Preface

There are several purposes for this Indigenous Teachings of Turtle Island Open Education Resource (OER) textbook.

First, it serves as a concise reading for students in conjunction with their IKE-1040 course. With twelve weeks of instruction during fall and winter semesters — and a substantial amount of material covered each week during instruction time — students can benefit from a summary of the topics, key concepts, important readings, related topics, supplemental resources, and cultural competency tutorials. Second, the OER can serve as a ‘living record’ of the course itself. It is expected that the course will evolve over time, especially as the TRC Calls to Action are brought to life and we start to see significant changes within Indigenous communities and Canada as a whole. Third, the OER is nimble, and it can be quickly updated to link students to valuable resources that are created and released daily. Fourth, the resources contained herein remain timeless, and we must honour the work of past Indigenous scholars, writers, and documentarians.

The author envisions this OER evolving accordingly to meet the needs of its users. This is the first edition, if you will, and a prototype of how it can be individualized by an instructor. A more generic OER reader is also envisioned.

Changing Landscape

To give context to the socio-political and cultural changing landscape, on October 18, 2023, the Honourable Wab Kinew, Fort Rouge, leader of the New Democratic Party, was elected as Manitoba’s 25th and first Anishinaabe Premier, who also holds the portfolio of President of the Executive Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and International Relations, and Minister of Indigenous Reconciliation. On National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, 2024, I was in Winnipeg, my homeland, and it brought great joy and pride to see ‘Wab’ doing what he does best — engaging with his peoples and leading this new cultural shift in Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations in Canada (see Figure i below).

Figure i

Just Prior to the Grand Entry on National Indigenous Peoples Day at Forks, Wînipêk – ᐄᐧᓂᐯᐠ (Winnipeg), June 21, 2024

It wasn’t long ago that Wab Kinew was a prominent musician, rapper, journalist, and University of Winnipeg Indigenous administrator before he entered politics. He hosted the highly successful 2012 CBC four-part miniseries, 8th Fire, which still resonates as a ground-breaking educational resource that is still used in many post-secondary institutions across Canada, including my classroom. If you wish to read more about Wab Kinew (Wabanakwut is his Anishinaabe name), I would suggest reading his autobiography titled, Wab Kinew: The Reason You Walk (Kinew, 2017).

This text is also a direct attempt to provide a means for students, instructors, and others to engage with the TRC Calls to Action as it relates to education. There is a building of knowledge, but it also has students engaging in what is presented, applying the teachings, and being active in the world around them, through reconciliation. Moreover, Universities Canada (2023) released its comprehensive Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation document, and with it, I see a wider movement happening across Canada in the following commitment:

Teaching and learning: “Universities commit to supporting the Indigenization of curricula through things such as responsive academic programming, support programs, orientations, and pedagogies and to making room for Indigenous Knowledges and ways of knowing throughout diverse fields of study, including opportunities for Elders and Knowledge Keepers in university structures” (Universities Canada, 2023).

We now invite you to begin this journey of reconciliation.

David D. Varis

June 30, 2024