Indigenous Canada: Worldviews and Storytelling Fundamentals

Introduction to Indigenous Canada and the Course Perspectives

• Course Overview: Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that explores indigenous histories and contemporary issues within Canada through an indigenous perspective.
• Presenters:     * Tracy Bear: From Montreal Lake First Nation.     * Alana Mendonchewanda: From Akunukong First Nation.     * Isaac Twin: From Sarge First Nation in the Lesser Slave Lake area.
• Language and Annunciation: The course prioritizes the use of indigenous languages, specifically for place names and meaningful concepts, to show respect for the people. The presenters acknowledge that they may not be native speakers of every language used and apologize for potential mistakes in annunciation.
• Scope and Objectives: As a survey course, it aims to explore:     * Pre-contact and contemporary indigenous-settler relationships.     * The fur trade and exchange relationships.     * Environmental impacts and rights.     * Legal systems, political conflicts, and alliances.     * Indigenous political activism.     * Contemporary indigenous life, art, and expressions.
• Critical Perspective: The course utilizes a historical-critical perspective to teach students how to think critically about national and local indigenous-settler relations.

Terminology and Classification of Indigenous Peoples

• Non-Neutrality of Language: The classification and naming of indigenous peoples were key tactics used in colonization. Language carries specific power and historical weight.
• Constitutional Groups: The Canadian constitution recognizes three distinct groups under the term "Aboriginal peoples":     * Indian: Now generally replaced by the preferred term First Nations.     * Metis     * Inuit
• Common Terminology: "Aboriginal," "Indigenous," and "Native" are often used interchangeably, though "Aboriginal" is specifically appropriate within the context of constitutional rights.
• Settlers: Non-indigenous people are referred to as "settlers," and Canada is described as a "settler society."
• Self-Identification vs. External Names: The course honors the names indigenous groups use for themselves. For example, Cree people refer to themselves as Nehiyawak.

Geography and Pre-Contact Population of Canada

• Historical Timeline: Indigenous peoples have inhabited the land known as Canada for over $40,000$ years.
• Geographic Scale: Canada is the second-largest country by area in the world, covering almost $10,000,000\,\text{km}^2$. It extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans and northward to the Arctic Ocean.
• Population Estimates: Credible estimates of the total population of Canada and the United States prior to sustained European contact range from $1,200,000$ to $2,600,000$ indigenous people.

The Power and Role of Indigenous Storytelling

• Pedagogical Tool: Stories are powerful tools for learning history and understanding the environment. They allow listeners to reach their own conclusions and demonstrate multiple solutions to problems.
• Types of Storytelling:     1. Personal Stories: These include observations, accounts of places, and personal experiences. They evolve over time based on the needs and relevance of the population.     2. Creation or Teaching Stories: Often called myths or legends by outsiders, these are spiritual in nature and generally remain unchanged over time.
• Functions of Stories:     * Instructional: They teach proper behavior and act as guides for living and engaging with the world.     * Moral Guide: They operate as socializing mechanisms, reinforcing roles and responsibilities.     * Historical Records: They transmit the history of the land and cultural knowledge.

Case Study: The Mohawk Creation Story of Turtle Island

• Narrator: Melissa Jo Belcourt Moses (MJ), from the Belcourt clan (Lac Ste. Anne), of Cree, Mohawk, and French ancestry.
• Sky Woman and the Animals: The story involves Sky Woman falling from the sky world. Geese catch her and help her land on a turtle's back. The earth is covered in water, so she asks for help to retrieve earth from the bottom.
• The Animals' Efforts:     * Beaver: A strong swimmer, he dives but fails to reach the bottom and returns out of breath.     * Otter: A sleek swimmer, he also dives but runs out of air and fails.     * Muskrat: Though unsure and not a strong swimmer, he receives encouragement and dives. He nearly dies but successfully retrieves two grains of earth.
• Creation of Land: Using her magical powers, Sky Woman blows on the grains of earth, which expand over the turtle's back, creating North America, which many refer to as Turtle Island.

Four Components of Indigenous Storytelling

1. Connecting Generations: Stories link the past, present, and future. For example, a Nehiyawak woman is connected to her ancestors through the Wisakajac creation story, which remains fundamentally the same through generations.
2. Evolution and Integration: While sacred stories are stable, personal stories integrate new information (new encounters, landscape changes, food supply movements) to bring the past forward.
3. Moral and Social Instruction: Stories like the Muskrat's dive teach perseverance, while stories of Wisakajac's laziness demonstrate the consequences of irresponsibility.
4. Geographical/Territorial Marking: Creation stories often define boundaries using lakes, rivers, and mountains. The land itself becomes a "history book."

Understanding Indigenous Worldviews

• Complexity and Diversity: Worldviews are diverse and complex, yet shared similarities exist across nations.
• Interconnectedness: A central principle is that individuals are connected to their environment and all other living things. This is often summarized by the phrase "all my relations."
• Non-Hierarchical Structure: Unlike Western hierarchical worldviews that place humans at the top, indigenous worldviews emphasize interdependency and harmony with ecological rhythms.
• Accountability: Being connected to everything creates a sense of responsibility and accountability for one's actions.

Comparative Worldviews: Four Distinct Nations

1. Inuit (Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit - IQ)

• Concept: IQ translates to "that which Inuit have always known to be true."
• Environment: The Inuit live in Inuit Nunangat (comprised of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut, Nunatsiavut, and Nunavik). The harsh Arctic climate, sea ice, and marine waters shape their values.
• Maligai (Codes of Ethics):     * Work for the common good.     * Respect all living things.     * Preserve harmony and balance.     * Plan and prepare for the future.
• Ancestral Naming: When a child is named after a relative, the child is seen as imbuing the strengths and skills of that ancestor and is expected to act accordingly.

2. Nehiyawak (Cree)

• Status: The largest population of any Aboriginal group, with territory spanning from British Columbia to Quebec.
• Kinship Inquiry: The question "where are you from?" (referenced phonetically as oc-i-pi-ti-ci-kan) relates to the belly button. It is a metaphorical umbilical cord connecting the individual to thousands of ancestors.
• Gifts from the Creator: Every individual is born with four gifts: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

3. Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk)

• Meaning: "People of the Place of Flint," part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
• Matrilineal System: Due to their work with agriculture and the land, women held strong leadership roles. Society is organized into three clans: Bear, Wolf, and Turtle.
• Clan Mothers: Respected older women responsible for the caretaking of land, distribution of resources, and the selection and installation of clan chiefs.
• Great Law of Peace: Along with the Two Row Wampum and the Seventh Generation principle, this forms the foundation of their worldview.

4. Tlingit

• Environment: Located along the Pacific Coastline with profound linguistic diversity ($45$ languages in a small region).
• Social Structure: Organized into 21 Kwan (geopolitical groups) and a clan system consisting of Moieties (Raven and Eagle/Wolf).
• The Potlatch: A gift-giving feast used to redistribute wealth and resources. High-ranking members host potlatches for naming ceremonies or installing chiefs, ensuring all community members have food, clothing, and shelter.
• Visual Identity: Clan belonging is reinforced through specific designs on Chilkat robes, button blankets, and masks, which reflect the landscape of their moiety.