Sweetgrass Teaching Bundle

There are diverse teachings about sweetgrass, wiingaashk, one of the four sacred medicines that coalesce with tobacco asemaa, sage shkodawabuk, and cedar, keezhik.  Sweetgrass leaves after harvesting, are arranged into three groups of seven, in honouring the seven grandparents that are love, respect, truth, wisdom, honesty, courage, and humility.  The processes of  educational decolonization will assist in the braiding of sweetgrass that will promote Indigenous educational reclamation displaced by colonialism. Traditions, ceremonials, languages, and experiential learning are all integral parts of the learning processes that connects and enables the gifts, visons, and spirit to emerge individually and most importantly, collectively.

In addition, the sweetgrass braid represents three postures which is gentleness, love, and kindness for the people.  This framework was developed to assist in creating relationships that guides educators in developing a reconciliatory curriculum that uses a paradigm and framework of a sweetgrass braid.

Everything in life begins with a thought, an experience, learning and a belief system through a personalized filter of the individual.  It begins by relating some personal and professional background information. Engaging in a good way, the understanding and awareness of a culturally sensitive approach in curriculum development is integral.  It honours and considers all levels of knowing that produces interest in educators and learners his/herstories. This is an Indigenous foundation that develops wholistic educational worldviews of interconnectedness encompassing diverse societal orality.  

Indigenous knowledges are not from books. It is about experiential learning. Concepts and principles aligning with curriculum could be a transferred from a tradition of orality.  Further, curriculum development must consider composing the four tenets of human development as well, principles such as spirit/story, emotional, physical, and mental (intellectual). These four tenets can empower a positive and wholistic experience for educator and learner with a sense of belonging and well-being. Separating these four tenets in reconciliatory pedagogies can create an unhealthy balance that can promote misinterpretation and misappropriation of spirit.  If you are using an Indigenous perspective, please be cognizant that the combination of Indigenous Knowledges (IK), can be confusing.  One local cultural world view is sufficient. Methodologies and frameworks must not pan-Indigenized with other Indigenous ways of knowing.  There are multiple cultural frameworks and paradigms, and it is important to consult with an Elder or Knowledge Keeper to determine the curriculum that is utilizing both Western and Indigenous pedagogies are united wholistically, ethically, and culturally respectful to the educational goals of the nation that is being represented. 

In the past, many Eurocentric perceptions have imposed their perspectives in Indigenous frameworks that have devalued and diminished the principles of the Indigenous world views. Syllabi must demonstrate responsibility that enables restoration of Indigenous orality and knowledges. Syllabi should validate and recognize Indigeneity to be expressed with truths that must be accountable in teaching and learning. Approaches and utilization of framework/methodologies must have consent with permission to use via cultural protocol(s).  First, consult  with an Elder or Knowledge Keeper to make sure that an approach using Western and Indigenous pedagogies walk side by side wholistically and ethically.

My world is my Indigenous identity, where the star people, little people and sasquatches reside, the ones who watch over us, our protectors.  A reality that has contributed to an Indigenous ethos, and not considered as a dissociated world.  There is no ‘othering’ in the Indigenous world because all manifestations of our beliefs and aspirations have a sacred and safe place that remains together. 

Although, many Indigenous peoples have achieved education from a university, employed in a colonial job, and living in an urban reality, we achieve balance in two worlds where colonial schooling has instructed and imparted a segregated knowledge as being “othered”. 

There is no “othering” in Indigenous systems, and we do not sectionalize our knowledge systems into fragmented pieces, because we believe that achieving respectful relationships in education is wholistic and relational teaching and learning reinforces interconnectedness.  It promotes reconciliatory praxis designed for distinctiveness and inclusivity.