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Nourishing the Learning Spirit: Elders' Dialogue

The University of Saskatchewan, Aboriginal Education Research Centre, the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education and the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre hosted Elders from across Saskatchewan on March 26-29, 2008 at Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation for a dialogue session on "Nourishing the Learning Spirit."

This dialogue session provided an opportunity for Elders to share insights in their own language about how they understand the concept of learning within cultural contexts that enable Aboriginal learners to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that improve their lifelong learning. Invited "witness participants" provided written responses to research interview questions about the meaning of the Elders teachings as they understood them.

This event and research was about the experience of the learning process.
Some of the key concepts shared by the Elders included:

• Elders explained the learning spirit's presence during the full extent of an individual's life. The learning spirit was described as existing in relation to one's lived experiences, responses to teachings, traditional values, use of original language and the need of individuals not only to survive, but to honour one's survival through the unchanged ceremonies passed from generation to generation.
• Many of the Elders made references to the gifts of the earth, such as animals to hunt and berries to harvest for food, and the experiences of living in connection to the natural world that constitute a traditional curriculum.
• Ceremonies were not described or discussed in detail during the Elders' Dialogue, although the importance of ceremonies was emphasized by the Elders as they shared their understandings of learning and the learning spirit.
• The concept of respect was spoken about in many different ways by the Elders. They talked about the need for self-respect as a means of living an honourable life. Without self-respect there is an inability to respect the importance of language, ceremonies and traditions, relationships with other people or with other parts of Creation.
• Throughout the Elders' Dialogue there were many comments made by the Elders that were left up to the listener to interpret the understanding in a way meaningful to them. The spaces of the 'unspoken' or 'unexplained' emerged as significant opportunities for self-guided learning.
• Acknowledging the spirit world, and accepting gifts of dreams and visions are a natural part of traditional life. It is an integral part of an individual's learning journey that must be honoured through ceremony and supportive relationships with respected spiritual leaders of the community.
• The Elders generally separated culture, beliefs, ceremony and traditional practices from that which is considered „formal education? or „school education?. There were no direct references explaining this, but there was a clear distinction between what was talked about in terms of school and what was talked about in terms of learning in a cultural community.

The Elders acknowledged the reality of positive and negative experiences that impact the learning spirit, but focused on an individual's ability to make good choices regardless of their age or stage of learning. The Elders always referred to the importance of an individual being grounded in culture and tradition as an anchor to a good life. A series of video vignettes and final report are available through the Aboriginal Education Research Centre at www.aerc.usask.ca.

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