Cree Elders’ Perspectives on Land-Based Education: A Case Study

John Hansen

doi:10.26522/brocked.v28i1.783

Abstract

This study deals with the notion that Indigenous peoples are concerned with preserving their communities, nations, cultural values, and educational traditions. Indigenous peoples have a land-based education system that emerges out of their own worldviews and perspectives, which need to be applied to research concerning Indigenous cultures. This work explores Indigenous land-based education through the perspectives of Cree Elders of Northern, Manitoba. Six Cree Elders were interviewed to explore the ideas and practices of land-based education. The article engages discussion of Indigenous land-based education stemming from Elders’ teachings of Indigenous knowledge, cultural values, identity, and vision. Informed by Cree Elders, this qualitative study articulates an Indigenous interpretation of land-based education. Research findings demonstrate that Indigenous land-based education can be used to promote well-being among Indigenous peoples in Canada. While the study is based on the Cree experience in Northern Manitoba, its message is significant to many other Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Drawing on the Elders’ teachings, policy recommendations are generated for advancing Indigenous land-based education

Highlights

This study deals with the notion that Indigenous peoples are concerned with preserving their communities, nations, cultural values, and educational traditions
In a Western-based education system, Elders and cultural knowledge do not have a primary role in educating students and students do not gain an understanding of the land and its significance in Indigenous cultures
Smith reveals that Indigenous perspectives and worldviews are paramount in a decolonization project, and I hope that the significance of Cree Elders’ perspectives on land-based education will be reflected in this paper

Summary

Introduction

This study deals with the notion that Indigenous peoples are concerned with preserving their communities, nations, cultural values, and educational traditions. Since colonized Indigenous peoples have been deterred from voicing their concerns and practising their own culture and land-based education traditions, it is understandable that there is a knowledge gap It is conceivable, that a comprehensive discourse on how Omushkegowuk (Swampy Cree) Elders see and understand land-based education is not completely developed in the literature. Indigenous voices are often marginalized and viewed as being unimportant or academically irrelevant (Champagne 2015; Hansen & Antsanen, 2016; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada [TRCC], 2015) The hypothesis of this discussion is that Indigenous peoples such as the Cree of Northern Manitoba are part of Canadian society, and will continue to be part of the social and cultural fabric of Canada for generations to come. The nature of these questions suggests this inquiry is suitable for a qualitative examination. Creswell (1998) notes that a qualitative inquiry entails that “the researcher builds a complex, holistic picture, analyzes words, reports detailed views of informants, and conducts the study in a natural setting” (p. 15)

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion