Class Notes Module 1: Worldview
Indigenous Canada Course Overview and Territorial Acknowledgement
Territorial Acknowledgement: The University of Alberta is located on Territory territory. This acknowledgement honors the history, languages, and cultures of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada.
Course Structure: Indigenous Canada is a twelve-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada from an Indigenous perspective.
Presenters: * Tracy Bear: From Montreal Lake First Nation. * Alannah Mandamin-Shawanda: From Wikwemikong First Nation. * Isaac Twinn: From Sawridge First Nation in the Lesser Slave Lake area.
Course Objectives: The course provides a survey of the past and current relationships between Indigenous and settler societies, focusing on: * The fur trade and exchange relationships. * Environmental impacts and legal systems/rights. * Political conflicts, alliances, and Indigenous political activism. * Contemporary Indigenous life, art, and critical thinking regarding national and local Indigenous-settler relations.
Understanding Terminology and Geographical Context
Language Sensitivity: The course uses Indigenous languages for place names and meaningful concepts to show respect. Classification and naming have historically been tactics of colonization.
Key Labels and Categories: * Aboriginal Peoples: Recognized by the Canadian Constitution as three groups: Indian, Métis, and Inuit. The term "Aboriginal" is specifically appropriate in the context of constitutional rights. * First Nations: The preferred modern term over "Indian" in Canada. * Indigenous/Native: Often used interchangeably with Aboriginal depending on context. * Settlers/Settler Society: Terms used to describe non-Indigenous people and the society established by them (e.g., Canada as a settler society). * Self-Referential Names: The course prioritizes names people use for themselves, such as Nehiyawak rather than Cree.
Geographical Data: * Inhabitation: Indigenous peoples have inhabited the land for over . * Size: Canada covers almost , making it the second-largest country by area globally. * Historical Population: Estimates of populations in Canada and the US prior to sustained European contact range from to Indigenous people. * Etymology: The name "Canada" originates from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian or Haudenosaunee word "Kanata," meaning village or community.
Section One: Creation Stories and the Power of Storytelling
Pedagogical Purpose: Stories are educational tools used to understand history, environment, and problem-solving. They allow listeners to draw their own conclusions and serve as a central part of tribal identity.
Types of Storytelling: 1. Personal Stories: Include observations, accounts of places, and experiences. These evolve over time to stay relevant to the population. 2. Creation or Teaching Stories: Often called myths or legends; these are spiritual and remain largely unchanged over time.
The Haudenosaunee Creation Story: * Context: Shared by nations in Eastern Canada and the US, including the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Mohawk/Kanyen'kehà:ka, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tyendinaga). * Turtle Island: A term for North America derived from this story. * Narrative Details: * Sky people lived on a floating island before Turtle Island existed. * Sky Woman, pregnant with twins, dug for roots near the Tree of Life. * She fell through a hole into a world of water. Geese caught her mid-fall. * A small water creature retrieved a bit of earth from the depths. This earth was placed on a turtle's back, where it grew to become the world.
Section Two: Nehiyawak Storytelling and Wisacejak
The Nehiyawak (Cree) Creation Story: * Kayas: A term meaning "a long time ago." * Wisacejak: A central figure in Nehiyawak stories. Wisacejak is a non-gendered being known for trickster antics. * The Flood: Because Wisacejak became lazy and the creatures fought (making the island "red with blood"), the Creator sent a great rain to wash the earth clean. * The Survivors: Wisacejak, Beaver, Otter, and Muskrat survived on a floating tree in the ocean. * The Dive: * Otter dived for earth but failed. * Beaver dived for earth and returned nearly lifeless, also failing. * Muskrat, the smallest, successfully retrieved a bit of earth despite the laughter of the others. Muskrat's body was nearly lifeless when Wisacejak retrieved her. * Creation: Wisacejak blew power into the earth to expand it into an island. As a consequence of past laziness, the Creator limited Wisacejak's powers to tricks, flattery, and deceit.
Components and Transmission of Indigenous Knowledge through Stories
Four General Components of Storytelling: 1. Connection Between Generations: Stories transcend time. A story heard from a grandmother is the same one shared by her grandmother, connecting individuals to ancestors. 2. Acknowledging Change: While sacred stories remain static, personal stories integrate new information regarding surrounds, food supplies, and foreign encounters. 3. Transmission of Behavior (Socialization): Stories serve as moral guides. For example, Muskrat teaches perseverance and courage, while Wisacejak’s laziness illustrates the consequences of irresponsibility. 4. Transmission of History and Culture: Geographical boundaries like rivers and lakes are defined in stories. For the Nehiyawak, the landscape is the "history book."
Cultural Protocol: For the Nehiyawak, Wisacejak stories are only told in the winter because it is safer while certain creatures and spirits are hibernating; invoking the name in summer is considered asking for trouble.
Section Three: Indigenous Worldviews
Complexity and Training: Worldviews are derived from individual and collective experiences of the land, dating back thousands of years. They define codes of conduct.
Core Principles: * Balance: Living in harmony with internal and external relations. * Interconnectedness: The belief that everyone and everything is connected ("all my relations"). * Non-Hierarchical: Unlike Western worldviews that place humans at the top of a pyramid, Indigenous worldviews emphasize interdependency and accountability to the ecosystem. * Stewardship: Land is not a commodity to be owned; it is borrowed from future generations. The land is the "heart of creation."
Case Studies of Diverse Worldviews
Inuit Worldview: * Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ): Means "that which Inuit have always known to be true." * Inuit Nunangat: The four Inuit regions (Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut, Nunatsiavut, and Nunavik). * Maligait: "Things that had to be done" (codes of ethics). The four principles are: 1. Work for the common good. 2. Respect all living things. 3. Preserve harmony and balance. 4. Plan and prepare for the future. * Ancestral Naming: A practice where a child is named after a deceased relative (Sauniriit), imbuing the child with that ancestor's characteristics and skills.
Nehiyawak (Plains) Worldview: * Wahkohtowin: Refers to kinship. * Tânte ohci kiya?: Literally translates to "where are you from?" (where "tânte" is where, "ohci" is from, and "kiya" is you). However, culturally it relates to the umbilical cord/belly button, meaning "who are you from?", connecting the individual to thousands of ancestors.
Kanyen'kehà:ka (Mohawk) Worldview: * Core Beliefs: Seventh Generation principle, Great Law of Peace, and the Two Row Wampum Treaty. * Matrilineal Clan System: Based on their agricultural relationship with the land (managed by women). They lived in longhouses and were organized into three clans: Bear, Wolf, and Turtle. * Clan Mothers: Responsible for land caretaking and selecting/installing clan chiefs. This balance of power between genders structured everyday life.
Tlingit (Northwest Coast) Worldview: * Diversity: different Indigenous languages in the Pacific coastline region. * Governance: No village councils; instead, they have and a clan system. * Potlatch: A gift-giving feast used for governance and wealth redistribution. Hosts (celebrating a new chief or naming) feed all attendees and give valuable gifts, ensuring the community has food, clothing, and shelter. * Moieties: Two sides of the clan system: Raven and Eagle (or Wolf). Identity is reinforced via designs on Chilkaat robes and button blankets.