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Generational Perspectives on Community Knowledge Transfer in Nipissing First Nation

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Generational Perspectives on Community Knowledge Transfer in Nipissing First Nation Generational Perspectives on Community Knowledge Transfer In Nipissing First Nation by Lisa M. Blenkinsop A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Capacity Development and Extension Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Lisa M. Blenkinsop, April, 2017 ABSTRACT Generational Perspectives on Community Knowledge Transfer in Nipissing First Nation Lisa M. Blenkinsop Coadvisors: University of Guelph, 2017 Dr. James Mahone Capacity Development and Extension Dr. Jeji Varghese Sociology and Anthropology Indigenous knowledge is the living knowledge held by a particular community that is shared with, and transformed by, each successive generation. This thesis explores historical and contemporary intergenerational knowledge transfer at Nipissing First Nation, an Anishinaabe community in Ontario, Canada, that is working to restore its community knowledge and worldview while also dealing with conflict surrounding its commercial fisheries. Elders and youth from the community were invited to participate in a community-led workshop aimed at connecting generations and creating a space for knowledge-sharing and dialogue. Drawing on the workshop discussions I explored themes that emerged, including the disruption of historical mechanisms of intergenerational knowledge transfer in the community as a direct consequence of colonization and the imposition of the Western worldview onto the community. This disruption of intergenerational knowledge transfer has disconnected contemporary children and youth from traditional relationships with the land, the Anishinaabe language, the community and their Elders. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My research journey was far longer than I had initially anticipated: the life of a part-time graduate student with a family and full-time job is a complicated one. I am thankful for the support and encouragement that I have received from so many. While I cannot acknowledge all of you, thank you for all the ways, big and small, and often unexpected, that you contributed to helping me finish my thesis. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Nipissing First Nation, thank you for welcoming me into your community. In particular, I would like to thank the youth and Elders who participated in the Stories from the Land workshop. Your stories have stayed with me, and will continue to be a part of my life. It was a privilege to sit in the circle with you, and I will honour what I have learned from you. Thank you to Clint Couchie, for your time, help, and of course, your humour. This research project wouldn’t have happened without you. Thank you to Glenna Beaucage for your encouragement and interest, it has been much appreciated. To Ryan McMahon, thank you for your skilled facilitation of the Stories from the Land workshop. And for making me laugh. To my co-advisors, Jeji Varghese and James Mahone, my sincere thanks. Jeji, thank you for your support and limitless patience, and for always being willing to take the time to provide me with feedback and guidance. Jim, thank you for understanding the challenges of being a part-time graduate student and a full-time family member, and never failing to ask how I was doing. And to my committee member, Karen Landman, thank you for being there when I needed a calm, reassuring voice, and for your expert editing. Thank you to Sheri Longboat for agreeing to sit on my examining committee at the last minute, and for your thoughtful guidance. To my Centre for International Programs colleagues you have been a great support (and incredibly understanding) over the past five years. Thank you. To my parents, Jane and Rick, and siblings, Michelle and Joe, thank you for letting me share our story, which has played such a pivotal role in my life and my approach to this iii research. I cannot thank you enough for your support, and your unwavering belief that I could do this. And last, but certainly not least, thank you and love to my husband Rob and my daughter Clara. We have been through fire during the past five years but have still managed to laugh and create happiness together. I have no words to express how much your patience, understanding of my absences (both intellectual and physical), support and love have meant to me while I’ve grappled with courses and research. Your belief in me kept me going. Thank you Rob, for always being willing to listen and somehow never seeming to get tired of my litany of woes. Thank you Clara, for helping (making) me take breaks, play, laugh, and for teaching me about every pet imaginable. And to Budgie Boo, thank you for listening, and for your lovely songs and good company. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 RESEARCH GOAL AND OBJECTIVES 2 RESEARCH CONTEXT 3 COMMUNITY PROFILE: NIPISSING FIRST NATION 4 COMMUNITY LIAISON COORDINATOR 5 NIPISSING FIRST NATION FISHERIES 7 OUTLINE OF THESIS CHAPTERS 9 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10 WORLDVIEWS 10 INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEWS 11 INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE 12 INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER 13 ANISHINAABE WORLDVIEW AND KNOWLEDGE 15 ANISHINAABE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER 16 BARRIERS TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER 17 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 20 RESEARCHER POSITIONALITY 20 RESEARCH ETHICS 23 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 24 RESEARCH METHODS 25 PARTICIPANTS AND RECRUITMENT 27 DATA COLLECTION 27 DATA ANALYSIS 29 REFLEXIVITY IN RESEARCH/RESEARCH RIGOUR 32 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH FINDINGS 34 SECTION 1: RELATIONSHIPS WITH SETTLER GOVERNMENTS 35 SECTION 2: ELDER EXPERIENCES 41 SECTION 3: CONTEMPORARY KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER 56 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 74 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY 85 IMPLICATIONS FOR NIPISSING FIRST NATION FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 89 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) 93 EVALUATING THE WORKSHOP AS A KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PROCESS 94 STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH 96 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH 98 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD 98 FUTURE RESEARCH 99 POLICY IMPLICATIONS 100 CONCLUSION 102 v EPILOGUE 103 REFERENCES 107 APPENDICES 117 APPENDIX I – NIPISSING FIRST NATION FISH-WIKS LETTER OF SUPPORT 117 APPENDIX II – COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AGREEMENT 118 APPENDIX III – RESEARCH ETHICS APPROVAL 126 APPENDIX IV – PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET 128 APPENDIX V – STORIES FROM THE LAND WORKSHOP QUESTIONS 129 APPENDIX VI – DATA ANALYSIS: MAJOR THEMES 132 vi LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: Location of Nipissing First Nation within Canada…………………………6 Figure 2: Location of Nipissing First Nation within Ontario…………………………..6 Figure 3: Process flow for Fisheries Violation…………………………………………8 Figure 4: Conceptualization of Knowledge Imbedded in Worldview………………11 Figure 5: Certificate of Enfranchisement………………………………………………37 Figure 6: Nipissing First Nation worldview conceptualized as Medicine Wheel…...80 Figure 7: Western worldview conceptualized as Medicine Wheel…………………..81 Figure 8: Conceptualization of Nipissing Knowledge System………………………84 Table 1: Summary of Generational Differences………………………………………78 Table 2: Youth and Elder Workshop Session Attendance…………………………..94 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This research project is a qualitative research study undertaken in partnership with Nipissing First Nation in Ontario. The focus of this research is the historical and contemporary mechanisms of intergenerational knowledge transfer in the Nipissing First Nation community, as well as the barriers to knowledge transfer in the community. Indigenous Knowledge is the accumulated knowledge specific to an Indigenous community; it is living, dynamic, spirit-derived, relational and imbedded in the language of the community (Battiste & Henderson, 2000; McGregor, 2004; Steinhauer, 2002). Indigenous Knowledge is transferred from generation to generation through storytelling, direct experience, teachings and observation using established community protocols (Battiste & Henderson, 2000; McGregor, 2004; Simpson, 2001; Steinhauer, 2002). Since the settlement and colonization of North America by Europeans, loss of lands and a breakdown of tribal social structures have contributed to the undermining and loss of traditional values, beliefs and knowledge that has compromised the transfer of knowledge between generations within Indigenous communities (Morrison, 2011; Turner & Turner, 2008). Nipissing First Nation is actively working to restore their community knowledge, traditions and ceremonies, with intergenerational knowledge transfer essential to the continuance of the Nipissing First Nation community’s Anishinaabe culture. Additionally, Nipissing First Nation is involved in a resource conflict with local settler communities. The walleye population in Lake Nipissing, adjacent to both Nipissing First Nation and the city of North Bay, Ontario, is culturally, commercially and historically important to Nipissing First Nation, and a much sought-after fish by anglers and tourists, contributing to the economy of local settler communities each year. The walleye population is in decline, with current population numbers half of the 1980s population, with overharvesting occurring both commercially and recreationally (MNRF, 2015). Conflict also exists within the community on how to manage Nipissing First Nation’s treaty-right to commercially fish walleye in keeping with Anishinaabe values. In November 2015, a group of Elders and youth from Nipissing First Nation gathered 1 together for a workshop organized by Nipissing First Nation community leaders and the researcher. The workshop was developed as a community-appropriate method to address the research goals of this research project, as
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