Words from Elders in the academic context: Explorations of learning

Abstract

Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall defines Etuaptmumk or “Two-Eyed Seeing” as “learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing and from the other eye with the strengths of Western ways of knowing and to using both of these eyes together, for the benefit of all” (Bartlett, Marshall, & Marshall, 335). This process of collaboration has come to us through a deep understanding and the relationship that Marshall has with his original language. The notion of decolonization now exists in many parts of Canada within academic and community and is employed prevalently within all areas of academia (Daniels et al., 2018; Kerr & Parent, 2018). In discourses of allyship and treaty responsibility, Etuaptmumk is often transmuted into a principle of cooperation and goodwill among those engaged in treaty education advancement and allied service delivery.   However, Etuaptmumk’s conceptualization doesn’t fully establish how these competing visions —two-eyed seeing— can coexist in a human being. Is itpossible for everyone, Indigenous peoples and settlers? How is it achieved? Marshall’s conceptualization inherently assumes that two-eyed seeing is only available for those who are knowledgeable about Indigenous ways of knowing, but how does one come to be educated when the complexity of access to Indigenous ways of knowing emerges? How can we ensure there is a protected space for Indigenous peoples to gain this knowledge, and for settlers and newcomers to also have a space and suitable access, if they are willing to learn.   As we address the needs of Indigenous communities, and especially those of their youth, we need to ensure we are coming together in relationality, and we established an ethical space of engagement (Ermine, 2008) framed within Etuaptmumk. With the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions’ Calls to Action(2015), those within spaces of higher learning are turning towards Elders to augment their curricular offerings, albeit with the inherent tensions this choice brings (Kennedy et al., 2023).   This paper explores the possibilities and limits of learning and exchange through the example of a case study of a land-based, academic initiative held in Mi’kma’ki. During the delivery of the two courses, graduate students visited Indigenous communities in the territory to receive teachings and learn from generous Elders, on and off the land, about the Mi’kmaw worldview, its spirit, and the historical realties the land itself embodies. Ceremony, language, culture and livelihood carry the storied experiences of the land and the peoples, and the sub/conscious reflection and action of students and facultyfelt on this journey is explained. We present and analyze how critical exchanges took place historically and reflectively, in the territory of Mi’kmaki, and how communication challenges faced by those who conceptualized the academic experience, impacted themselves, the Elders, and the students. At the forefront of the discussion will be the inherent friction between the Western-based academic system and the community-based oral nature of the Elder’s knowledge and sharing; and in conclusion, the recourse for positive change among those in the academy.