A Vision of Indigenous Education. for the

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1 A Vision of Indigenous Education for the Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University Preamble This vision statement seeks to articulate the shared responsibilities and aspirations of the Faculty of Education with regard to all people of Indigenous ancestry who are connected with or affected by its programs and research activities. It also suggests how the work and life of the Faculty can be challenged and enriched through ongoing engagement with Indigenous educational scholarship and practice. The word Indigenous is used here to refer inclusively to all people who may selfidentify as Aboriginal, First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Native, or any other term used to refer to descendants of the first people to inhabit the Americas or other parts of the world subsequently colonized by other nations. Likewise, this document should be interpreted inclusively in referring to the diversity and complexity of Indigenous contexts, identities and aspirations. Selfidentification as an Indigenous person does not imply adherence to any particular belief or practice or conformity to specific cultural norms. The primary responsibility for realization of this vision rests with a knowledgeable faculty that seeks to know and understand the ongoing intergenerational impact of Canada's oppressive and colonial policies upon Indigenous people. This commitment underlies all other principles and goals outlined in this document. As a living document, this vision is intended to foster thoughtful dialogue and practice. It is open to ongoing discussion, interpretation and revision. The Global Context On November 12, 2010, the Government of Canada formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which had been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September, While not legally binding, the Declaration represents an important guiding statement on the aspirations of Indigenous people, both individually and collectively. Much of Declaration has a direct or indirect bearing on education. Some of the relevant principles can be summarized as follows: Indigenous people have a right to their own knowledge, culture, language and identity, and their revitalization; Indigenous people have a right to maintain the integrity of their own families, institutions and communities, and to respectful recognition and accommodation of this integrity in the contents, processes and structures of education; Indigenous people have a right to education that respects and promotes Indigenous people s own cultures and identities, and that develops a fair and well-informed understanding of Indigenous issues on the part of the broader society; Indigenous people have a right to affordable education in skills and capacities that enhance the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. The National Context

2 On June 1, 2010, members of the Association of Canadian Deans of Education (ACDE) signed a national Accord on Indigenous Education. Central to this document is the vision that Indigenous identities, cultures, languages, values, ways of knowing, and knowledge systems will flourish in all Canadian learning settings. The Accord argues that the time is right for concerted and cooperative effort that creates transformational education by rejecting the 'status quo,' moving beyond 'closing the gap' discourse, and contributing to the well-being of Indigenous peoples and their communities." The SFU Faculty of Education participated in the development of the Accord and in the original signing. The Accord stipulates that signatories are expected to aspire to its vision, principles, and goals in their education programs and research initiatives. Signatories will use this Accord to guide program review and transformation, working collaboratively to prioritize the educational purposes and values of Indigenous communities and people." The Accord identifies many areas in which progress can be made; the following is a summary of the main priorities it sets out for Faculties of Education across Canada. Building respectful and welcoming learning environments that instill a sense of belonging for all learners, Indigenous and non-indigenous, and that are more accepting, respectful, welcoming, and supportive of Indigenous learners. Developing respectful and inclusive curricula, with the participation of Indigenous wisdom-keepers and knowledge holders, that engage learners in experiencing the Indigenous world and Indigenous knowledge in a wholistic way. Developing culturally responsive pedagogies and socially just assessment practices through improvements in the quality of teachers Indigenous knowledge, understanding and teaching skills, integrated and modeled within professional, undergraduate and graduate programs. Acknowledging the study of Indigenous knowledge as a scholarly activity; appropriately valuing Indigenous scholarship, teaching, service and advocacy, including through the tenure and promotion process; recruiting, mentoring, supporting and retaining Indigenous scholars; and conducting academic program evaluation in ways that adequately account for the complexities of Indigenous education. Building relationships and partnerships with Indigenous learners, families, and communities, and between educational institutions and local, regional, and national Indigenous groups; involving such groups in dialogue and decisionmaking on educational issues; and engaging in public advocacy and consciousness-raising as a way to challenge and overcome institutional and systemic barriers to indigeneity in education. Affirming the importance and vitality of Indigenous languages; recognizing the crisis in Indigenous languages and supporting Aboriginal communities in the promotion, reclamation, restoration, revitalization, and teaching of Indigenous languages. Building capacity by improving access, support, and retention of Indigenous learners at all levels of education; increasing substantially the numbers of Indigenous graduates and Indigenous people in leadership positions; and developing, extending and supporting Indigenous leadership and scholarship in education. Making indigeneity accessible to non-indigenous learners; providing opportunities within all teacher education programs for candidates to develop awareness and have authentic experiences in a variety of Indigenous

3 learning settings; and encouraging all students, teacher candidates, and graduate students to explore and question their own understandings of the histories and legacies of Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations in Canada. Partnering with Indigenous communities at all levels in ethically based and respectful research processes, as a means to foster the creation and sharing of research knowledge, in ways that respect the integrity and values of Indigenous epistemologies, cultures and languages; and cultivating environments that encourage the use of Indigenous epistemologies and methodologies, and respect for Indigenous protocols and ethics, in conducting research. The Faculty Context Our Faculty has been engaged for many years with projects in Indigenous education that contribute to some aspects of this vision. Since the 1970s we have offered Indigenous teacher education programs, sometimes in communities and sometimes in the Lower Mainland. As well, we have participated in Indigenous language teacher education, graduate education for Indigenous students and a variety of other initiatives. Currently, a number of Education faculty members individually and in small groups are engaging in programming in Indigenous communities or for Indigenous students; are conducting research in and with Indigenous communities; and intend to contribute to transforming the historical inequities faced in education by Indigenous people. In light of the principles and vision articulated in the Declaration and the Accord, our Faculty is committed to expanding and deepening these efforts through the dedication of time, careful attention, and appropriate resources. This work will be facilitated by a Centre for Indigenous Education located in the Faculty, administered by a paid Coordinator, with students, staff, faculty and community members involved in its direction and operation. However, it should be noted that the intent of the Centre will be to catalyze change in the Faculty as a whole. The following diagram uses the concept of the four directions, which a number of Indigenous cultures use as a holistic thinking tool, to chart the most important areas of activity for the Centre for Indigenous Education. Fostering the integrity of indigenous epistemologies, cultures and languages; working for revitalization and restoration Fostering indigenous relationships and partnerships at the local, regional and national levels: working towards new understandings and shared decisionmaking A central, visible location for gathering, sharing, & inquiry Dedicated time, attention, staff, budget & infrastructure Valued by and connected to all parts of the Faculty Fostering indigeneity in education: working to transform pedagogy and curriculum at all levels Fostering indigenous participation and engagement: working to improve access, support, retention, and the development of scholarship and leadership

4 This Faculty-wide process is in turn founded on the principles summarized earlier, from the UN Declaration and the Deans accord, as well as on specific relationships and agreements with Indigenous peoples and groups as the situation calls for. This foundation of the work of the Centre for Indigenous Education is summarized in the following diagram: international Indigenous communities/organizations Canadian Indigenous communities/organizations local Indigenous community land & ecology SFU local education protocols/agreements Deans Accord on Indigenous education UN Declaration on rights of Indigenous peoples These two images may be brought together in a broader picture of how the Centre for Indigenous Education will seek to ensure the integrity and value of its work, in the face of ideological and institutional constraints. Faculty governance Embeddedness: Intrinsic to decision-making Coordinator Students Community educators Faculty Staff Elders (young/old) Organic process: Working for indigeneity Foundation: Principles and relationships While no diagram can adequately capture the many levels of relationship, content and process entailed in this kind of endeavour, this may at least indicate the nature of the work, which spans contexts from the local to the global and involvement from

5 the individual to the institutional. It is a vision that will recall ongoing, consistent commitment from the Faculty in order to realize its goals. (Work is underway to integrate this vision with an image specific to indigenous cultures of the Salish Sea-Fraser Valley region, such as a woven cedar basket.)