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Re-Connecting Youth with Land-Based Activities and Indigenous Values

Philip Brass advocates that land-based activities are memorable experiences that can plant a seed to propagate relationships with the landscape and the ecosystem.

In 2014, Philip Brass began to work with his band, Peepeekisis Cree Nation, as the Community Wellness Coordinator at the Health Centre. His goal at the time was to reach out and connect with youth during a time of violence, vandalism, and gang activity. He offered to go hunting with some of the youth as a way to connect with those that were tough to reach, and eventually he introduced them to ceremony. Getting the youth involved in traditional values and practices resulted in a positive ripple effect throughout the community. His work with the youth continued with the File Hills Police Service and then working within the schools on-reserve and off-reserve, in nearby towns, within Prairie Valley School Division and Treaty 4 Education Alliance. Some land-based activities Brass has led with youth include: fishing, filleting workshops, hunting big game, hunting small game, talking circles, sweats, and attending ceremonies. He has been a valuable resource for teachers that are having difficulty navigating issues on reconciliation, the history of colonialism, and on-going Indigenous struggles within Saskatchewan and Canada. Philip has witnessed how the land can be a powerful tool for learning, engaging, and shifting negative behavioural patterns in youth. Philip infers that for Indigenous people to reconnect with their languages, land-based activities are essential because languages are emergent from those activities and gives language relevance.

Knowledge for Future Generations

Tyler Armstrong speaks with Indigenous knowledge keeper Jordan Quequish in Oji-Cree about knowledge that he feels is important to pass on to future generations. Jordan discusses the importance of the language and how Anishinaabe people can connect to languages.

Tyler Armstrong speaks with Indigenous knowledge keeper Jordan Quequish in Oji-Cree about knowledge that he feels is important to pass on to future generations. Jordan discusses the importance of the language and how Anishinaabe people can connect to languages.

Dr. Jo-ann Archibald on Indigenous Storytelling

Dr. Jo-ann Archibald shares the importance of getting ready to work with Indigenous stories using the principles of respect, responsibility, reverence and reciprocity. She shares how Indigenous storywork contributes to the goals within Indigenous education. Jo-ann also discusses working with Indigenous stories through the principles of holism, inter-relatedness, and synergy.

Dr. Jo-ann Archibald shares the importance of getting ready to work with Indigenous stories using the principles of respect, responsibility, reverence and reciprocity. She shares how Indigenous storywork contributes to the goals within Indigenous education. Jo-ann also discusses working with Indigenous stories through the principles of holism, inter-relatedness, and synergy.

Meeka Arnakaq

Meeka is a well-known teacher of education, healing, and Inuit culture. She started teaching children in 1971, and moved onto adult education at Nunavut Arctic College for 18 years. Meeka believes that elder knowledge from experience is necessary have a foundation for living an Inuit life as our ancestor did. She hopes that healing and education from Inuit go a long way.

Meeka is a well-known teacher of education, healing, and Inuit culture. She started teaching children in 1971, and moved onto adult education at Nunavut Arctic College for 18 years. Meeka is also a member of various organizations that focus on Inuktitut and Inuit culture. Meeka believes that elder knowledge from experience is necessary have a foundation for living an Inuit life as our ancestor did. She hopes that healing and education from Inuit go a long way. Some of her work can be found online as Inuit Wellness and Healing videos – Meeka Manuals. The manuals she has developed are applicable to adults, families and education.

Peacemaking program

Community building

Interview with Ashley Carvill about the peacemaking program in Whitehorse Yukon.

KOBE Language Learning App

Kelsey Jaggard interviews Sarah Johnson about the three new KOBE Language Learning Apps in Oji-Cree, Cree, and Ojibwe. The KOBE Language Learning app is an accessible way to learn Oji-Cree, Cree, and Ojibwe. These apps are available on the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. “Swipe, scroll &; learn” the language through the different […]

Kelsey Jaggard interviews Sarah Johnson about the three new KOBE Language Learning Apps in Oji-Cree, Cree, and Ojibwe. The KOBE Language Learning app is an accessible way to learn Oji-Cree, Cree, and Ojibwe. These apps are available on the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. “Swipe, scroll &; learn” the language through the different modules and test your oral, reading, and speech retention while exploring the app. These applications were made possible by language speakers from communities in Northwestern Ontario interfacing with technology to help revitalize these languages.

Agente culturelle à Nutashkuan

Dans les communautés membres de l’Institut Tshakapesh, des agents culturels travaillent à l’organisation de diverses activités de transmission de la culture innu. À Nutashkuan, l’agente culturelle nous présente les activités offertes dans sa communauté. This story is not available in English. Please select another language option.

Dans les communautés membres de l’Institut Tshakapesh, des agents culturels travaillent à l’organisation de diverses activités de transmission de la culture innu. À Nutashkuan, l’agente culturelle nous présente les activités offertes dans sa communauté.

This story is not available in English. Please select another language option.

John Steckley – Wyandot Tribal Linguist

John Steckley describes his work as a tribal linguist working with the Wyandot to revitalize their language.

John Steckley is a tribal linguist for the Wyandotte Nation, of the Wyandot people, who have communities in Oklahoma, Kansas and Michigan. John published the first Huron-English dictionary in 2007 as a central part of his life’s work to revitalize the language and has written many other publications dating back to the 1970s on Wendat (Wyandot, Huron) linguistics and history. He now delivers language training courses within the Wyandot community with a focus on teaching youth, and also holds the honour of providing other language-based cultural necessities such as conducting naming ceremonies.

Indigenous Student Counsellor Program, Confederation College

Janine Landry speaks with Leanna Marshall about the Indigenous Student Counsellor Program at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Leanna and her colleagues are there to provide counselling to the college’s Indigenous students in whatever area they may need support. The goal of the program is to meet Indigenous students; needs and support them through […]

Janine Landry speaks with Leanna Marshall about the Indigenous Student Counsellor Program at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Leanna and her colleagues are there to provide counselling to the college’s Indigenous students in whatever area they may need support. The goal of the program is to meet Indigenous students; needs and support them through their college experience. Leanna hears from students; what their issues, concerns, struggles are and from there, creates activities and programs that she believes will help those students. She will bring community people into the college to do activities like beading, skirt making, t-shirt screen making, and much more as a way to connect the students to community people and help them explore activities that may support their mental and emotional health and overall school experience.

Reclaiming Our Roots: Land-Based Learning for Urban Indigenous Youth in Halifax

Chenise Hache and James Doucette talk about the land-based learning program they run for youth in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Reclaiming Our Roots has a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ReclaimingOurRootsNS/. 

Chenise Hache and James Doucette talk about the land-based learning program they run for youth in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Reclaiming Our Roots has a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ReclaimingOurRootsNS/