Indigenous education
through outdoor
Exploration
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esearch has shown the integration of indigenous studies in an outdoor
environment is beneficial to both aboriginal and non-aboriginal students. I have witnessed firsthand the unbelievable opportunity and educational enrichment the outdoors has to offer through my experience as a canoe trip guide. Here I will unpack the sense of community canoe trips and the outdoors create with a focus on how the outdoors makes for an accessible environment to teach aboriginal education.
I have lead numerous canoe trips through Northern Ontario and Manitoba, all in which I have used the opportunity to introduce participants to aboriginal concepts, such as a love of nature, a grounded sense of place, and a respect for the environment and the people around you. The canoe trip which I talk about in detail on this page, was 42 days and 900km long, and involved visiting or paddling through 11 northern communities.
Learning what it means to have a sense of Place...
When people witness firsthand what it means to live off the land and be thankful for the environment in an intimate way, they are able to create empathy for indigenous peoples across Canada and throughout history; "indigenous and non-Indigenous educational scholars alike describe the importance of helping students to develop a
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sense of place, a feeling of being connected to or at home in their geographical
surroundings" (Lowan, 55). This 'sense of place' Greg Lowan talks about is essential to the making of a wholesome educational experience — it drives one to feel a real connection to the environment, Canada and one another. It teaches us to re-evaluate our priorities and appreciate our surrounds.
When people think of canoe trips, images of lakes, paddles, voyageurs and campfires come to mind. The inexperienced listener associates canoeing with vague images of camping they have come accustomed to, as is only natural. When people hear about our trip excitement spikes their interest and they often immediately ask where did you go? How far did you paddle? For how many days? Curiosity takes over, and the initial idea of place as location/ destination/ a spot on the map begs to be the center of their focus. These are questions we do want to answer, and things we spend endless hours on, The countless days I spent hunched over my computer downloading maps, laying on the dusty floor, pen in hand dotting sites is a testament to the necessities of such questions— they are imperative to successful travel. I indeed have the specs and most of the answers to their questions, but it is never without hesitation that I answer them. —For what is a place without a story?— and why not share the stories of the people who came before us?
The very notion of time, place, distance, and location mean different things to the listener than the participants. Each are experienced differently among the group of us, and without a doubt mean something entirely distinct from day to day. As we navigate the rivers, lakes, and shores of Northern Ontario and Manitoba the concept of place travel with us. Our sense of place is entirely fluid, fixed to the concept of travel, dry land being home, shade pleasure, water sustenance, and togetherness a sense of safety and home ensues. Though I am sure the girls will tell you, without hesitation our longest day consisted of 50 some kilometers, they surely would rather jump to tell you about the decisions behind amalgamating three days of travel into one, or the necessity yet neutral understanding we would not stop for a day of rest till day 38. They would tell you, the impressive feats are not in the numbers, but the small triumphs we made daily. These lessons are ones which we will continue to pass on as moral stories. Stories that will be changed, exaggerated and embellished a bit more with each re-telling. Stories they will tell over and over again, not unlike the stories indigenous elders tell their children. Adventure always results in storytelling. Indigenous stories can can be intertwined and told on hard days of a canoe trip — and they remind us that storytelling is human nature and beautiful.
Our 6-Week Journey:
Slate Falls (put in) Lake Bamaji - Cat River - Fawcett Lake - Cat Lake - Kamungish River - Long Lake - Wigwasikak Lake - Tinker Lake - Throat River - Whitelaw Lake - Throat River (Mcreery, Madden, Zeller lakes) - Berens River - Berens Lake - Pikangikum - Berens River -- Stout Lake, Sharpsonte Lake, Moar Lake - Fishing Lake - Pauingassi - Assinika River - Eardling Lake - Assinika River - Wrong Lake - Poplar River - Weaver Lake - Poplar River First Nation - Lake Winnipeg - Berens River First Nation (take out) - ferry to Matheson island & pick up.
Each of our girls witnessed the different notions of place as a physical boundary to be pushed past and through; a region to define where we are; an environment that gives and takes, creating a working relationship and respect for the land; a fluid concept of home that traveled with us.
The strong fluid sense of place one creates from setting up their home each night, on a rock or beach or bush, or in a swamp, helps develop a respect for the land and what it has to offer, while also creating a community among the people you share it with. On the six week canoe trip I lead, we all knew that no matter where we would end up each night, as long as we had one another, and a tent to sleep under we would be fine. Mother earth would take care of us if we took care of her. I find this notion that the land takes care of you is inescapable when you become in touch with nature, "it is the beliefs and values that perceive the land as a caregiver and provider that enable Indigenous people to have a spiritual relationship with the land", a relationship I truly believe all people can and should have (78-79, Boyce).
I believe a true give-and-take relationship with nature can only be created when you depend on nature to survive. Lake Winnipeg was probably the most drastic challenge we faced in regards to setting up our little home. The winds reaching anywhere from 60 to 75km/hr would rip into our tent and loom over us. Worried our tent would collapse, we had to tie it down to our canoes on the open vast beeches,
no shelter or trees in sight. Nature tested us, but our sense of community and belonging only strengthened. As we woke up in the dead of the night to tie down broken polls and re-angle the tent into winds we laughed and only grew more thankful for one another and the opportunity to be there.
Every night on a canoe trip invites danger. Whether it be looming tall trees standing above your tent, dark clouds on the horizon, too cool or hot temperatures, or winds. These conditions and uncertainties only create a stronger sense of place and belonging for the members who face these challenges daily. A canoe trip is the ultimate setting in which to explore what it means to call a place home, whether temporarily or permanently.
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—A canoe trip is the ultimate setting in which to explore what it means to be connected to the earth.
Outdoor Education
The outdoors opens opportunities for people to learn about themselves, it gives students the chance to immerse themselves in another culture in a way that is impossible indoors. Action speaks louder than words. We can tell students how aboriginal people use the land, live off the animals and plants — or we can show them. Let them taste the walleye and berries.
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The beauty of entering untouched land comes with having faith in yourself to know where you are even though you have never been there before. Navigating nature’s challenges truly results in its choicest gifts. Appreciating this form of travel speaks volumes to understanding aboriginal peoples' way of life, who have lived off the land for centuries.
When we explore the land we take extra precaution to not disturb the original state we came upon it. We know we have unsettled the natural state, this conscientious attitude towards nature is one that indigenous people preserve and cherish.
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Though we rigorously follow no-trace-camping guidelines and are diligent in the clean up of our sites and footprints— there is always a sense that we have changed the very nature we have stumbled upon with our presence. Acknowledging our footprint and our actions, and trying to make as little impact as possible can be taught with an indigenous perspective, "in terms of fostering environmental sustainability, it is important to educate people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous that reside in urban areas. The majority of the Canadian population live in cities and thus need to have opportunities to learn about the natural world and sustainable ways of interacting and being in nature" (77, Boyce).
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Participants of canoe trips witness first hand the immense difference between their urban life and life on the water. Working hard each day to earn shelter food and water, campers perceive how they may take the ease of living at home for granted, while they are exposed to the harsh realities of life on reserves.
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We stop in reserves and northern communities to pick up food and supplies we mail ourselves prior to leaving. My co-leader Ainsley and I used these opportunities to stop and educate our campers on the culture and conditions of living in reserves — exposing them to the current unequal standards of living in Canada today. We chose to make education on reserve life a top priority of our trip as we knew from first hand experience as campers on a six week ourselves (five years earlier), that once entering a reserve you feel a immediate sense of being “othered”. Himani Bannerji’s notion of insiders and outsiders becomes obvious and impossible to not acknowledge (1997). Once entering reserve land we became the outsiders, the group of others, while at the same time feel overwhelmingly welcomed. We were visitors in someone else's home.
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Acquainting campers with community members helps break the unjust stereotypes cast on aboriginal people living in reserves, and manifests a first hand understanding of how these communities run and frequently suffer from inequitable funding, supplies, and resources from the government. These six-week canoe trips, which travel through remote areas, can enlighten participants by showing them multiple ways people live, broadening their ability to comprehend just how unjust the treatment of aboriginal people in Canada is. Throughout our trip our experiences on reserves helped shake these unjust perceptions of Aboriginals, and form a new appreciation for their way of life. Members of these communities let us sleep on their lawn when we were windbound, use their facilities and fires, and had a general interest in our journey. We were grateful for their kindness and excited to share our stories and hear theirs.
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Prior to leaving, we had arranged with a couple Ray and Sofia Rabliauskas from Poplar River, to meet up with them and participate in a sweat, and sleep in their tipi. As Lowan suggests, "learning and sharing local Indigenous epistemologies and traditions in a respectful manner will lead to a deeper understanding of Indigenous peoples as well as providing insight into living well in partnership with each other and the rest of Earth’s creatures" (Lowan, 55). Many of the girls still describe this as an over-whelming experience in which they grew true respect for the Ojibway people and culture. We were over-joyed that the people of Poplar River were so welcoming and genuinely interested in sharing their culture with us.
Each of these experiences came throughout our time with a slight sense of not belonging. Perhaps it was the tight-knight community we built among ourselves that felt different when exposed to others, but more likely it was due to the unsettling history of colonialism laid between us and the unease of our past reminding us of our ancestors’ doing. This feeling of being “othered” is vital to the beginning of reconciliation and the only way to appreciate all Canadian indigenous peoples have been through. Without feeling this sense of unease ourselves, we would have no reason to feel a need for reconciliation. We made sure our girls harvested this feeling and understood why we felt it— to ensure our experience was different than our ancestors agreeing with Hugill and Toews that “genuine process of decolonization can only begin once persistent colonial dynamics are acknowledged, interrupted and reversed” (2014).
Before the trip, each of our girls were tasked with researching something about the reserves we would pass through, so that they would have some knowledge of the community or history of the people living there before going out. Whether it be the suicide devastation affecting Pikangikum at alarming rates, Poplar River’s quest to make the Boreal Forest a UNESCO world heritage site, or Berens Community’s attempt to re-claim their land building road access their own way, we gathered as much information as we could, so we were not misinformed or naïve visitors.
Though each of these steps made us more informed, our differences were immense and our perception as outsiders could not be changed. We chose to accept this title in a positive light, and treat our stay as guests. Because these northern communities do so much for us on our stay, we always donated extra food we had, and had our families send books for their schools. Perhaps this acceptance of our differences is what made us approachable, though we will never know.
The gratitude we have for the communities and helping hands we received throughout our trip is immense as they welcomed us into their homes. Change can only begin when you accept the past and move forward with full intent to not repeat the same mistakes. Indigenous cultures have so much to offer, and the outdoors is a gateway to their beautiful way of life. If I could take all my students on even a small canoe trip I would, because I know it would change their perception of indigenous education and make them gain an entire knew understanding and appreciation of aboriginal resilience. If we all took the time to learn about our neighbours we truly would be able to live harmoniously, as sappy as it sounds, it is the world I want to live in and the world I will continue to try and create.
Works Cited:
Bannerji, Himani. 1997.“Geography Lessons: On Being an Insider/Outsider to the Canadian Nation,” in Dangerous Territories: Struggles for Difference and Equality in Education. Leslie G. Roman and Linda Eyre. Eds. (New York and London: Routledge): 23-42.
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Boyce, S. M. (2015). Using Indigenous Pedagogy and Philosophy to
Enrich Outdoor Education Curriculum (Unpublished master's
thesis). Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
doi:http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2
/OKQ/TC-OKQ-12818.pdf
Lowan, G. (2009). Exploring Place From an Aboriginal Perspective:
Considerations for Outdoor and Environmental Education. Canadian
Journal of Environmental Education,14(1), 42-58.
Hugill, D. and Toews, O. 2014. “Born Again Urbanism: New Missionary
Incursions, Aboriginal Resistance, and Barriers to Rebuilding
Relationships in Winnipeg’s North End,” Human Geography7.1: 69-81.
Whatmore, Sarah. 2005. “Culture-Nature,” in Introducing Human
Geographies. 2nd Edition. Paul Cloke, Philip Crang, and Mark
Goodwin, Eds. (Oxon: Hodder Arnold): 8-16.