Building Relationships

By Vanessa Tait, 2nd year MDP student

“In today’s society, there is such pressures to produce outcomes versus taking the time required to build trusting relationships first and seeing where that leads, see what it could look like – this takes a lot of time” -- Vanessa Tait

Vee (L) and Leah (R) with Academic Director, Sarah-Jane Tiakiwai - after being welcomed to the traditional territory of the Waikato-Tainui people

Offering tobacco to the Waikato River - Giving thanks for allowing us to share this space.

The relationships we have with one another, with the land and water are interconnected.  Having always dreamed of visiting New Zealand and meeting the Maori people, the opportunity came when I could choose a field placement anywhere internationally as a requirement for the Master’s program I am a part of.   

From the moment I was connected with the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development, the relationship began with the connection of one of my instructors who had visited the college before and had a connection with the Academic Director and another colleague of the college.  I had connected with the college via email introduction, followed by a few Skype meetings.   

As mentioned it takes time to build relationships, therefore in order for us to understand the projects and where it would lead we needed to be in their space and develop a relationship with the people, land and water of the area we would be working in.  

Building a connection with the Tree - the sweatpants say it all - "Respect"

Upon arriving at the college, we were introduced and welcomed into the college whanau (family) with a whakatau (welcoming) circle.  It was a familiar feeling to me to be in a circle and be welcomed in such a gentle way to our journeys ahead here in Hopuhopu, New Zealand.

Being the first time in another country, there was a need to connect and ground myself with the land and water.  It is important to build a relationship with all your surroundings not just the two-legged.  This part of the world is beautiful and to be connected to everything here and welcomed in such an amazing way makes this new relationship one that I know will last a lifetime.  

Back to my project, as I am introduced to the other entities connected with the college and welcomed and greeted I am humbled.  It is inspiring to see the amazing things that the Waikato-Tainui people are doing.  It is in this introduction that I am connected with two individuals that I will have the opportunity to learn from and share with on my project.  The project is focusing on community development and looking into social enterprises. 

I will stress again, it is important to build trusting relationships as you work with community.  It is within this relationship that the journey of the project will be guided and the outcome will be one that has been built together.  Keep in mind that the outcome is not the end product but the learning and collaboration along the way, remember this takes time and many times relationships have no end……

Views from the 808 – O’ahu, Hawai’i

By Jasmin Winter, 1st year MDP student

“Whatever we produce must not be a version of our existing reality…it must be different, and of our own making. We should not forget that human reality is human creation. If we fail to create our own, someone else will do it for us by default.”

– Epeli Hau’ofa, “A Beginning,” A New Oceania, 1993:128-9.

Beautiful view of the coral forest at Hanauma Bay

I think that many people, after hearing that I am doing a summer field placement in Hawai’i, envision long days spent on palm tree-lined beaches, soaking up the sun with fresh coconuts in hand. I am happy to report that my placement so far has been full of that and much, much more. 

Jasmin (R) in front of the WAO office with Kathy Martin (L), case manager

My placement is with the organization We Are Oceania (WAO), which consists of an amazing team of people promoting empowerment and self-sufficiency amongst the Micronesian population in Hawai’i. Micronesians are the most recent migrant group to Hawai’i, and WAO works towards creating an environment of cultural pluralism in which they can navigate Hawaiian systems and services while still maintaining their home values and traditions. They strive for a world in which Indigenous peoples are respected, celebrated, and honored as part of the local culture of success, and can therefore play an influential role in the shaping of society. 

Through my time here I have gained a deeper understanding of the complex intersection between migrant and Indigenous identities. As WAO is also working towards becoming an independent 501(c)(3) public charity under the mentorship of the Partners in Development Foundation, I have also gained greater insight into the highs and lows of non-profit work. 

Enjoying a fresh coconut at popular shrimp truck

Serendipitously, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) held their annual meeting in Honolulu on May 19-21. Julie Nagam, my supervisor from the University of Winnipeg, was gracious enough to allow me to sit on her roundtable to speak about the Initiative for Indigenous Futures project (http://abtec.org/iif/). The discussion that ensued was fascinating, and engaged with questions about technology and traditional knowledge and the tension between its ability to connect or isolate us when it comes to other people, the land, non-human and spiritual relationships. We talked further about Indigenous participation in gamification, video games, augmented and virtual reality, and it was so cool to sit amongst a room full of people who were on the same page about the potential for Indigenous peoples to be at the forefront of these futuristic conceptualizations. 

In my spare time, I am playing quidditch with the University of Hawai’i’s Alohamoras (the most clever Harry Potter inspired team name to ever exist), and trying not to think about how I am already half way through my time here already!

History of Algoma University: Remembering the legacy of Shingwauk ‘Indian’ Residential School

By Paige Sillaby, 1st year MDP student

Shingwauk Hall, formerly the Shingwauk Indian Residential School

For my 1st MDP field placement I am working with Thessalon First Nation (TFN) and the NORDIK Institute at Algoma University (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario). 

Our collaborative project looks at diversification potential for the TFN Bio Centre. The Bio Centre is a green house facility that is currently underutilized. The First Nation is actively exploring options to develop this asset, including for a wild food storage and processing distribution hub. I have divided my time between  Algoma and TFN (approximately 1 hour east of the Sault).

One aspect of the placement that I am interested in exploring is the history of Algoma University. Three days out of the week I work out of the 5th floor of Shingwauk Hall. This is the main building on campus, and also the remaining structure of the Shingwauk Residential School building. In 1971, Algoma was seeking opportunity for growth thus moving into the former Shingwauk Residential School building, one year after the residential school closed its doors. Shingwauk and Spanish Indian Residential School, another school 2 hours away, took children from North Shore communities in Ontario and across Turtle Island.

Since being on campus, I have been able to go on a residential school tour. On this tour, I learnt that my office was the boys living quarters (although some people say it was the girls). And while the building has been renovated, there are still areas of the original building that remain, such as little cupboards found in hallways and stairwells that the children would hide in to keep safe. The reason for keeping these spaces was something that the survivors of the school wanted to keep on site. I think that it would be powerful to see these images, but I would not feel comfortable taking these images and sharing them… knowing what they were used for. I believe that some of these children’s spirits remain at the school.

Monument at the front of Algoma University for the children that never returned home

Another area that was kept on the campus grounds is the graveyard which is located at the back of the university. I tried to visit this site, but there are a lot of unmarked graves on campus. Another story that was told to me on the tour, talked about the water ways. The school faces onto Lake Huron. Residential school survivors explain that the water way was how they got dropped off at the school, and they would run to the water at night hoping to return home. There are bushes there now but years ago there was a clear path to the water.

A view from Shingwauk looking towards Lake Huron

It seems clear to me that Algoma and the city of Sault Ste. Marie have a long history with the Aboriginal peoples of the north shore of Lake Huron. Both Batchewana First Nation and Garden River First Nation are within a 10-minute drive. Members of local First Nations have told me that they won't enter the school. I wonder if it is ethical, if it is right to preserve the residential school, as it transforms into a growing Ontario University. This is a question I will struggle with for the remainder of my placement.

For additional information, please see the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) website: http://shingwauk.org/srsc/node/8