Posted on March 18, 2019 by Pam Greene
Audio interview with Indigenous Educator Penny Cardinal-Kotash perspective from Treaty 8, High Level, Alberta.
Penny Cardinal-Kotash is a Indigenous Teacher who teaches in High Level, Alberta. She is passionate about teaching students and infuses Indigenous education throughout the Language Arts, Social Studies, and Math curriculum. She utilizes her own experience to help students learn about the Cree culture but of other Indigenous cultures. Mrs. Kotash explains that Indigenous students need to see themselves in everyday society, to learn that Indigenous peoples have always been here, and to learn about their own culture and others in which each are a part of Canada’s fabric. She helps other Educators in the Division and encourages them to choose and identify where the literature originates from, as well as the region they belong to, to ensure it’s relevancy for their region. Penny Cardinal-Kotash is part of the Division’s FNMI cohort and provides resources, and support to understand we are not all the same culture and to base their teachings relative to the language and its region.
Posted on March 13, 2019 by Jeremiah Sharpe
Cheyenne Chartrand, Spiritual Care Provider at Neecheewam Inc., explains Neecheewam’s approach to education.
Neecheewam Inc. goes beyond pedagogical programs in an effort to redefine concepts of treatment, emphasizing cohort and peer education through an “extended family” that results in whole person learning. Whole person learning requires moving beyond the text book to include academic, professional, emotional, and spiritual growth.
Posted on March 12, 2019 by Dene Basil
Bridging the western educational world with local First Nation culture and traditions .
In this interview Francis Ross talks about the on the land learning program in Old Crow Yukon. This program is designed to achieve educational curriculum in a First Nation lens. This program fully utilizes local First Nation knowledge, culture, and traditions and fuses it with current western education curriculum. The approach allows students to become more comfortable by learning with familiarity using Fist Nations tools, methods and ways of life to meet educational goals. This program creates a bridge between the two worlds many First Nation people experience as a hardship.
Posted on March 11, 2019 by Jeremiah Sharpe
Neecheewam’s White Butterfly Program works with young people to improve their lives.
Neecheewam’s White Butterfly Program sees child behaviour as another language that need to be learned. Their staff look at the children they work with as a whole, an important philosophical concept of Indigenous education, which they believe to be an integrated component of daily life.
Posted on March 6, 2019 by Jiah Dzentu
Aurora College’s Inuvik campus has two large McPherson tents where a variety of activities take place. Elementary schools, high schools, Elders, and community members use this space. Some activities include medicine walks, fish camps, and story-telling.
Aurora College’s Inuvik campus has two large McPherson tents where a variety of activities take place. Elementary schools, high schools, Elders, and community members use this space. Some activities include medicine walks, fish camps, and story-telling.
Posted on by Pam Greene
The Principal of the Dene Tha Community School, Carlito Somera, discusses the school’s commitment to holding fall and winter Cultural Camps for students in grades 4-12.
Carlito Somera is the Principal of the Dene Tha Community School located in Treaty 8, in the community of Chateh, Alberta, northwest of High Level. Somera discusses the Dene Tha’s Cultural Camps offered both in the fall and winter. During the fall camp, students from Grades 4-12 attend the Cultural Camp held over a five day period. There are many academic outcomes that are attached to the Cultural Camps. High school students earn and gain credits as part of the curriculum.
This land-based learning portion of the curriculum includes the Dene language and culture. With the leadership and support of local Dene hunters and language specialists, students learn how to prepare, cut, and dry meat. Students also participate in other cultural activities such as berry picking, willow gathering, storytelling, and playing traditional hand games. In the winter, the Cultural Camp is held at Bistcho Lake. Students travel by vehicle on ice roads to the summertime fly-in fishing location and stay in cabins during their visit. Some of the cultural activities taught are how to ice fish.
Posted on February 27, 2019 by Charity Gladstone
An examination of the historic and current issues relevant to First Nations land use and community planning.
This course looks at land use and community planning in First Nation communities across Canada from a variety of perspectives. The course includes an examination of the history of First Nations planning in Canada; review of the portions of the Indian Act relevant to planning and land use; current trends in First Nations planning (comprehensive community plans and land codes); treaties and planning; and local government – First Nations relationship building. The course aims to acquaint students with the issues that shape current practice in land use and community planning in First Nations across Canada, with a focus on BC.
Posted on February 21, 2019 by Justina Black
Alumni of the program, Cheryl Mandeville, shares her experience learning out on the land. Dechinta means “in the bush” in many of Dene languages in the Northwest Territories. Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning believes in supporting self-determining and sustainable Northern communities rooted in Indigenous knowledge and values. Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning is […]
Alumni of the program, Cheryl Mandeville, shares her experience learning out on the land.
Dechinta means “in the bush” in many of Dene languages in the Northwest Territories. Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning believes in supporting self-determining and sustainable Northern communities rooted in Indigenous knowledge and values.
Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning is internationally recognized for its innovative and vital research and university program delivery. Dechinta delivers Indigenous centered arts, culture, language and educational programming in an innovative land-based environment. Its program supports diverse needs and inclusive participation.
