Indigenous Peoples continue to educate our children as we have always done, through intergenerational relationships centred on belonging, love, and relationships. Congratulations to all the steadfast educators who organized and attended the W̱SÁNEĆ Early Years Conference.
As an Indigenous educator in K-12 and now at Camosun College, I have had the privilege of meeting and working with many Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous educators and Indigenous students. Many of us are reviving our languages, governance systems, art, and pride in who we are. This is not a tokenistic effort but a lifestyle. It is a 24/7 effort.
To learn, for example, one’s ancestral language(s) takes incredible effort, determination, skill, and intention. We are intentional in the direction we are going, which is to bring the old ways forward again, as we have always done as stewards and Knowledge Keepers in our own territories. These acts of revitalization heal ourselves, our children, and even our visitors. Canadians, refugees, arrivants, and tourists.
Ours is a lifestyle that embraces who we are as Indigenous Peoples. We have autonomy and choice to pursue excellence and innovation in the ways we decide. The Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples all point towards the fact that Indigenous Peoples hold distinct title and rights.
We are self-determining, we are entitled to our social, cultural and economic well-being, and we have the right to be free from Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination.
Our rights, outlined in these documents, come from our existence in these lands since time immemorial. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 explicitly states that “Aboriginal title has existed and continues to exist, and that all land would be considered Aboriginal land until ceded by treaty.” Reconciliation is Land Back, it is Indigenous jurisdiction, and it is honouring and elevating our enormous efforts to revitalize our living cultures.
Sk’ing lúudas Natasha Parrish
Saanich
