Storying Treaties and the Treaty Relationship

Abstract

This paper represents preliminary findings of a collaborative educational research endeavour to take seriously calls for reconciliation with Aboriginal people within a Canadian context of ongoing colonialism. More specifically, the research takes place in the province of Saskatchewan, where treaty education is mandatory in K–12 classrooms. In this context, critical race theory is used as our theoretical foundation. Working with elementary students, their teachers, and members of the community to support the implementation of treaty education, we draw upon qualitative research methodology and the methods used in participatory action research and digital storytelling. These particular methods are congruent with an inquiry learning approach often used with elementary students. The paper describes the work of young people and their teachers in creating digital stories in which they explore the significance of treaty education and what it means to be a treaty person. It also explores the challenges of this work with respect to teacher, student, and researcher engagement and the ongoing systems of oppression that influence and inform the relationships between First Nations and non-First Nations people in Canada.

Joseph Naytowhow: waniskâ “Wake up!” to Wholeness through nêhiyawîhtwâwin

“…Thomas King's assertion that "stories are all we are" deepens the truth that stories make up the essence of one's being due to the relationship building within receiving and reflecting a story (King 2003, p. 2). An aspect of understanding the internalization of story is through "narrative imagining" (Couros et al 2013). It is evident that part of Joseph's healing process is through the oral retelling of stories, whether they be from his personal reckonings as a child in residential schools, deprived of love and affection, or his daily processes interacting with the world around him.…”

Digital storytelling methodologies: Recommendations for a participatory approach to engaging underrepresented communities in counseling psychology research.

“…Participatory research refers to methods and approaches that center lived experiences, diverse knowledge, the reduction of power imbalances and facilitation of relationships, personal reflection, and deep appreciation for context (Baum, MacDougall, & Smith, 2006;Cornwall & Jewkes, 1995;Hacker, 2013). It seeks to bridge the power-laden divide between "researcher" and "participant" by recognizing that individuals have specialized knowledge regarding the well-being of their communities (Worthen, Veale, McKay, & Wessells, 2019).…”

“Justice for Native People, Justice for Native Me”: Using Digital Storytelling Methodologies to Change the Master Narrative of Native American Peoples

“…DST methodologies are used to address various research questions related to Native identity and self-understanding. For instance, DST research projects have queried cultural strengths (rather than deficits; Beltrán & Begun, 2014; see also Hamby, this volume; Katsiaficas, this volume), explored domains of Native identity, such as what it means to be a treaty person (Couros et al, 2013), and has been used as a tool that enhances Native identities (Gray et al, 2010). Other examples include using DST to capture stories of resilience in the context of historical trauma (Beltrán & Begun, 2014), of wellbeing in communities with high rates of cancer (Cueva et al, 2016), and of fortitude and strength in the face of suicide (Wexler et al, 2013).…”