Educators respect and value the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis in Canada and the impact of the past on present and the future. Educators contribute towards truth, reconciliation and healing. Educators foster a deeper understanding of ways of knowing and being, histories, and cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Metis.
I gratefully acknowledge that I work, play and learn on the traditional and unceded territories of the Lhtako Dene Nation, Nazko First Nation, Lhoosk’uz Dené Nation, and ?Esdilagh First Nation. Lhtako, Nazko, and Lhoosk’uz are on traditional Dakelh territory, and ?Esdilagh is a member of the Tsilhqot’in Nation.
My Reflection on The Four Connections Celebration
As I immersed myself in the celebrations of summer and winter solstice at UNBC, I could not help but notice how freely and graciously the presenters allowed themselves to share and how they all allowed their own vulnerabilities to guide their purpose. One of my favourite quotes that I recently found and connected deeply to is “out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars” (Gibram, BrainyQuote, 2022). I feel that all of these people who have come together to share in the solstice have a part of their story to share and creating a sacred and safe place for them to do this has made all of our lives so much richer.
As I consider my own future classroom and the culture that I would like to create, the strongest focus that I have is to create a safe space for students to bring their stories and share in their experiences together. I want to create an environment where we acknowledge that we all have scars and that those scars are what made us so strong. Indigenous ways of knowing and being, just as shown in these celebrations, create a pallet of colour to be painted onto a canvas for all to heal and thrive within. The songs, dance, stories, art work and generational connections with the ancestors bring the people together and acknowledge that we all hold a valuable place in this world.
Another thing that I noticed was that there was an incredible appreciation and acknowledgement of every contribution from every person, place, and the creator for the gifts that are shared. We often tend to become complacent with the gifts in our lives. We get caught up in the have nots and forget to give thanks for all of the haves until often it is too late and we have missed the opportunity. We often forget to be thankful for our seasons, our skies, our trees, our food sources, and the people in our lives. If we were to take the time to be grateful for all of these gifts on a daily basis, we would live a blessed life. Through this celebration of the solstice, it was wonderful to see all of the simple gifts that were being celebrated and incorporated into story and legend, like the sun, the moon, and eagle feathers. Each of these had special connections with life lessons.
In my future classroom, it is my goal to incorporate the indigenous ways of knowing and being into our everyday practice. I feel that all people are meant to live and learn through stories of our ancestors, the land, the animals, and each other. We are meant to share our understandings with kindness and acceptance. If we all took the time to try and understand each other and be grateful for all that life offers us, we would leave room for Respect, Relationships, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Reverence, Relevance, Reclamation, Reconciliation, and Reflexivity.