GroundElders and Youth Circles
Day 2 20th Sept Indigenous Knowledge & Resilience
Day 3 21st Sept Holistic approaches to learning
Day 4 22nd Sept Social-ecological Resilience & innovation
10.00 Colonial Reality Tour
Elders day on the land Youth Dialogue Circles, Victoria Native Friendship Centre
9am Opening Ceremony 9.30am The Radical Human Ecology of Resilience
10.00 am Unpacking the Challenges – Stirring the Potential 11.15 – 12.30pm Toku Reo Ngaiterangi, Toku Mapihi Maurea Lunchtime resilience dialogues
9am Ceremony and Holistic Learning 9.30am WSANEC EldersLand base learning – visit to TIXEN Traditional food preparation, stories of the land and traditional plants, shamanic drumming and healing of the land. Networking Lunch
9am Ceremony and Social Innovation 9.30am Innovating for Resilient Futures: Where Social Innovation is at and Where it Needs to Go.
11.15-12.30pm Indigenous and Inter-peoples Resilience - Examples
Networking Lunch
6.30-8.00pm The Whole of Human Relations
1.45-3.15pm Intergenerational Resilience: Youth Elders Panel 5.00-6.00pm Concurrent paper and workshop sessions
1.45 – 3.15pm Concurrent paper and workshop sessions
6.30pmBanquet and Public Event: Changing Cultures – Changing Climates: Institutionalizing Indigenous practices of Resilience for our Common Futures.
1.30 pm Dr. Richard Atleo (Umeek): Tsawalk trilogy - 3.45- 5.00pm Concluding reflections: Indigenous Youth, Indigenous scholars & Elders Summation Panels Closing Ceremony.
1 Tixen Spit, Saanich Peninsula
The implicit Nature and presence of conversation with the more than human “I want to express my
endless gratitude to the Tsawout First Nations People. I felt the synergies of their land and water flow through me. I know that I will return to that place again” (Arianna Waller, Aotearoa).
Relational Space: Eldership, Ceremony, & spiritual holding
I liked the use of ceremony at the start and end of each day, and around our meals, to cultivate or emphasise a sense of the sacred, and a respectful intent for our engagement with each other…..The related emotional and analytical depths which we explored and shared in our sessions was supported and held by the use of ceremony. (Dr. Iain Mackinnon, Scotland)
Relational Space: Eldership, Ceremony, & spiritual holding
The seemingly simple concept of gathering is immensely powerful and can have an ongoing global effect. On a human level, we created together a space to experience unity/kotahitanga. In such a safe and co-created place, we were able to access a depth of emotion that surely made shifts within all of those who resonated with the ideas, imagery, sounds and stories we shared. (Mairi Gunn, Aotearoa)
2 Participants connecting in the Social Innovation Session
3 Colonial Reality Tour, Songhees Educator and Tour Director Cheryl Bryce, second from right
Cultural Re-mapping one: Colonial Reality Tour
Today was absolutely soul fulfilling. We walked on native lands, we heard the truth in their stories. I felt the mamae (pain), the trauma, the strength and the wairua (spirit). Nothing that was done to our native whānau (family) here on these lands was justified, it was and IS abuse. Actually, nothing that was done to us as Indigenous people by the colonizer was justified, it was and is senseless abuse! (Arianna Waller, Aotearoa)
Being there and hearing and seeing these has far more impact than reading a book or hearing this on a panel. (Prof. Susan Shantz, Canada)
4 Colonial Reality Tour, Traditional Camus planting grounds for Lekwungen People – renamed by colonial government as Beacon Hill Park.
Cultural Re-mapping one: Colonial Reality Tour
I re-call the words of Cheryl Bryce, who led a tour of Victoria telling us the history of the Lekwungen people. When she spoke of her peoples’ work with the camas bulbs she said their interaction with the bulbs while ‘being with them’ led the bulbs to growing faster (Jeanette McCullough, Canada).
We learned by experience. We also learned by being out on the land and finding our roots…..So what I do now to be part of passing on the resilience of my ancestors……we are like a library…..If you look around the room and think of the knowledge you all carry…….we (the Haida Nation) were 30,000 before diseases came to these lands……..by 1936 we were less than 600 people. That’s like having a massive fire in your library and losing all of about 600 books….periodicals, journals, books of knowledge, ideas. Then you try to put it all back together again. Every one of you have a responsibility to donate your own book of knowledge
Cultural Re-mapping One: Intergenerational Resilience Panel
Cultural Re-mapping One: Intergenerational Resilience Panel
Instead of holding onto anger…….they held on to something much stronger – they held on to love. The ability to love people and their own is so fierce….I’ll do anything to protect it and protect. By the time my grand mother passed away at 82 she said she was proud to be a native woman…she’s been a big part of my life and my understanding of resilience.
[there had been so much] severing of relationships to others to one’s self, deep self, severing of relationships to languages, to one another as Indigenous people, severing relationship to spirit…….to land, and even whole territories…But even stronger medicine is the art of connection…the honoring of all our relations…not just with people, but with the plant nations and the water nations….and that art of connection is resilience. For me resilience is love, connection, speaking my language…….(Erynne Giplin, Indigenous Youth)
Cultural Re-mapping Two: Holistic and Land-based Learning
13 Salmon cooking, Tixen Spit
From hearing Belinda speak, it became clear that for these Tsawout tradition carriers – like for many of older country dwellers in Scotland – their sense of identity does not stop at their skin, but instead it travels out and is constantly permeating and permeated by their homelands and the places where they know and find life. As the South Uist bard Domhnall Aonghais Bhain put it:
Gach ait anns an ghluais sinn, tha e fuaight rinn le gaol
Each place that we walk in become part of us by love
Some Key takeaways for Participants
Depth of Relationality in all its dimensions Struggles of peoples still Indigenous to place Revisiting notion so indigeneity Indigeneity and keeping racialization in the picture Deepened connection to land and spirit Waiata, haka, bagpipes, poetry, art, land
With Deep Gratitude to the people and theAncestors of Tsawout Territory
Some References
Watts V. (2013) Indigenous place-thought and agency amongst humans and non-humans (First Woman and Sky woman go on a European world tour!) Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society, 2, 21.
Williams, L. and Turner, N. (2015). Resilient Places – Resilient Peoples: Elders Voices Summit Evaluation Report. A Four day university-community symposium and learning event. 20 pages. Available at http://www.eldersvoicessummit.com (November).
Williams, L. (2016). Empowerment and the Ecological Determinants of Health: Three Critical Capacities for Practitioners. Health Promotion International
Williams,, L. Stuart, L., and Reedy, N. (2015). Remapping culture, kin and country on the Darling Downs and Southwest Queensland: Suggestions for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Resilience. Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues, Vol 18(4), 21-37.
UNESCO. 2013. ‘Cultural Mapping’. http://www.unescobkk.org/?id=4933 (accessed 23rd September 2013).
