Toronto conference hones the cutting edge of Indigenous schooling

Delegates from across the world, including several from the Cree School Board and the Cree Department of Justice and Correctional Services, gathered in Toronto in July to take part in the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE).

Hosted by Six Nations Polytechnic and TAP Resources, participants were welcomed to Six Nations territory by hundreds of Indigenous education representatives in their traditional regalia. Maori dancers dressed in all black, Hawaiian dancers in flowing dresses, and Saami singers from northern Scandinavia provided a strong cultural foundation for the five-day gathering.

For Cree School Board Chairperson Kathleen Wootton, it was an important chance to see what was happening with First Nations education trends, especially with land-based education programs in other parts of Canada and the world that could be integrated into local schools.

Held in a different country every three years, the conference was timely for the Cree School Board as it is currently reviewing Cree content and the Cree Education Act to see how it can better reflect Cree values.

“It’s only been 50 years since First Nations developed the principles of ‘Indian Control of Indian Education’ to try and take over education from the federal government. We always had our own ways of raising our children, but then we were forced to adopt a Western education system, it was like fitting a square peg in a round hole. We need to better adapt this Western model to our culture – and culture-based programs seem effective at doing that,” explained Wootton.

Hundreds of workshops dealt with subjects as varied as decolonizing institutions, dealing with bullying, educational video games and working with Indigenous prisoners. Numerous sessions were devoted to bringing Indigenous cultures and languages to the classroom.

Darryl Diamond, who works as a Student Affairs Technician supporting Cree post-secondary students in Montreal, said the conference was a moving experience.

“I was impressed in many, many ways,” he said. “The strongest was when all the original New Zealanders presented their Maori Haka as part of the Parade of Nations. I stood still listening in full respect. I was very moved because of the strong cultural and language impression I saw. I think overall the conference is an incredible and valuable event because of the glimpse we get in seeing who is where with services empowering cultural knowledge through learning.”

Diamond hopes to apply what he learned at the conference to incorporate Cree culture directly in his office’s day-to-day services. He also wants to reinforce the importance of supporting experiential learning, supporting students transitioning to city life, and that formal schooling cannot be a substitute for Cree wisdom or abilities.

Wootton was optimistic based on progress she’s seen thus far in getting more students to graduate, but admitted there were still a number of challenges.

“Our goals are to produce more graduates, and to get more parents and community involvement, which is something many First Nations are looking at. But residential schools had such a traumatic impact that many people didn’t want to get involved with education. Now, people are slowly coming back to realize the importance of being involved to help their children succeed.”

Asked about plans to attend the next conference in Australia in 2020, both Diamond and Wootton were enthusiastic.

“I want to go. I want to present. I want to represent. I want to go learn more. I’ve already started saving,” said Diamond.

Wootton said she hopes to attend, even if she is no longer serving as Chairperson of the Cree School Board after her term ends this year. “I’d still like to go and see it – and by then hopefully the School Board will have developed something that we can share with other Indigenous educators.”