Connecting People and Place: Learning from the Chippewas of Georgina Island

By: Brian Csinos, Director of Experiential Learning, HTS

Laurie Lane-Zucker defines place-based education as “the pedagogy of community, the reintegration of the individual into her home ground, and the restoration of the essential links between a person and her place” (cited in Vander Ark et al., 2002). Place-based education can help to engage learners to more deeply understand the history, culture and geography of their area and community.

In pursuit of that deeper connection, HTS staff collaborated to draft an inaugural HTS Land Acknowledgement:

At Holy Trinity School (HTS), we have the responsibility to honour and respectfully acknowledge that we are gathered on the ancestral lands and waters of all Indigenous Peoples who have left their footprints here before us.

Holy Trinity School is located on the traditional lands and territory of Williams Treaty First Nations including the Chippewas of Beausoleil, Georgina Island and Rama as well as the Mississaugas of Alderville, Curve Lake, Hiawatha, and Scugog Island. We recognize the Chippewas of Georgina Island as our closest neighbouring First Nation. We will be responsible stewards in protecting these lands today, and for future generations who have yet to walk upon it.

This Land Acknowledgement was shared with Chief Donna Big Canoe of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation for her feedback during a visit to Georgina Island in the fall of 2018; it was at this important visit that we began a relationship with the community to intentionally create a pathway towards reconciliation and restoration of good relations.

Recently, I had the privilege to speak with Elder Shelley Charles from Georgina Island First Nation on Lake Simcoe. She is a member of the fish clan, Muskinozhe Giigohn. Elder Shelley is trained in both horticultural science and Indigenous philosophy, earning a master’s degree from the Seven Generations Education Institute in Fort Frances in the latter subject.

This conversation is one of many that connect HTS to our closest neighbouring First Nation. Elder Shelley’s responses to my questions were powerful and reminded me of the importance of connecting place and people so that, collectively, we can better understand the lands upon which we learn and begin reconciliation with the peoples who have lived upon these lands for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Here are some of the highlights of that conversation:

BC: From your perspective as an Ojibwa Anishinaabe from Georgina Island on Lake Simcoe and a member of the fish clan, please tell us why it is important to know your identity and where you are from.

SC: Identity and belonging are central to Indigenous people across Turtle Island (North America). It helps us all to understand our connection to the land, extended family relationships and our responsibilities to our families and the community as a whole. Belonging to a specific clan, such as the fish clan, not only extends our relationships beyond the community but also provides us with teachings and characteristics on how to be a good person and live a good life: Mino Bimaadiziwin

BC: At HTS, we strive to live by our Character Creed, which includes our four core moral values of Courage, Empathy, Integrity and Respect. The Seven Grandfather Teachings of Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility, Truth and Love are also important lessons to live by. Which of the Seven Grandfather Teachings do you feel best supports the HTS core moral values?

Transformations From The Hts Community

SC: Humility is a core value that is often misunderstood as it doesn’t put individual needs over or above another; it helps to guide us in listening, creating space and validating the issues and concerns of others. Humility provides us with a way to lift up compassion and to draw out love for our fellow humans, as we aspire to lend a hand and operate from the pillars of kindness, honesty, sharing and caring.

BC: When you visited virtually with our Grade 6 students last fall to speak about the significance of the Sharing Circle, you mentioned that the Seven Grandfather Teachings “centre kindness”. Can you elaborate on kindness and how it is central to the Seven Grandfather Teachings?

SC: The Seven Grandfather Teachings are often referred to as a bundle of knowledge or gifts on how to live a good life that is informed by gizhewaadiziwin the spirit of kindness. Kindness informs how we engage with others and embrace the values and teachings of respect, love, honesty, truth, courage, wisdom and humility. Kindness also helps us to understand gratitude for the very breath of life itself and, in that way, leads us to become the best possible person we can be, with reverence to all of creation.

BC: At Holy Trinity School, we state that “we value respect, compassion and dignity the underpinnings of our Christian beliefs and everything that we do. With these values, we develop knowledge, skills and empathy for others in our students. HTS welcomes every person without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, or disability.” How do you think that the HTS commitment to inclusion can be supported by the Unity Symbol?

SC: The Unity Symbol is often referred to as an Indigenous symbol of peace and kinship, in that we are all related and have gifts to share in relation to the circle of life. Each one of us is important to the circle and has a personal relationship and connection with the earth, natural environment and [other] human beings. The Unity Symbol is inclusive, honours and accepts all people wherever they are from in the four directions, and each one of us has gifts and knowledge to share in aspiring to reach out and live our best life.

BC: At HTS, we believe that “the learner is at the heart of everything that we do and that transformation is only possible when we design for learner personalization and growth.” We also offer opportunities for students and staff to participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities with the hope that they become stewards not only of our campus, but of humanity as well. Given your education in Indigenous philosophy, please tell us why it is important that we are good stewards for those who follow after us.

SC: It is important for us to be good stewards of the land because this is our home, it is where we were born and where our ancestors came from. From an Indigenous perspective, we have a mutual responsibility to nurture our families but also the natural environment for today and into the future. When we embrace the notion of the Seven Generations principle decisions being made about our energy, water, and natural resources, and ensuring those decisions are sustainable for seven generations in the future — we are including the youth as central to that teaching. We aspire to ensure that we provide the knowledge and tools to live a good life, while thinking about our collective future and caring for and being stewards of the earth today.

BC: At HTS, we understand our need to be transformed through reconciliation with the original peoples on the land. And so, I am wondering, is there a final message you want to share with our HTS community?

SC: The foundation of Indigenous knowledge and worldview is based on harmony in creation and how we are all related and interconnected to each other. Living a good life, honouring our parents and our extended family relationships, and embracing our role as stewards of the land provides us with all of the ingredients necessary to be a good person, and to know love and respect leaving good moccasin tracks seven generations into the future.