“Mapuwika”

By Nathan McCorrister, MDP student

Nathan (L) and Irvince Auguiste (R)

After being in the Kalinago Territory in Dominica for over a month now the practicum has been an amazing life time experience for me.  The people, the territory and country have been great and the scenery breathtaking.  Our host the Kalinago Nation Chief and Council, various community members and in particular Councillor Irvince Auguiste have been great hosts and tending to all our needs.  After being here for a period of time I’ve definitely settled in began making connections and friends with many of the locals in the territory.

Shortly after my arrival in the territory, Chief Joseph and I talked about some of the issues around land management and economic development for the Kalinago Territory.  He shared with me how there are issues with land management; he described how much of the territory is not demarcated (land surveyed) properly both in terms of the outer boundaries and internally within the territory.  In the Kalinago Territory, it is believed the lands set aside as “reserve” lands for the Kalinago people are being encroached upon.  The Kalinago people believe that there may be some boundary disputes because of past encroachments and that existing reserve land is smaller in size because of the encroachments.

Chief Garnet Joseph (L),

Jacqueline Corbette, Administrative Assistant for the Kalinago Council (C) & Nathan at Kalinago Council Office

There are many land management issues and related land based economic development barriers the Kalinago have to overcome. I’m currently working with the local council to identify all the land management and land based economic issues and to develop a strategy to address them. Through preliminary research we identified that there are many previous reports and plans with respect to improving land management and land based economic development for the Kalinago. As such we identified the need to bring together many of the reports and plans and to develop a strategic plan for the Kalinago to implement many of the past recommendation’s.  Included with the strategic plan is a built in action plan and recommendations to address many of the human resource and financial challenges.      

As part of the strategic plan development, I recognized the need to understand the colonial history and colonization efforts of the national government; both past and present. The Kalinago shared with me how they want to protect their rights, their culture and their identity as indigenous people. As part of my research I wanted to ensure the previous plans and recommendations included participatory methods for the Kalinago.  I wanted to ensure there was previous indigenous research methods approach and including a number of ways for the inclusion, direction and consent of the Kalinago. As part of considering land management, we included previous input from community elders, leaders and other community members who participated through focus groups, community meetings and one on one interviews.  

Serpent Snake Trail - Kalinago Creation Story

The Kalinago are making efforts to include traditional, cultural knowledge and practices to land management.  The challenge is with balancing traditional land management, modern day problems including limited land, population growth, and economic development.  In addition to land management, the Kalinago are taking efforts to revitalize their cultural medicine practices, the Kalinago language of Mapuwika, and art of the people.  While here I was humbled and proud of the Kalinago as fellow Indigenous people in recognizing the importance of decolonization and indigenizing their identity.

My time has ended in Dominica

By Gabrielle Heroux, 2nd year MDP student

The last month of my placement, since my first blog post, was a busy one.  There were a number of events planned for the first week of July, to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the creation of the Kalinago Territory on July 4.  One of these was a workshop on land, held on July 4, organized to bring together members of the community to discuss questions of land value, land ownership and inheritance, boundary markers, land as an economic asset, and land protection and degradation.  There were about 15-20 participants, including former chiefs, youth, entrepreneurs, and other Kalinago residents.  Through discussions and small focus group sessions, the participants identified priority issues and produced recommendations that will be worked into a strategic action plan to guide development. 

The next day, I was invited to participate in a hike of the northern boundary of the Territory.  What an experience!  Preceded by men with machetes, hacking a path through the brush, we trekked up and down hills, through lush rainforest, farmland, and ravines.  It had rained during the night, and poured that morning, so the terrain was muddy and slippery and a little bit treacherous.  Along the way, we ate freshly picked mangoes, drank coconut water straight from the source, and heard stories about the families who have inhabited the area for generations.  We ended our hike, dirty, sweaty, and even bloody, with a deeply satisfying swim in the Pagua River. 

Pagua River

 Beach town near Portsmouth

In the weeks that followed, I continued my research on sources of funding for individuals or groups within the Kalinago Territory.  I also had a very interesting meeting with a representative of the National Bank of Dominica, to discuss their policies and practices regarding lending to Kalinago people, and the bank’s perspective on potential partnerships, or other ways forward. 

My time in Dominica was a terrific experience, due mainly to the amazing people I met during my placement.  It has been two weeks since I left, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss that beautiful island, and the community that took me in for three unforgettable months.  I learned so much, and will be forever grateful.

Dynamics of what constitutes development

By Margaret Lewis-John, 2nd year MDP student

I am in Kenya progressing with my field placement and having a wonderful time. I am working as an intern with Indigenous Information network (IIN).  This is an NGO which has done various developmental projects on education, especially on the “Girl Child”, climate change, advocacy on female genital mutilation (FGM) and various environmental issues.  I visited some communities in the Rift Valley in the county of Marsabit and have truly experienced indigenous way of life among pastoralist Maasai people.

My visit was mainly to conduct leadership training to empower women on their participation in their county's governance and economic development.  Also, it was an opportunity to conduct a baseline survey on the needs of women in the Marsabit County in three communities; Korr, Karigi and Samburu and assess the ways IIN could assist in their development.  Additionally, it was my first time visiting an arid region; I was able to observe the changes in the natural vegetation from Nairobi to Karigi. I am certain that I saw more than 15 vegetation zones as I traversed on my way through the desert.  It was an amazing experience as I reminisced on my childhood days of reading stories of foxes waiting for a stray goat to have as their dinner and to see foxes waiting as we passed through the desert region; only to find a herd of goats and sheep not too far in the distance.   

Margaret visiting some children in Karigi at a dry river bed in the area of the Rift Valley

                                                                                                                                

The effects of climate change in this region are quite evident as many rivers have become dry land, while most areas are very dusty.  Likewise, as one drives through this desert region it’s not hard to see that if you meet anyone who is out pasturing their animals, it’s not money or food they will ask for but simply; Water! Yes water!  Large acres of land without a cloud in the sky and no trees around, yet the animals (goats and camels) all look healthy. They have adapted to the harsh climatic conditions to enable their survival.  
 

Margaret with Indigenous women from Korr

In one week, I could share experiences relating to governance, health, education, housing, economic livelihoods, climate change, human and food security, poverty and globalization. In essence, every aspect of the MDP program which relates to western interpretation of what is a good life and what constitutes poverty among these communities.  Despite western interpretations of what constitute happiness and development it was not hard to see the proud display of Maasai culture was not just for us visitors, but as part of their daily lifestyle.

The intact ways in which some communities exist will certainly not fit into the western definition of what they will term as development.  In the Samburu reserve, both animals and man co-exist (lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles).  Many of the modern amenities we take for granted are non-existent in these communities, yet I did not miss any of them and was able to get my own manyatta (house) with 2 beds.

Traditional house in Kagiri

Moreover, I did not even need a fan as the cool desert wind in the night seems to be still present during the day that my manyatta (house) was always welcoming like what I usually hear when I visit the Maasai market in town,  Karibu! Karibu! (Welcome, welcome).  This field experience to the Marsabit County shows different ways in which development can be viewed and tailored based on local needs and perspectives and not from the point of view of the practitioner. 

Ceremonies: Celebrating Cree Culture

By Manna Sainju, 1st year MDP student

My experiences at Blue Quills has shown me another way to look at life. The Indigenous culture lays a path for living with a consciousness towards nature, and in a subtle way defining our position and responsibilities as human beings in this cosmos. Through the ceremonies, the Indigenous people accept the spiritual dimension of existence and attempts to align material needs to create a balance.

By promoting the retention of culture and ceremony, the fervent effort of Blue Quills First Nations College to protect and sustain this worldview can only be seen as an invaluable contribution to humanity.  I am very happy to have had the opportunity to be a part of this effort. I hope my little contributions in developing workshop curricula and research on literature related to Indigenous women’s economic security may add to the implementation of the vision of this institution.

Sweat Lodge at Saddle Lake Cree Nation Reserve

I am extremely privileged to have attended ceremonies hosted at the College. To be honest, I had always been resistant to cultural ceremonies back in Nepal, however my experiences at Blue Quills have flipped my view. Now I think that ceremonies, the like of which I have seen and experienced, go a far way in bringing harmony to communities. They show a pure way of celebrating and being thankful for everything in life. 

The Sweat Lodge ceremony on Saddle Lake reserve was a unique experience for me. The concept behind the ritual was to feel ourselves within our Mother Earth’s womb, to be cleansed and healed. The experience of spiritual rituals, though difficult to explain, leaves one with a feeling of being whole.

On our final day of the placement, as luck would have it, we got the opportunity to participate in a berry/clan ceremony. We prayed together for the fasters who would be fasting for the next four days as they committed themselves to search for answers and directions for their lives by staying close to nature and seeking guidance from the ancestors. As the ceremony went into midnight, we could see bright stars from the opening at the Tipi top. It was a beautiful experience.  

Dulce (R) & Manna (L) at Healing Walk, Tar Sands

The Indigenous culture, I have learned, places utmost respect to ancestors. Although it is difficult for modern society to accept that ancestors actually descend in spirit forms to guide us; going beyond our own experiences and reflecting deeply about the lives and experience of our ancestors can enlighten us about our own present conditions and give us confidence and strength to chart our future courses. This power of a reflective mind cannot be undermined and ceremonies, such as the berry-clan ceremony is a means to harness the mind’s potential.

 In conclusion, I would like to thank all the folks at the College for giving me a home for the last three months. Also, my stay would not have had such charm were it not for Dulce, my fellow MDP student, in whom I found a wonderful friend with memories that will last a lifetime.

Indigenous Development in Canada - Notes from Treaty 4 in southern Saskatchewan Volume 2

By Dev Kashyap, 1st Year MDP Student, University of Winnipeg

Piapot Band Office

As the summer has progressed for my University of Winnipeg Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) field placement, it has made me realize how quick the time has passed and how grateful I am to be working with two First Nations communities close to where I grew up in southern Saskatchewan. Now that the weather has finally gotten hot and somewhat dry, it seems a little sad that the summer has to figuratively come to an end when I am back in school in September. That being said it has been of great value to have been able to put into practice in the field, the knowledge that was gained from the eight previous months in the MDP program.

The work I have explored at Piapot First Nation in community economic development has given me insight into the opportunities and challenges available to an Indigenous community with land resources available to them. Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of allowing for Aboriginal title for the Tsilhqot’in First Nation into traditional territory, hereby increasing the scope of Aboriginal Title. This may pave the way for increased opportunities not only in economic development but also in empowering Indigenous communities to be involved in resource development through effective duty to consult by government and industry under the concept of free, prior and informed consent.

It has also been interesting to be able to observe the election process in Piapot First Nation and see the transition that occurs when there is a change in band governance. I have had the honour and opportunity to sit in meetings with newly elected Chief Ira Lavallee and previous Chief and now Band Councilor Jeremy Fourhorns and observe how the transfer of knowledge occurs within the context of economic development and the teamwork required to make sound decisions that best benefits community members. With the powwow at Piapot just around the corner the first signs of fall are just around the corner in the community, which usually coincides with summer harvest.

I have the opportunity to also be involved in continuous correspondence with Ochapowace First Nation as well in helping them with their Multiyear Community Health Plan with Health Canada. They are another community going through positive transitions. They have a newly elected chief, Chief Margaret Bear, and members of Council. They have endured harsh floods in the community, displacing some 30 households, but have worked together as a community to best deal with the crisis collectively.  Learning in the field makes me realize how much more I have to learn, but I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to these two communities in southern Saskatchewan, Canada.

Miigwech.

Asante Sana, Nairobi

By Rachel Bach, 2nd year MDP student

At front desk of Population Council with Frank

My three-month field placement was an educational and enlightening journey. As it comes to an end I am able to reflect on my experience and the lessons I learned.

I spent the first three weeks of my placement in Ghana as I was initially going to be working on a project there. However, unforeseen circumstances meant that project did not go ahead. Arrangements were made for me to relocate to Kenya where I, as mentioned in my previous post, “interned” at the Population Council with a group of MPH students from UCLA.

I had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the role of large global health research organizations in improving policies and programs. I worked closely with Population Council research associates and fellow interns to conduct a research project and complete a draft report for potential publication. I was also able to accompany field workers to the field as they conducted interviews in remote areas on the Kenyan coast. That experience really completed my time in Kenya. I was able to experience the challenges that go into gathering data of that kind firsthand and witnessed the geographical and transportation barriers that people face when attempting to access health services. 

My time at the Population Council provided me with the opportunity to learn more about the role of research in identifying neglected health and development problems and improving well-being and health of current and future generations. My main project was focused on the barriers that women face when attempting to access care for obstetric fistula. The Population Council has a partnership with Fistula Care Plus at Engender Health. They will use the systemative review that I produced over the next year as they design and implement future intervention projects. I really appreciate that the Population Council’s work does not end with conducting research; they strive to ensure that their findings are translated into concrete improvements in policies and programs.

Doing a summary presentation on my time in Kenya for the office

Furthermore, I learned invaluable life lessons through living and working in Nairobi. I learned about a new local culture (while eating delicious foods). I developed new daily routines, made wonderful friends, and saw some amazing sights. There were certainly some challenges. Levels of risk varied as some areas of Kenya are currently facing threats from terrorism that has hurt the local tourism industry and meant I always had to be cognizant of personal security. However, it was definitely interesting hearing local opinions on the travel advisories and comparing daily life in Nairobi to what is portrayed in the media. Kenya is facing a difficult situation, but it is not important to not let media sensationalism overshadow local vibrancy and beauty.

All in all, I had a wonderful experience that I will carry with me as my time in the MDP comes to an end. I want to say asante sana (thank you very much) to my mentors and peers at the Population Council—especially Ben, Timothy, James, Zoe, Amy, Ian, Melissa, and Nicholas—and to the various friends I met along the way. I am going to miss Nairobi and look forward to coming back one day!

Amy Westerman (UCLA intern), Zoe Baker (UCLA intern) & myself with a team of Population Council fieldworkers