Local Cultures – Global Spaces

Abstract

Land and relationships with land are key tenets for Indigenous Peoples in North America. As a First Nations professor, I teach graduate students to reflect on how they live, work and play on the land. As an activity, students are encouraged to make a tree friend by feeling, hearing and experiencing near a tree; learning about the properties of trees helps students appreciate the environment. For many traditional Indigenous structures, trees are the framing for the structure. Teaching about the importance of not overharvesting saplings and other natural kin (read resources) is key to Indigenous ways of being. Further, First Nations Peoples in Canada share their ways of seeing the world with Mother Earth as the giver of all we need to survive. Indigenous ways of being are based on a healthy planet that requires individuals, communities, organizations, and businesses to reflect and action to improve the environment and save insects, birds, animals, fish, trees, native plants, waters and soil for the future 7 generations. In this presentation, I will discuss the interconnectedness of trees, First Nations traditional buildings, and our ways of knowing from an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe/Algonquin) perspective to better our planet and improve relations between humans and non-humans alike. Participants will be asked about their knowledge of and interactions with non-human life and how they may be able to bring Mother Earth into their everyday life in a meaningful way.