On Returning

As part of the project, youth and Elders travelled together on the traditional

waters and lands, exploring history, language, issues of governance, and land

management.

(Restoule et al. 2013)

Identity is often shaped by our experiences, and our experiences are shaped by the people we know and the culture we grow up understanding. The place you are born and raised has a massive influence on your outlook on life. Someone born in a first-world country in freezing temperatures will understand the world differently than someone born in a third-world country with searing hot temperatures.

Indigenous peoples are bound to their land. Their spirituality is formed by where they are born, and their morals are heavily tied and influenced by their spirituality. For example, they believe in Mother Nature and Turtle Island, meaning that they will be more environmentally friendly and sustainable in order to honor the land. This is the case with the Mushkegowuk Cree. They are tied to the river, and have an emotional and spiritual relationship with the river. This river is called Albany River, but the original Indigenous name is paquataskamik and Kistachowan Sipi.

The Indigenous peoples has suffered tremendously from colonization. Europeans, for example, committed cultural genocide on them when they opened up residential schools. Not only did they force them to not practice their cultural customs and native language, but they also dislocated them from their lands by placing them in these schools. This made Indigenous people geographically displaced. They didn’t really have a home after that because it was brutally stolen from them.

Restoule et al. wishes to replace the Indigenous people in this article “Learning from Place: A Return to Traditional Mushkegowuk Ways of Knowing”. In their study, we see the Mushkegowuk Cree returning to their historical river. In this manner, by reinhabiting the river, they return to their roots. This reminds me of a documentary called Dakota 38. The documentary is about the people of Dakota returning to the land that they were forced to exit. They return on the backs of horses, and they do this because horses are important to the Dakota people. The Mushkegowuk Cree do the same thing because they, too, journey to a place that their ancestors walked, built families, built their houses, created childhood memories, and experienced death. When they physically return to the land that is rightfully theirs, the take back that history and form a sense of identity. They have something that is personally theirs, and a heritage that they own with pride.

Many of the Mushkegowuk Cree experience decolonization in other ways as well. For example, we see how they actively try to protect the environment. This declares a sense of responsibility, which means that the river’s is theirs. If something belongs to you, your are responsible for protecting it. This is a form of giving back their land.

Another way is how they the Elders interacted with the young people. By doing this, they were “bringing together Elders and youth so they could learn from one another about the role
and meaning of the land to social well-being” (Restoule et al. 2013). This sort of intergenerational experience of returning is meaningful to both age groups. They can learn from one another, and understand how the other age experiences the return. The younger children also learn about their heritage and culture from what the Elders remember, and the Elders can experience what it is like to pass down your wisdom to the next generation. In this way, they are healing from colonization. This rehabitation of the river is what sparks the memories and wisdom of the Elders. After all, they recall their family members being buried there and them experiences birth and loss as well.

As future educators, we can learn a lot from this. We fully understand, or better how place impacts people’s worldviews and what they value. It tells a lot about their customs and social psychology. Teachers are not simply human versions of text-books. They are there to help students build a sense of place and identity in the curriculum. By doing so, we can make the curriculum more relevant and personal. We also understand how important nature is to Indigenous peoples, and why we must work to conserve the environment. To Indigenous people, the first educator is nature. Then, it is their families/friends/Elders. Then, it is their teachers. Together, we make children wonder at who they are and what they wish to accomplish. We can’t hope to do this if we don’t understand the background of our students. It also our responsibility as Treaty People to be aware of what was done to Indigenous people and be culturally sensitive. In this manner, we can optimize our ability to educate in a way that leaves a positive mark on Indigenous people.