A Sense of Community

By Chelsie Parayko, 1st year MDP student

Is there such thing as an unbiased researcher? Human error, emotion or aptitude makes me lean towards no as a simple answer. We all, no matter how removed we want to be, impact data or the outcomes of our research, but does all of this have to be viewed as a negative factor. Does the notion of remaining emotionally unattached to the community have to be how we operate as Indigenous researchers?   

L-R: Chelsie, MDP alumni Rachel Bach & Vanessa Tait

I am not saying one should compromise their research, but what I am questioning is the current norms that are in place through academia. Throughout our MDP courses we have been taught that, as development practitioners that work with Indigenous communities, we must take directives first and foremost from the people of the community. We are taught that the most important thing is to get to know who we are working with and what the community would like to see as the ultimate goal. None of this is done without developing meaningful relationships. Open and honest dialogue comes from a place of trust, connection, and understanding.

What does it look like if researchers, working with Indigenous communities, hang up the clinical academic boundaries and immerse themselves within the community. What happens if we all worked a little harder to have the community truly in our hearts? Is this the key to effecting real change?

I met a beautiful Cree woman, who I now call my friend, during my time at the first Cree Birthing Gathering. We sat down to talk about her experience at the gathering and she told me she had never been to an event that included ceremony or traditional practices. She told me that she was finding herself crying nearly every hour as she watched these events take place, as it had put actions to the feelings she was having deep within her, her blood memory was radiating. I couldn’t help but shed a tear after for both my friend and for the cultural and spiritual loss my people continue to experience. I had an emotional connection to this person, and later, through that connection, I learned details to her birthing story that she may not have shared with others.  

Taking advantage of the beautiful evening and creating memories at Nibi Gathering. L-R: Stephanie Sinclair, Jerilyn Huson, Michelle Audy, Jolene Mercer, Chelsie and Rachel Bach

I believe community and connection are critical to success, both in terms of research and for your own self-care and preservation. Through my field placement I developed friendships and connections with people who I now consider a part of my community and it has made me a better person and a more efficient researcher. I am inspired to work harder for these people, for my people. My friend taught me a Cree word – kiwícéwákan, which roughly translates to, the one you walk with. She said it is used when you find a deeper connection with others. It’s time to walk with community.

Noretta Miswaggon, Chelsie & Sonia Spence at the 2nd land-based Cree Birthing gathering in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation

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.

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

By Dev Kashyap, 1st Year MDP Student

When I first started considering options for my University of Winnipeg Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) field placement it didn’t take me long to realize that for my domestic placement I wanted to apply what I had learned in a community or in communities that I had an existing connection within Treaty 4 of southern Saskatchewan, Canada. There were no other prospects that made me prouder; contributing and applying my knowledge to Canadian Indigenous communities in the mantra of “tending to your own backyard, before tending to the needs of your neighbour’s”.  I am proud to be doing my field placement in the community that was home to my Elder and “uncle” Art Kaiswatum, Piapot First Nation.

Road to Piapot First Nation

My field placement has allowed me to strengthen ties to a community close to where I grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan. I have come to understand and learn about the different aspects of development within Saskatchewan Plains Cree communities, focusing on economic development. In particular, my work has drawn me to learn about economic development as it relates to Piapot First Nation’s urban reserve in the city of Regina, and the different options available to the community as part of an effective and sustainable  long-term economic development strategy.

It is important to remember when working in development that things in the “real world” don’t revolve around the institution’s agenda and timeline. Things unfold in the developmental process around the needs, situation and pace of the communities for whom the efforts are intended. This has been an important reminder on my domestic field placement so far. It has helped maintain a good working relationship with Piapot First Nation, in terms of understanding  why objectives and timelines have been difficult to adhere to, and understandably so: Band elections were in the middle of my scheduled field placement.

It has been important to remain patient and overlook my own academic requirements and allow the community to move through the often intense process of political change through the democratic process. The challenge of uncertainty in terms of working within a time constraint has developed into an opportunity to spread my wings, and utilize my family’s network to take on additional work in the area of health with Ochapowace First Nation, also in Treaty 4. This opportunity utilizes my previous work experience to assist a community that has just gone through political change at the band governance level and is working to evolve it’s relationship with Health Canada in terms of health funding on-reserve. I am excited to be a part of the process in the coming weeks.

Miigwech.