Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies

This thesis explores connection with creation/nature in Curve Lake First Nation, including the components of how this connection manifests and community concerns about and priorities for this connection. Influenced by existing psychological theories and frameworks about how humans connect with the natural world, this research implements novel Indigenist methodologies that are responsive to community interests and desires. Seven knowledge contributors (participants) participated in three research sharing circles to explore the research topic. The research revealed unique concerns and priorities in the community about connection with creation, such as the impacts of treaties and the need for the reclamation of critical natural sites. This thesis also reports on critical aspects of connection with creation through the elements of the Medicine Wheel, as well as the Anishinaabe concept of mino bimaadiziwin. Results are presented in thematic analyses and informed the preliminary steps in creating a connection with creation scale for the community.

Author Keywords: Anishinaabe, Indigenist methodologies, Indigenous methods, Medicine Wheel, Nature connection, Nature relatedness

This thesis critically engages with the historic site Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. The most visited historic site in Ontario anchors a vivid and pervasive story of early Canada while archaeological excavations and reconstruction have a history of their own. It is intertwined with the Martyrs' Shrine and regional sites of significance and pilgrimage in the Catholic world where veneration as saints of Jesuits collectively known as the Canadian Martyrs takes place. Through a panoramic perspective and participant-observer experiences within the sites, in present-day Wendake, Québec, and at a Jesuit mission in Chiapas, Mexico, dimensions of landscape, temporality, materiality, and identity are explored. Development of this history and place in relationship to Indigenous peoples, the Catholic Church, and the Canadian public are examined with consideration for findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, advancement in archaeological knowledge, and ongoing tensions in the practice of archaeology in Ontario.

Author Keywords: Canadian Martyrs, Huron-Wendat, Jesuits, Landscape, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Many middle-class families, according to Whiteman (2023) find it challenging to manage unless both parents contribute financially through employment. I chose to become a professional because I'd wanted better employment options. My academic research interests soon had me wondering what working-while-parenting experiences were like for other professionals. The overarching topic of my master's thesis was working-while-parenting. The study broadly explored how working experiences affect the parenting goals and/or family well-being of securely employed Trent faculty and/or staff.Trent working parents shared the experiences that working interferes with parenting; and that parents have specific work-life balance needs; they also shared the perspective that parenting accessibility is a working parent right. Trent working parents indicated that success in fulfilling their parenting goals, needs and responsibilities, requires priority, presence and at times, childcare. It was recommended that specific Trent Working Parent Representation be more broadly interpreted and purposefully approached.

Author Keywords: Family well-being, Parenting accessibility as a right, Parenting goals, Presence and childcare needs, Work-life balance, Working-while-parenting

It is through spending time outside that we develop the ecological literacy and caring attachments to the land that will lead to greater concern and responsibility for the more-than-human world. But intermediate students in the formal education system are taught almost exclusively indoors, especially in winter. If Canadian teachers remain mostly inside when it is cold, they forego many opportunities to connect their students with the land upon which they live and learn. The purpose of this research is to understand the ways intermediate teachers in the formal education system interact with the outdoors in winter during the school day, how they feel about these interactions, and what influences their decisions when it comes to outdoor learning in winter. Understanding the lived experiences of teachers is essential, as it is they who decide whether instruct indoors or out. In the hierarchical education system, teachers' voices are not always considered in policy making. Photovoice is an ideal methodology for this study because it brings the lived experiences of a group who do not have the authority to make policy changes, to those who do. This photovoice study gave eight intermediate teachers the opportunity to document experiences in their own lives, raise their own consciousness about outdoor learning, and to share their voices with policymakers through their photographic art. This study draws four main conclusions: a) teachers need to develop stronger personal relationships with the outdoors in winter; b) schools need to reconsider the traditional recess model as it is often a time of stress for teachers and students; c) the curriculum needs to expect outdoor learning in all seasons; and d) teachers' voices need to be heard in relation to outdoor learning initiatives in schools. The findings are significant because they can influence policymakers to improve outdoor learning in schools which, in turn, will help teachers and students develop more comfortable and caring relationships with the outdoors in winter.

Keywords: winter, outdoor education, environmental education, outdoor learning, photovoice, intermediate teachers, intermediate students, formal education system

Author Keywords: environmental education, formal education system, outdoor education, outdoor learning, winter

In August of 2014, the Sahtú Dene community of Délı̨nę launched a first-of-its-kind, collaborative pilot project entitled "Destination Deline". Fortuitously, the launch coincided precisely with the field research component of this research project, which had originally sought to investigate the marked lack of Indigenous participation, employment and partnership in the Northwest Territories' adventure tourism industry. The primary research objective then shifted, to explore whether Destination Délı̨nę could serve as a cogent model for developing culturally-sustainable Indigenous tourism in the region. This objective served also as a point of entry into a broader academic discussion about Indigenous-Settler relations, Indigenous resurgence, the tourism imaginary, and the role of government in mediating between private sector and Indigenous community interests. Through a series of in-depth, one-on-one interviews with Indigenous tour operators, non-Indigenous adventure tour outfitters, government officials, and community members, this thesis presents a complex and vibrant portrait of an industry in flux.

Author Keywords: Cultural Sustainability, Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous tourism, Indigenous-Settler relations, Market Imaginaries, Tourism Imaginaries

This thesis explores the double-bind Indigenous Peoples encounter when pursuing post-secondary education in the field of Indigenous Studies. I argue that Indigenous voices deemed tolerable are incorporated into the commodification of Indigenous thought and experience for the Settler audiences who profit most from post-secondary institutions. My analysis discusses the possibilities for Indigenous Studies to navigate this parasitic relationship and assist Indigenous lives that academia renders unrecognizable. I examine my educational journey and conduct a literature review of the role that Settler Colonialism plays within Indigenous Studies. Through the use of critical self-reflexivity, this thesis employs Haudenosaunee political thought and Indigenous storywork to tell my personal narrative navigating the macro and micro dynamics within the academy that exploits Indigenous student's self-interest to maintain the Settler-Colonial status quo in higher education. I identify strategies to assist academics in conducting ethical research within Indigenous Studies and imagine insurgent education within the Canadian university.

Author Keywords: Commodification, Critical Indigenous Studies, Haudenosaunee, Settler Colonialism

Generativity, or a connection to and concern for future generations, is often premised upon the hetero-nuclear family structure and an elimination of disability, excluding queer and disabled individuals. In this thesis, I extend ideas about queer and crip futures by theorizing an alternative model of generativity that centers queer, and disabled experiences. I argue that queer crip intergenerational relationships contribute to and expand current understandings of generativity in terms of individualism, embodied knowledge, and temporalities. To do so, I used the arts-based participatory methodology, cellphilming. I worked with a group of eight queer, and disabled individuals across the life course in Fredericton, New Brunswick to create short films about aging, queerness, disability, and futures, and analyzed the films thematically. In the context of an ongoing pandemic and heightened backlash against LGBTQ+ rights, I present intergenerational relationship building as a way forward to overcome alienation and imagine a better future.

Author Keywords: aging, cellphilm, disability, generativity, intergenerational, queerness

Community gardens can provide access to green spaces in urban environments and intertwine within their neighbourhood when their structure and vision are clear. This study sought to understand the effects of gardens on psychosocial well-being and knowledge sharing. Gardens provide a space for regaining intergenerational and intercultural connection, even after the challenges of COVID-19. Through mixed-method short-term ethnography, I explored community engagement of the PACT Urban Peace Program non-profit community garden. PACT specifically fostered intergenerational and intercultural connection by providing a space for residents to positively (re-)connect with one another and the land while working towards a common goal. These forms of connection, paradoxically, depend on the organization's resources limiting how and when the community can access the space, because without such constraints the program becomes unsustainable long-term. The resource management of the garden creates boundaries which influence participants' psychosocial well-being. This thesis explores the dichotomy present in community gardens and encourages further exploration of their impact.

Author Keywords: Food Security, Human Ecosystems, Intergenerational and Intercultural Connection, Non-Profit Organizations, Psychosocial Well-being, Urban Agriculture

Indigenous children and youth have been exposed to educational institutions and curricula that are detrimental to their identity and cultural journey. This thesis explores the importance of educational institutions and curriculums complementing the needs of Indigenous students during their time in compulsory and post-secondary education. Five self-identifying Indigenous students attending Trent University share their educational experiences using sharing circles. Following this, the findings are analyzed, and recommendations for educational policies are discussed.

Author Keywords: Colonization, Indigenization, Indigenous education, Indigenous identity

Mnoomin (Wild Rice) is an important ecological and spiritual Being, and a highly nutritious food source with deep spiritual and cultural kinship to Anishinaabeg. Gathering and processing Mnoomin engages the whole body, mind, and spirit, providing access to culturally nutritious food/s that also sustain a healthy environment. However, settler colonialism has disrupted these practices, damaging environments and undermining treaty rights. Responding to expressed interests by Michi Saagiig harvesters for more research, community education, and support for Mnoomin bed restoration, this thesis discusses the role of Mnoomin in strengthening kinship, community, wellness, and ecological relationships. It also responds to earlier calls to contextualize colonialism in the field of Aging. Grounded in Anishinaabe Four Hills of Life Theory and Gerontological Life Course Theory, this research brings Indigenous and Western social science approaches into collaboration. Based on 12 years of learning with local harvesters, this work advocates grassroots efforts to protect rice beds under the guidance of Michi Saagiig Knowledge Holders.

Author Keywords: Aging, Community-Based, Intergenerational Relationships, Manoomin, Well-Being, Wild Rice