My name is Barry Dyck, historically spelled Dueck. I am a non-Indigenous, white male of Mennonite heritage whose ancestors arrived in Manitoba in 1874. My ancestors found their identity in their religious beliefs and resulting way of life, fleeing country to country to preserve their lives and religious freedoms. The agrarian life, the communal focus held strong by the central role of the church, the "treasured" Mennonite cooking, and the language of Low German defined the culture I was born into.
Most of those things I have willingly or unwillingly given up. Whether or not it is the history of cultural and language loss, I, and other Mennonites I know, feel a connection and a responsibility to work with and learn from, our Indigenous neighbours.
As an educator, I feel a heavy weight for the education of Indigenous young people and seek to learn what needs to be done to reconcile with past wrongs and to grow into the future.
This past Friday I attended the second seminar in the MERN Indigenous Education Research Group Seminar Series “Re-Storying Education: Indigenous Knowledges in Motion,” entitled, "Our Voices."
Co-moderated by Kevin Settee, UWSA President, and Sadie Phoenix Lavoie, UWSA Vice-President, a panel of three Indigenous women (Laara Fitznor, University of Manitoba, Sherry Peden, Manitoba Institute for Trades and Technology, and Jacqueline Romanow, University of Winnipeg) shared their own education stories and addressed these questions:
How are indigenous peoples claiming spaces for representation at the local through to the national level? Whose voices count in matters of governance and reconciliation?
I came away with a few key ideas, more questions and some resources.
It was made clear that we need to reframe how we see Indigenous people in Canada. If we are to find reconciliation, we need to know the truth of the past as well as the current relationships and identities of Indigenous people and the recent immigrants--the rest of us--to this land.
The education and employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous is overwhelmingly huge and must be addressed.
Some questions raised:
How do we give Indigenous, Aboriginal students a sense of belonging and self-esteem? How do we make students feel good when most markers of success are non-Indigenous? How do we ensure that "reconciliation" isn't used as a tool of assimilation?
How do we advocate and ally with Indigenous causes?
More is being done every year to improve the opportunities for Indigenous youth, however, it's very slow, and there are too many inequities, the funding of education for on-reserve students being one of them.
Moving forward
Where does one "dig in" and work out from? Like most change, I think it starts with belief. What do we believe and what should our actions be to support these beliefs?
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Article 5 states:
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.
Earlier this year, Canada removed its objector status, and agreed to become a supporter of the declaration. What that may mean in practical terms, remains to be seen.
The Indigenous Education Blueprint has signatories from many educational institutions within Manitoba to a series of commitments for action. For example, Commitment #2 states: Bringing Indigenous knowledge, languages and intellectual traditions, models and approaches into curriculum and pedagogy. This is something I can do in the course I teach.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action #7 states: We call upon the federal government to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc. "provides the province’s leading education, administration, technology, language and culture services to First Nations schools in Manitoba."
The Canadian History Society has collaborated with the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba to create and host the Treaties and the Treaty Relationship Webinar Series. Previous webinars can be found here.
While there are difficult issues to overcome, there are many positive initiatives underway. There is much to celebrate in Red Rising Magazine, a strong voice for Indigenous artists, thinkers, writers, and community leaders (also on FB).
Despite my own efforts to be educated, I know I make assumptions based on long held beliefs, beliefs often so embedded they are taken as "truths." I continue to learn as I challenge my assumptions.
After the seminar I am left with reflective questions. What role am I playing in supporting historical colonization? Am I recolonizing where I think I'm being helpful? What role do I/can I/should I play in decolonial praxis? What does reconciliation as a continuous process look like?
Thank you again to the many who shared. To the best of my knowledge and ability, I seek to be an effective ally.
(Here is a comprehensive site of resources and links: http://www.groundworkforchange.org/)
Most of those things I have willingly or unwillingly given up. Whether or not it is the history of cultural and language loss, I, and other Mennonites I know, feel a connection and a responsibility to work with and learn from, our Indigenous neighbours.
As an educator, I feel a heavy weight for the education of Indigenous young people and seek to learn what needs to be done to reconcile with past wrongs and to grow into the future.
This past Friday I attended the second seminar in the MERN Indigenous Education Research Group Seminar Series “Re-Storying Education: Indigenous Knowledges in Motion,” entitled, "Our Voices."
Co-moderated by Kevin Settee, UWSA President, and Sadie Phoenix Lavoie, UWSA Vice-President, a panel of three Indigenous women (Laara Fitznor, University of Manitoba, Sherry Peden, Manitoba Institute for Trades and Technology, and Jacqueline Romanow, University of Winnipeg) shared their own education stories and addressed these questions:
How are indigenous peoples claiming spaces for representation at the local through to the national level? Whose voices count in matters of governance and reconciliation?
I came away with a few key ideas, more questions and some resources.
It was made clear that we need to reframe how we see Indigenous people in Canada. If we are to find reconciliation, we need to know the truth of the past as well as the current relationships and identities of Indigenous people and the recent immigrants--the rest of us--to this land.
The education and employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous is overwhelmingly huge and must be addressed.
Some questions raised:
How do we give Indigenous, Aboriginal students a sense of belonging and self-esteem? How do we make students feel good when most markers of success are non-Indigenous? How do we ensure that "reconciliation" isn't used as a tool of assimilation?
How do we advocate and ally with Indigenous causes?
More is being done every year to improve the opportunities for Indigenous youth, however, it's very slow, and there are too many inequities, the funding of education for on-reserve students being one of them.
Moving forward
Where does one "dig in" and work out from? Like most change, I think it starts with belief. What do we believe and what should our actions be to support these beliefs?
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Article 5 states:
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.
Earlier this year, Canada removed its objector status, and agreed to become a supporter of the declaration. What that may mean in practical terms, remains to be seen.
The Indigenous Education Blueprint has signatories from many educational institutions within Manitoba to a series of commitments for action. For example, Commitment #2 states: Bringing Indigenous knowledge, languages and intellectual traditions, models and approaches into curriculum and pedagogy. This is something I can do in the course I teach.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action #7 states: We call upon the federal government to develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.
Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc. "provides the province’s leading education, administration, technology, language and culture services to First Nations schools in Manitoba."
The Canadian History Society has collaborated with the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba to create and host the Treaties and the Treaty Relationship Webinar Series. Previous webinars can be found here.
While there are difficult issues to overcome, there are many positive initiatives underway. There is much to celebrate in Red Rising Magazine, a strong voice for Indigenous artists, thinkers, writers, and community leaders (also on FB).
Despite my own efforts to be educated, I know I make assumptions based on long held beliefs, beliefs often so embedded they are taken as "truths." I continue to learn as I challenge my assumptions.
After the seminar I am left with reflective questions. What role am I playing in supporting historical colonization? Am I recolonizing where I think I'm being helpful? What role do I/can I/should I play in decolonial praxis? What does reconciliation as a continuous process look like?
Thank you again to the many who shared. To the best of my knowledge and ability, I seek to be an effective ally.
(Here is a comprehensive site of resources and links: http://www.groundworkforchange.org/)