Embodying Indigenous Coast Salish Education: Travelling
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EMBODYING INDIGENOUS COAST SALISH EDUCATION: TRAVELLING WITH XÉ:LS THE SISTER, MAPPING KATZIE/Q̓ IĊƏY̓ STORIES AND PEDAGOGIES by Kerrie Charnley B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2005 M.A., Simon Fraser University, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Language and Literacy) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2019 © Kerrie Charnley, 2019 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: Embodying Indigenous Coast Salish Education: Travelling with Xé:ls the Sister, Mapping Katzie/q̓ iċəy̓ Stories and Pedagogies submitted by Kerrie Charnley in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Language and Literacy) Examining Committee: Dr. Jim Anderson, Language and Literacy Education Co-supervisor Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, Education Studies Co-supervisor Dr. Michael Marker, Education Studies Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Cash Ahenakew, Education Studies University Examiner Dr. Charles Menzies, Anthropology University Examiner ii Abstract My doctoral work examines intergenerational relationships between Katzie people, their stories and memories connected to the land and waters of their territory, their understandings, and their contexts. I explore and explain ways the waters and the land are integral to the literacy and pedagogy of Katzie people, and fundamental to Katzie people’s identity, wellbeing, and existence. I weave a Coast Salish story blanket through an oral narrative style of writing; through a pedagogical model of a Coast Salish spindle whorl; through my reconsideration of the Coast Salish Xe:xals story so that it includes the feminine sister Xé:ls’ story; through participants’ stories, and through auto-ethnography and memoir. Research grew out of the five protocols of Coast Salish people that I learned through my upbringing: starting with the local; acknowledging and expressing gratitude for place and people; getting an education; listening to one’s elders; and, loving one another. Research processes included interviewing 11 participants and mapping their stories onto meaningful places in Katzie traditional territories. Some of these interviews were conducted at meaningful places within the territory. The process drew on the collective memories of Katzie community members to bring forward intergenerational wisdom and practices specific to Katzie as sited in places such as Pitt Lake; the teachings from these stories compose a land- and water-based pedagogy grounded in the relationship between territorial places and Katzie people. Findings from this study include four story themes, and recommendations, from participants’ interviews, 10 methodological principles, and six pedagogical practices that guide an understanding of Katzie literacy and pedagogy. iii This study addresses the gap in Canadian scholarship, education, and specifically in Indigenous literacies. Coast Salish experiences of education, stories, pedagogies and realities have been limited to the long time dedicated work of a few Coast Salish scholars. Further, this study answers the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action to bring Indigenous people’s world view, experiences, historical and contemporary realities, voices and leadership into the fabric of Canadian education. Listening to the real life voices and stories of Katzie people is a first step toward reconciliation and restitution in the local education systems. iv Lay Summary This graduate project examined the stories of Katzie community members in order to bring forward intergenerational wisdom and practices connected to their lands and waters that are specific to Katzie people in an education context. My research process included interviewing 11 participants. Research grew out of five protocols of Coast Salish people I learned through my upbringing: starting with the local; acknowledging and expressing gratitude for place and people; getting an education; listening to one’s elders; and, loving one another. Findings from this study include four story themes and recommendations from participants’ interviews, ten methodological principles, and six pedagogical practices, that guide an understanding of Katzie literacy and pedagogy. Teachings from these stories compose a land- and water-based pedagogy grounded in important relationships to the territorial places of Katzie people. Listening to the words of Katzie people is a first step toward reconciliation and restitution in local education systems. v Preface This dissertation is an original intellectual product of the author, Kerrie Charnley. The fieldwork described in Chapters 4 and 5 was covered by UBC Ethics Certificate number H16-01038. vi Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Lay Summary ...................................................................................................................... v Preface................................................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xii Glossary ........................................................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... xxv Dedication ..................................................................................................................... xxvii Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview ........................................................................... 1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................ 3 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 12 Identification of the Problem/Gap ............................................................................ 13 Site Selection ............................................................................................................ 15 Location of Researcher ............................................................................................. 18 Addressing the Knowledge Gap ............................................................................... 22 Theoretical and Methodological Considerations ...................................................... 22 Chapter 2: Researcher and Participant Ancestries, and Grandmother’s Story ............. 28 Five Pedagogical Protocols ....................................................................................... 30 vii My Grandmother’s Story: Amanda Charnley (Born Pierre) ..................................... 31 Connecting the Stories of Xe:xals, My Grandmother’s Story, and My Daughter’s Story of Our Mitochondrial DNA ............................................................................. 56 A Pierre Family Ancestral Tree ................................................................................ 58 An Urban Coast Salish Childhood Interacting With The Public School System In Vancouver ................................................................................................................. 61 Participants Ancestries and Geographies .................................................................. 73 Participant Stories of Ancestry and Birthplace ......................................................... 74 Katzie Geographies in Participant Introductions and in their Stories ....................... 80 Chapter 3: Literature Review Towards a Theory of Indigenous Peoples’ Perspectives of Land, Water, and Place in Education ....................................................................... 82 Indigenous Knowledge Connected to Land/Water is Storied ................................... 83 Indigenous Knowledge Requires Preparation by Making Space for Looking Inward ................................................................................................................................... 92 Indigenous Knowledge Connected to Land/Water is Holographic .......................... 95 Indigenous Knowledge Connected to Land/Water is in Relationship .................... 102 The Language of the Land - Indigenous Peoples’ Literacy .................................... 113 Chapter 4: Methodology – Xé:ls and the Spindle Whorl: A Rematriatist Transformative Coast Salish Research Methodology .......................................................................... 132 The Methodology Journey ...................................................................................... 134 Methodological Purpose and Goals ........................................................................ 135 Cultural Rebirth and Decolonizing: Emergence of an Indigenous Feminist/Rematriatist Process ................................................................................