THROUGH A MI'KMAW LENS
First graduate course of its kind at Memorial University

Memorial's first sustainability-focused Indigenous course changed Angela Brockway's educational path.

Originally enrolled as a bachelor of business administration undergraduate student at Grenfell Campus, Ms. Brockway says the new graduate-level Mi'kmaw Perspectives on Sustainability course caused her to re-evaluate her degree program.

Mi'kmaw Perspectives on Sustainability aims to deepen students' understanding of Mi'kmaw communities, history and lived realities in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland) and explore various dimensions of sustainability through a Mi'kmaw lens.

"I first registered for it as a community member," said Ms. Brockway, referring to the non-credit option available for members of the community. "I keep getting stuck on Indigenous history courses, which have led me to a new path of knowledge and understanding of who I am and what I want for my future. I will be taking this course for credit now as I have decided to switch gears in my educational journey, and this course will count toward the parchment I plan to hang on my wall one day."

A non-credit certificate of completion Ms. Brockway's initial goal is also available for a small number of Mi'kmaw community members (non-registered/not-for-credit students); there is no fee for this option.

'Relevant academic sources'

The course's development came about last year while Avery Velez, a transdisciplinary sustainability PhD student at Grenfell, was enrolled in the Master of Environmental Policy Program. It was offered for the first time this fall.

"When I was researching for my master's project . . . I had a really tough time finding relevant academic sources," said Mr. Velez. "So few people write about Mi'kmaq in Ktaqmkuk/Newfoundland."

He then collaborated with Dr. Kelly Vodden, his supervisor, and Elder Calvin White and Chief Rhonda Sheppard of the St. George's Indian Band as community partners to facilitate community consultations with Mi'kmaq from across the island.

"To hear [Elder White] speak on the land about the land makes it so much more powerful." Valerie Levesque-Martin

Mr. Velez is co-facilitating the course with Dr. Vodden, as well as support from a wealth of Mi'kmaw elders, knowledge holders and community members.

"We are asking students to consider themes of sustainability, including Mi'kmaw science, governance, storytelling, health, threats to sustainability, community case studies, rights responsibilities and activism," said Mr. Velez.

The students went on a three-day on-the-land experience in Ewipkek (Flat Bay) in September.

"The Flat Bay trip was a way to connect with knowledge in such a deep way," said Valerie Levesque-Martin, who is an Acadian francophone from New Brunswick. "We talked with Elder Calvin White, and while his teachings are always amazing, to hear him speak on the land about the land makes it so much more powerful."

Ms. Levesque-Martin says the course gave her a rare opportunity, as a non-Indigenous person, to learn from an Indigenous philosophy and worldview.

She also says she especially wants to connect as much with the Indigenous view of the environment.

"For me, sustainability is a field that is important to put more focus on. For Indigenous people, it is part of their life as a whole; it is spirituality and a way of life. I want to better connect with that way of seeing."

'Cure for scarcity'

Ms. Brockway, who is of Indigenous and settler ancestry, says the experience impacted her greatly and allowed her to see sustainability in action.

The early years of the cod moratorium significantly affected her as a child, shaping her view of the strife fishers experienced and of her place on the island.

Nikuti'kw: Growing Together, a student response exhibition by the Mi'kmaw Perspectives on Sustainability class and curated by course instructor Avery Velez is currently on display at the Grenfell Art Gallery, with a panel discussion on Dec. 5. Photo: Submitted

"Until we went to Flat Bay, with my class and a handful of respected elders and community members, that I realized what the cure for scarcity truly is," she said. "It is people. People with heart, connection to the land and water, and knowledge of preserving and sharing resources. Scarcity cannot exist where resources are appropriately managed and the community respects the environment where they live."

Equally impactful for Ms. Levesque-Martin was her experience in a Flat Bay sweat lodge.

"As much as you talk about these ceremonies, you will never be able to understand how powerful they are until you live them," she said. "Not only could I learn about Mi'Kmaw traditions, spirituality and connection to nature, but I also connected with myself, my own spirituality and my own emotions. It will be something I will remember for a long time."

More information

For more information about Mi'kmaw Perspectives on Sustainability, contact Mr. Velez.

The program received support from the Office of Public Engagement's Accelerator Fund, the Environmental Policy Institute, the Grenfell Campus Office of Research and Graduate Studies and Memorial University's Office of Indigenous Affairs.