Welcome to Introduction to Indigenous Cultural Competency!
Thank you for being here. You may be wondering what to expect from this module, and how you can better engage in your interactions with Indigenous content in your courses, and Indigenous colleagues and students in your classrooms.
The work of reconciliation, and support of Indigenization is the work of all Canadians. Education, and educators like yourself must play a key role as creators and mediators of knowledge. Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Murray Sinclair (Ojibway) famously stated “education is the key to reconciliation,” adding, “education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of this mess” (CBC, 2015).
In light of the important role that you can play in relation to knowledge within McMaster University, we hope that this module will help you find your place in creating and maintaining more just relations with Indigenous peoples in your classrooms, learning spaces and across the University, and Turtle Island* by supporting you in engaging meaningfully and ethically with topics related to Indigenous peoples and our history.
*For some Indigenous peoples, Turtle Island refers to the continent of North America. The name comes from various Indigenous oral histories that tell stories of a turtle that holds the world on its back. For some Indigenous peoples, the turtle is therefore considered an icon of life, and the story of Turtle Island consequently speaks to various spiritual and cultural beliefs (The Canadian Encyclopedia)
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-chair-urges-canada-to-adopt-un-declaration-on-indigenous-peoples-1.3096225
Let’s begin with establishing an understanding of what cultural competency means.
The Sylix Okanagan Nation Alliance states that: “We are all bearers of culture. The process of developing cultural competency involves reflecting on our own attitudes, beliefs, and values and how these can influence how we understand the cultural norms of others, like the Syilx. Aboriginal people have a unique socio-political history, one that has been marked by injustice and violence between newcomers and First Nations. Therefore, one must remain mindful of the power relations between certain groups, such as their economic and political positioning in society.”
The first step toward cultural competency is cultivating cultural awareness. This refers simply to understanding one’s own cultural origins and influences, and recognizing how this may differ from other cultural understandings and experiences. In a settler colonial nation like Canada though, one must also attend to the history of forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples into Euro-Western cultures.
Knowledge of the differences between groups in this case is not enough – we must also work toward restoring the power imbalances that continue to affect Indigenous peoples lives in Canada today. If you are a non-indigenous Canadian, non-citizen newcomer, or visiting international student, these reflections might carry an additional impact of shock, or feelings of discomfort when reflecting on one’s own identity and relation to Indigenous peoples through the nation of Canada.
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your own cultural awareness:
Learn more about what the colonial history of Canada and its ongoing impact on people who are First Nations, Métis, and Inuit means for you in Skoden: Teaching, Talking, and Sharing About and for Reconciliation.
In each Skoden chapter reflective questions and activities are provided that correspond to the four quadrants of the Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Wheel as a concept advocates that to live life in balance you need to consider four aspects of yourself — your emotions, your body, your intellect, and your spiritual self.
“McMaster University recognizes and acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee nations, and within the lands protected by the ‘Dish with One Spoon” wampum agreement.”
You may have been audience to this practice in various other settings or territories, and witnessed varying depths of engagement.
“Indigenous land acknowledgment is an effort to recognize the Indigenous past, present, and future of a particular location and to understand our own place within that relationship. Usually, land acknowledgments take the form of written and/or verbal statements. It’s becoming more and more common to see land acknowledgments delivered at conferences, community gatherings, places of worship, concerts and festivals, etc.” (Beyond Land Acknowledgment: A Guide)
In order to engage in the practice of land acknowledgement in good faith, we must first understand more about how Indigenous people understand the relationship with land, and the mechanics of land dispossession.
To learn more, watch Land governance: Past and consider the following questions:
Why Land Acknowledgements Matter provides an example of a land acknowledgement from an Indigenous perspective that discusses the lands now known as “Toronto”.
McMaster’s Land acknowledgement locates our collective place within the relationship defined by the Dish with One Spoon wampum covenant, which refers to sustainable and equitable sharing of the resource-rich territory within lands on which McMaster University’s main campus currently sits.
This initial agreement of shared stewardship was between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and refers to sustainable, responsible shared stewardship. This is just one example of Indigenous treaty-making that existed prior to European presence upon Turtle Island that reflect the values of Indigenous worldview: kinship, balance, stewardship, and reciprocal relations between all living things, human, and non-human.
When giving a land acknowledgement, we are not only recognizing the historical and political roots of Indigenous communities such as the Haudenosaunee and the Mississaugas, but are also giving thanks and gratitude to those Peoples for their stewardship and defense of the natural lands from which they have been largely dispossessed by the development of the nation of Canada. We need to stand in solidarity with these Indigenous Nations as they continue their efforts towards land defence and the strategic goals of returning land back.
When we consider the Dish with One Spoon Treaty Agreement, we need to remind ourselves that the guiding principles do not only apply to us as humans sharing a common land and space, but to the need to be in good relations with the land, and our non-human relatives. This view of relationality, reciprocity, and respect should inform our practice as both educators and learners, as well as remind us as individuals of our role in the continued care of our shared environments.
In what ways might the practice of acknowledging land, and Indigenous sovereignty in this way affect your relations with Indigenous people in the University, local communities, and beyond?
Start by learning more about the nations cited in the McMaster Land Acknowledgement.
Learn more about the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Six Nations of the Grand River.
The abrupt shift to online work and learning in 2020 reminded us that McMaster community members work, live, and come from territories both local to and far from the Hamilton region. As an institution we have long-standing relationships with, and responsibilities to many local communities, increasingly so with multiple campus sites across the GTA and Golden Horseshoe regions, and in online spaces.
For more information about the specific territory you are on, please visit www.native-land.ca, and reflect on your own relationship with land and territory. Tailor your own land acknowledgements accordingly based on the lands on which you live, and from which you benefit.
Wilfrid Laurier University has created a guide to help you craft your own land acknowledgement.
After spending some time cultivating your cultural awareness, watch Decolonize the Academy – Understanding the colonial roots of the academy & knowledge (approx. 10 minutes) to learn more about the intersections of culture, history, and the role of the academy in what mik’maq scholar Marie Battiste calls cognitive imperialism.
Note: the video is set to start at 12:56. Please watch until 22:20 - alternatively you can view a trimmed clip of the video
As you learn about the concepts of settler colonialism and the role of the academy, consider these reflection prompts:
As we learn by engaging in the Land acknowledgement, the Indigenous nations that lived on Turtle Island prior to European colonialism have long and complex, international political histories. As competing powers sought control of the lands and resources of the “new world”, relationships with local Indigenous people took many forms, including in some cases, alliance, following local Indigenous protocols of treaty-making.
As the Dutch, British, French, and eventually American colonists battled for lands and resources, these relationships shifted over time in relation to the utility of Indigenous allies to the European powers. As Indigenous homelands were lost and nations suffered great decline due to warfare, disease, and targeted removal, colonies turned their focus to the establishment of settler colonies.
A timeline of Indigenous Peoples provides a comprehensive overview of key events and developments in Indigenous history in what is now Canada, from Time Immemorial to present.
In British North America, New France, and Canada after 1867, Residential Schools became a key tool of settler colonialism, and this system continues to have traumatic effects inter-generationally. It is important to understand that the impact is not only there due to intergenerational trauma from systems such as residential schools and the 60’s scoop* but because settler colonization is a structure not an event.
After the Confederation of Canada, all previous colonial agreements that related to Indigenous peoples across the provinces, including treaties and legislation were consolidated into the Indian Act – which defines the relationship between First Nations (but not Métis, nor Inuit peoples) and the Federal Government as separate and distinct from any other groups in Canada. This act of legislation that is still in place today governs all aspects of life in Canada for First Nations peoples, including creating and maintaining the reserve system.
The Indian Act states that governmental relations with First Nations people is enacted only through the elected chief system, which was imposed in order to disempower traditional governance structures.
*The term Sixties Scoop refers to the mass removal of Aboriginal children from their families into the child welfare system, in most cases without the consent of their families or bands (Indigenous Foundations).
Learn more about the cumulative impacts of corporate colonialism in the Yellowhead Institute’s Cash Back Fact Sheet and The Indian Trust Fund: Debunking Myths & Misconceptions.
Understanding the relationships between the Federal and Provincial government and Indigenous peoples is key to understanding how colonialism operates across this important area.
The World Health Organization defines Social Determinants of Health as:
“the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems.”
These social determinants can be more important than health care or lifestyle choices in influencing health, accounting for between 30-55% of health outcomes.
Indigenous peoples in Canada are over-represented in the negative across many of the identified determinants, each of which intersect with on-going colonialism and discrimination, resulting in poorer health outcomes, and short lives for Indigenous people. Understanding the relationships between the Federal and Provincial government and Indigenous peoples is key to understanding how colonialism operates across this important area. It is imperative that healthcare providers understand this historic relationship, and its contemporary manifestations (The Failure of Federal Indigenous Healthcare Policy in Canada).
The pandemic had significant social, economic and health impacts on Indigenous people, with Indigenous participants reporting worsened overall health and in particular mental health. Hahmann and Kumar (2022) provide an overview of how Indigenous people’s health care was impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As an educator, it’s important to consider how social determinants of health affect students in terms of health and well-being while at university and the impact this may have on their learning experience.
Refer to How Can I Advance Accessible Education? for ideas on how to create a more inclusive learning environment.
Futurism is the practice of imagining cultures and ways of being still existing far into the future. Futurisms is a practise of visioning and manifesting Indigeneity into the future. Futurity is not only for the benefit of Indigenous Peoples but for everyone and everything on the earth.
Depending on your positionality and privilege, it may be difficult to understand why this is important or what happens when we discuss futurity and Indigenous futurity more specifically. But futurisms is important for many BIPOC communities and Indigenous communities specifically because they have been actively erased and continue to be today. Ancestors were erased from the landscape and removed from their territories for the expansion of Canada, thousands of children were taken into residential schools to “kill the Indian in the child”; thousands of children have been and continue to be apprehended by Children’s Aid Society and other organizations; Indigenous men make up 23% of those incarcerated; Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than non-Indigenous women all while Indigenous Peoples only make up 4.9% of the Canadian Population (Statistics Canada).
In the video below, Richard Hill talks about how the traditional worldviews and governance of the Haudenosaunee are being revived and adapted to contemporary times through the Two-Row wampum in Voice from Here (Episode 4) (13 minutes)
The Two-Row wampum, and philosophy is based on equality, autonomy, and non-interference.
Though this is the oldest recorded agreement between Indigenous peoples (the Haudenosaunee) and European settlers (the Dutch), Six Nations Historian Rick Hill maintains that its tenets can be adapted to contemporary times. Reconsider the quote by Murray Sinclair that opened this training: “education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of this mess” (CBC, 2015).
How can we as educators ensure we are engaging Indigenous voices in our classrooms, and supporting the revival of Indigenous systems of governance in our work, and daily actions, from our “row”?
In this module, we covered how to:
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