Indigenous Elder and Knowledge Keeper Valarie King Encourages Experiential Learning at Decolonizing the Humanities Workshop

Earlier this month, faculty, staff, and students from the College of Arts and the University of Guelph community took part in the Decolonizing the Humanities Workshop at the Arboretum Auditorium. This workshop was funded by the College of Arts’ Dean’s Office, the Diversity and Human Rights Office, the Department of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Programs, the School of Languages and Literatures, and the School of English and Theatre Studies. The aim of the event was to bolster the creation of alternative methods of learning and knowledge production at the U of G.  

The workshop began with an introduction by Sujaya Dhanvantari, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, who explained that the violence of colonialism persists today and that decolonization is not an abstract idea, but rather it must be a material process for restructuring colonial institutions. Dhanvantari shared that this process should be approached with a spirit of reflection and highlighted the opportunity that exists to learn from Indigenous leadership who play a critical role in guiding transformative knowledge.   

Dhanvantari’s introduction was proceeded by a Land Acknowledgement by two U of G students. Following the Land Acknowledgement, Shauna Kechego-Nichols, assistant professor of Indigenous Studies in the School of Languages and Literatures, introduced the facilitator of the workshop, Valarie King/Edebwed Ogichidaa Kwe. King is an Indigenous Elder and Knowledge Keeper and is Anishinaabe from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. She is also an activist who has worked with families of missing and murdered Indigenous women.  

At the beginning of the workshop, participants gathered in a circle with four doorways, or open spaces, at the North, South, East, and West, and engaged in an Awakening Self exercise. Throughout the interactive exercise, King shared much knowledge with the group about the culture of Anishinaabeg peoples, including the creation story. Throughout this time, participants were invited to behold the light of a candle and pass around cedar, sweetgrass, and water, engaging with natural elements and items that Anishinaabeg peoples regard as deeply meaningful.  Additionally, participants had the opportunity to leave a personal intention by placing tobacco, another natural item that holds great meaning for Anishinaabeg peoples, in a wooden bowl and to give ribbons as a gesture of compassion to an individual in the group who had recently experienced a loss.   

King also introduced the group to an important ideology in the lives of Anishinaabeg peoples, the Seven Grandfather Teachings, which include Humility, Bravery, Honesty, Wisdom, Truth, Respect, Love, and Water. According to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario website, “The Seven Grandfather Teachings are set of Anishinaabe guiding principles that give people the tools for how to live a good life. They have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years through stories and ceremonies.” During the Awakening Self portion of the workshop, King also encouraged the group to reflect on the concept of “two-eyed seeing,” which invited them to consider their personal thoughts on the compositions of their individual worldviews and Indigenous Peoples and on the constitutions of their individual worldviews of Indigenous Peoples.  

The second component of the workshop, Transformation, focused on encouraging participants to venture outdoors for a self-reflective exercise while they explored the grounds of the Arboretum. Upon returning from their time in nature, participants created items that held personal meaning for them using a variety of materials such as clay, felt, and stones. The group then, with the items they created, gathered in a circle and shared their experiences from their time outdoors, and how those experiences affected them.  

The workshop served to showcase an alternative style of teaching and knowledge dissemination, providing members of the U of G community with an opportunity to learn about the beliefs of Anishinaabeg peoples through experience. It also incited dialogue on potential learning opportunities in the future in the context of ways in which the College of Arts can further its commitment to decolonization and continue engaging in decolonization practices.