Blue Quills - My Journey into Indigenous History: Spirituality, Inclusivity and Respect

By Barbara Gardner, 1st year MDP student

Barbara (L) with Blue Quills students

My field placement this summer is in St. Paul, Alberta at the Blue Quills First Nations College.  It is my belief that as a non-indigenous person in the field of Development Practice with an Indigenous focus, it is incumbent on me to learn all I can, first hand, by living and working within an indigenous community. Prior to my arrival, I had grand plans regarding attending community meetings and participating in social programmes with the ultimate goal being to strengthen my prowess as a researcher.  However, I have come to recognize that there is so much more to the total sum of individuals and therefore, I require more interactions and understanding of indigenous methods to adequately fulfill my goal.

My first interactions with the indigenous community was through their annual Culture Camp which is held annually on the College campus.  In addition to providing information to non-indigenous persons, it allows the indigenous community to reconnection with the environment and their history; refreshing and restoring the mind, body and spirit.                                                 

Cultural camp grounds

At this point in the field placement, what has stood out prominently for me is the collective determination within academia at the institution as well as other indigenous researchers to continually engage and strengthen their community members.  This is demonstrated through the participation of women, including Elders in research circles and academic planning, which are about women and their perspectives on development. Being present in meetings as well as other community gatherings has allowed me to appreciate the caring and nurturing being done in these communities to ensure continuity.  Hearing the views of the Elders, their plans and aspirations for the band members, has provided greater understanding about the need to preserve their cultural heritage and appreciate how this will impact development in the long term.  I was also struck by how inclusive and patient the members of academia, students as well as and the wider communities are regarding sharing information about their belief regarding the environment and their spirituality to aid me in my 

overall understanding of indigeneity. Being able to observe and 

participate in the circles and meetings has added another layer to 

my own development. 

Research circle participants

I am actively engaged in the work of the Literacy Department and my next blog post will provide an update as to my participation in the community workshops and seminars being planned.  This placement is proving a wealth of worthwhile experiences, allowing me to explore various aspects of the culture, how the decisions taken will potentially affect development planning and sustainability and importantly allowing me to experience personal growth outside of my comfort zone. 

 

Voices From The Prairies

By Ginikachi Obah, 1st year MDP student

 

My current sojourn at Blue Quills has inspired my lost creativity in poetry which was re-enkindled by the amazing cultural experience in the college. I wrote the following poem to whisper in my personal feelings on the history of residential school and the cultural camp experience. 

Echoes From The Eagle Spirit Society

The reverberating sounds of the Drums and the sweet melodies

The wavering movements of the tree suggest that they enjoy the rhythm that they hear

Tepees and feathers creating an artistic view of cultural connotation

Men and women blown away in preparation

I can see generations connecting to the ways of their forefathers

I can see the land and its spirituality through the teaching of Neyihaw

Mother Earth smiles to the spirituality and reciprocity hovering round the indigenous mind

I can see disembodied walls coming together to create a wonderful atmosphere for social interaction

I can see children and youth strolling back to cultural identity

I can hear the healing process echoing through the circles

I see the world views flowing within my mind through the cultural teachings of ceremonies

When I stand in the mirror am drenched in the reflection of the similarities that exist between the two cultures

The similarities keeps crawling back like a recurring decimal each time am lost in cultural oblivion

Culture indeed is an art that sits patiently in our heart waiting to be expressed by ceremonies

Culture is a parrot or porte-parole that speaks volumes of our identity

Culture is the sustaining power of our four dimensions that keep our body and soul together

Culture was brutalised and kicked out in the hands of residential schools

Children becoming strangers to whom they are

Oh my God it killed their culture it killed their spirit          

It dismantled the social fabric of family and community

Like lost but found item my creativity has found me in this wilderness of cultural revitalisation

Which I wish to empty with my busy hands dancing to the songs of my creativity

These are the echoes from the Eagle Spirit Society

Ginikachi (L) with Ferlin McGillivery, Cree Language Instructor (R)

Journey into Cree Culture

By Manna Sainju, 1st Year MDP student

I arrived at Blue Quills First Nations College (BQFNC or the College) on a clear Wednesday afternoon in May. As I entered the gate of the College, I felt mixed emotions of how I would be spending my summer at what used to be a former residential school for First Nations children up until 1971. Just the past semester, I had learnt about the brutal history and heart wrenching stories of survivors of residential schools. But, as I was taken around to be introduced to the staff and faculty of the college, I felt a great sense of hope, calmness and peace. As the Cultural Camp was just around the corner, everyone was busy with its preparation. The College hosts the annual Cultural Camp each spring where the college students and local community members participate in a series of cultural practices. I realized I was very lucky to be able to witness such a ceremony, and hoped I would take back a learning that had been passed down from the ancestors of this land. 

 

Tipis at Blue Quills Cultural Camp grounds

And indeed, it was a unique experiential learning for me as I participated in the Pipe Ceremonies, Chicken Dance Ceremonies and learnt from the Elders. I got a glimpse of the Cree worldview which looks at the entire existence as an unbroken whole. The Cree cultural practices respect the interconnectedness of all the elements in nature and seek for its people to live in harmony.   

The experience of being a part of the Camp will always remain with me. It has brought me closer to my spiritual aspect which I think is the goal of all traditional practices. And, in a way the indigenous practices work at the heart of it and creates a magical experience.  

The Cultural Camp was a perfect beginning for my field placement. I felt a sense of belonging and even greater will to learn and contribute. The College currently has numerous projects that continue to make it a leading post-secondary institution on Indigenous education. As a part of my field placement, I have been working on developing a workshop curriculum for the Indigenous Knowledge Mentorship Program and also developing a program that focuses on promoting trade and volunteerism between First Nations and Indigenous groups around the world.