The “Thunderbird Rising” artwork is by First Nations Artist Alano Edzerza, and was created to symbolize on-going advances in Indigenous Education.
INDIGENOUS STORYWORK RESOURCES
Learning with Syeyutsus Speaker Series
Hosted by Nanaimo Ladysmith School District in partnership with UBC Press.
This is a FREE learning series proudly presented by the Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools, in collaboration with UBC Press and their authors as part of TRC Call to Action #57. The topics include true histories, pedagogies, self-determination, land resurgence, and more.
In this presentation, Indigenous Storywork in Practice (Jan 20, 2021: 10-41 minutes)), I discuss ways that I learned from Indigenous storywork Elders, considerations for becoming story-ready, and examples of Indigenous storywork pedagogy.
Indigenous Storywork Give Away for Educators
By Noxs Ts’aawit Dr. Amy Parent (University of British Columbia) & Dr. Jeannie Kerr (University of Winnipeg)
Co-authors and faculty members, Noxs Ts’aawit Dr. Amy Parent from the Nisga’a Nation and Dr. Jeannie Kerr of Settler ancestry developed this Indigenous Storywork Give Away for Educators. This resource is intended for teachers interested in using Indigenous stories and story resources with their students. Included are considerations about story-related terminology, storywork ‘dos’, what to avoid, and determining appropriateness. An Indigenous give away usually includes practical and useful items that are given to guests who are invited to a cultural gathering. As guests, teachers and other educators are given these gifts/items to look at, use, and learn from, which will facilitate the process of becoming story-ready.
Storywork-Give-Away-ParentKerr2020
Ethical Relationality and Indigenous Storywork Principles as Methodology: Addressing Settler-Colonial Divides in Inner-City Educational Research.
Kerr, J., & Ferguson, K.A. (2020) Qualitative Inquiry, 1-10. SAGE Journals. [Open Access Article]
Jeannie Kerr is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg and Katya Adamov Ferguson is a doctoral student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba.
Kerr and Ferguson are Euro-descendant researchers and experienced inner-city teachers. They share their experiences of using Indigenous methodologies based on Dwayne Donald’s theory of ethical relationality and Jo-ann Archibald’s Indigenous storywork principles. Although their research study focused on the perspectives of teacher candidates in inner-city education, this article emphasizes the researchers’ positioning, preparation, analysis process, and critical engagement of research ethics, relationality, Indigenous mentorship, time, and responsibility.
The article is particularly helpful for those who wonder how non-Indigenous researchers may use Indigenous methodologies or how Indigenous storywork can be used in ethical and wholistic ways. At the same time, this article is not a ‘how to’ document, but one that delves into critical reflections and responses.
Annotated Bibliography for Indigenous Storywork
Educational Studies doctoral students, Melanie Nelson and Sam Tsuruda, co-authored “The Weaving of Indigenous Storywork through Methodology and Pedagogy: Annotated Bibliography” (2018). This annotated bibliography highlights methodological and pedagogical literature related to Indigenous storywork. Web-based resources are also included.((Click to view)
Indigenous Storywork & Storytelling Traditions, Oct 9, 2019 at Vancouver Island University. Dr. Georgina Martin, Department Chair, Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies, Vancouver Island University hosted the Indigenous Storywork & Storytelling Traditions event, Oct 9, 2019. Three presenters shared their perspectives, stories, and publications: Dr. Jo-ann Archibald Q’um Q’um Xiiem, Dr. Georgina Martin, and Dr. Elsie Paul. The event also showcased the books, Decolonizing Research: Indigenous Storywork as Methodology, published by Zed Books in 2019 and Written as I Remember It, published by UBC Press in 2014. See Video
Jo-ann Archibald Q’um Q’um Xiiem highlights the seven Indigenous storywork principles through stories (at 1-29 minutes)
Georgina Martin discusses her research methodology in Drumming My Way Home to Decolonize Research (at 30-50 minutes). See her chapter, Le7 Q’7es te Stsptekwll re Secwepemc: Our Memories Long Ago in Decolonizing Research: Indigenous Storywork as Methodology.
Elder Elsie Paul shares her stories and teachings included in her book, Written as I Remember It in collaboration with Paige Raibmon and Harmony Johnson, published by UBC Press in 2014 (at 50 min – 71 min). Elder Paul’s book is also on a UBC Press digital platform called Ravenspace, which is open access where you can see, hear, and read her stories.
First Nations Journeys of Justice Curriculum (Grades 1-7). This curriculum was published in 1994 and was sponsored by the Law Courts Education Society of British Columbia (now the Justice Education Society). The curriculum developers partnered with various First Nation communities and Indigenous storytellers to develop this curriculum, which built upon First Nations ways of knowing. Indigenous stories were a core component of this curriculum. The BC curriculum has changed drastically since the First Nations Journeys of Justice Curriculum was published and implemented in schools; however, the stories and pedagogy remain relevant today. Educators may adapt the pedagogy to align with the current school curriculum. For more background about this curriculum’s Indigenous storywork principles and practices, see Chapter 5 Storywork in Action in Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit. The Justice Education Society has posted, the complete teacher guides for grades 1-7 (free of charge), which includes the Indigenous stories: First Nations Journeys of Justice
Storied Memory. How did Indigenous people develop their storied memory for Indigenous storytelling? If you are interested in this question, see my chapter, Indigenous Storytelling, in the book, Memory, edited by Philippe Tortell, Mark Turin & Margot Young, and published by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, University of British Columbia in 2018.
In this chapter, I reflect on how Indigenous storytelling plays a powerful role in the way we create and recall memories. I discuss the ways that Indigenous Elders remember ways of learning the oral traditions from their ancestors, by being on and with the land, and who have helped the younger generation learn from and with Indigenous traditional and lived stories. This concept of memory entails the development of a storied memory, the living of storied lives, the disruption of memory stories, and the awakening and resurgence of storied memories. From time to time, the Indigenous Trickster, Coyote, joins in the storytelling.
My chapter, Indigenous Storytelling (pp. 233-242) is available through open access on JSTOR https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvbtzpfm
Decolonizing Research: Indigenous Storywork as Methodology. Editors: Jo-ann Archibald, Jenny Lee-Morgan, Jason De Santolo.
Published by Zed Books.
(Use Code DECOLZED for 25% discount)
Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning Through Ceremony Paperback – Oct 12 2018
by Sara Davidson (Author), Robert Davidson (Author)
From the Educational Studies Symposium 2018.
Conversations with Jo-ann Archibald about Indigenous Storywork as Pedagogy and Methodology. Click to download PDF
Principles of Storywork in Children’s Literature: Bringing Storywork into the Classroom. Click to download PDF
Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit.
by Jo-ann Archibald. Published 2008 by UBC Press.
Resources used in the CSSE Plenary Keynote, 2 June 2019:
Indigeneity, Reconciliation & Education: The Next Conversation
Musqueam “The River” Video *
Abbotsford School District Art Activism Project
National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education
Chief Dr Robert Joseph Video
* Other Musqueam resources are available at musqueam.bc.ca
This page is very much “work in progress.” Many more resources are available and will continue to be added.
INDIGENOUS STORYWORK 