The Certificate in Indigenous Cultural Awareness

    This Program was offered by the Parliament’s Indigenous Working Group and First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) and was designed so that it could be completed in one day. It was the one thing I wanted to do for myself at the 2018 Parliament of the World's Religions in Toronto which took place November 2 - 6, 2018. I was attending  as an ambassador for the Parliament and as a  journalist, and thus had responsibilities which limited the time available to me personally.  It took a number of days to fit enough of these presentations and activities into my schedule to complete the requirements. All in all I attended eleven workshops and film presentations as well as a number of ceremonies both inside and outside at the the sacred fire.

    I am  grateful to our hosts the Anishinaabe and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations. Deep gratitude to the firekeepers who tended the sacred fire 24 hours a day even though it was often bitterly cold  and made it possibly for me and many others to offer tobacco and pray at any hour.  I was excited by and very much enjoyed the presence of indigenous elders from the United States as well, including Hopi, Dinè (often called Navajo), Paiute, Zuni, Havasupai, Tongva and Lakota/Dakota, especially Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations, and keeper the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle and its teachings. I had heard him address the Spotlight on Indigenous Peoples plenary at the 2015 Parliament in Salt Lake City, Utah. My 40 years of interfaith work has been inspired by intertwined with Native American spirituality and culture, both in Utah (particularly among the nations of our hosts at the 2015 Parliament, the Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone) and for the last few years in South Carolina among the Edisto, Catawba and Cherokee peoples. Although I was blessed with bits and pieces of a number of events and interactions I attended the following sessions in their entirety:

    The Opening Ceremony at the sacred fire, the Native American Church, Tradition bearers for Bio-cultural diversity, Sacred Water, Earth changes & Prophecy, Original Instruction  (I just loved Elder Tom Porter or Sakokwenionkwas “The One Who Wins”, of the Mohawk’s (Kanien'kehá:ka.) birthing prayer! Everyone should start their lives this way. In this prayer the newborn is told who they are, where they are, in whose hands they have been entrusted, the sacred vow of the parents to protect, guide and nurture them and all else that comes into the heart of the father. This prayer can often last forty-five minutes to an hour. Porter was a co-founder the ‘White Roots of Peace’, a group of Iroquois Elders who tour the country sharing traditional teachings and encouraging Indians to embrace their respective Native traditions.), Sacred Pipe Ceremony, Climate Crisis, Evolving Spirituality, Declaration of a new Initiative to Protect Sacred Lands (I was graced to listen to Elder Besha Blondin of the Dené first nation of the Northern Athabaskan peoples in Canada again whom I had met in 2015), Four Directions Ceremony, National Monument, "Indians" of Old Europe (I was grateful for this Pagan perspective given by Andras Corban Arthen, a POWR Trustee and President of the European Congress of Ethnic Religions), and Indigenous Eden.

    I bathed in the loving humility of Manulani Aluli Meyer who spoke from the perspective of the indigenous people of Hawai’I and shared Ulu a'e ke welina a ke aloha (Loving is the practice of an awake mind) and gifted me with a bag of sea salt that she had gathered.  Also very inspired to hear L. Frank Manriquez, a Tongva culture bearer whose passion is to reclaim and revitalize traditional knowledge for not only her people, but for the vast network of California tribal peoples. The story of the decimation of the indigenous peoples of California is as heart breaking as any I know. I would also like to mention Lyla June Johnston a descendent of Diné (Navajo) and Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) lineages. I first meant this powerful young activist/poet at a presentation she gave at the Parliament in 2015 in Salt Lake City. I spent some time in her presence at the 2018 Parliament in Toronto as I videoed Trebbe Johnson's Panel discussion 'The Sacred Arts: Creative Expressions of Faith to Heal a Troubled Earth' to which Lyla June eloquently contributed. We'll hear much more from this wise woman as time unfolds. You can find a number of presentations by her on YouTube.

    Much of the offerings took place in the Lodge of Nations which was a re-creation of a traditional long house,  which sheltered the spiritual dimension of those things that were shared in such a sacred manner.  Deep bows of gratitude to Anishinaabe leader Bob Goulais of the Nipissing First Nation and Diane Longboat of the Kanien'kehá:ka. (Mohawk) Nation at Six Nations Grand River Territory, who organized and facilitated the events held in the Lodge of Nations and at the Sacred Fire. To them I say ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ Miigwech, and Nia:wen!

    Behind and thoroughly mixed in with all of this was the Truth and Reconciliation process underway in Canada. I met many folks whose lives were personally touched by the cultural genocide of the 'Residential Schools'. There is a video on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada website, of Commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair, an Ojibwa judge from the court of the Queen’s Bench, Manitoba, which clearly tells the back story, the purpose, and processes of the commission. I heard him address a plenary at the Parliament and was very moved by his eloquence. I’ve taken the following from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada webpage:

“For over 100 years, Aboriginal children were removed from their families and sent to institutions called residential schools. The government-funded, church-run schools were located across Canada and established with the purpose to eliminate parental involvement in the spiritual, cultural and intellectual development of Aboriginal children. The last residential schools closed in the mid-1990s. During this chapter in Canadian history, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were forced to attend these schools some of which were hundreds of miles from their home. The cumulative impact of residential schools is a legacy of unresolved trauma passed from generation to generation and has had a profound effect on the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians. Collective efforts from all peoples are necessary to revitalize the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society – reconciliation is the goal. It is a goal that will take the commitment of multiple generations but when it is achieved, when we have reconciliation - it will make for a better, stronger Canada.”

    I am hoping that this Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada will someday become a model for a similar and much needed process here in the United States. In Utah, where I grew up, there was the infamous Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City which ultimately had students from nearly 100 tribes by the time that it was closed in 1984. And then there was The Indian Placement Program, or Indian Student Placement Program (ISPP), also called the Lamanite Placement Program, which was operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) officially operating from 1954 and virtually closed by 1996. Native American students who were baptized members of the LDS Church were placed in foster homes of LDS members during the school year. They attended majority-white public schools, rather than the Indian boarding schools or local schools on the reservations. The program was developed according to LDS theology, whereby conversion and assimilation to Mormonism could help Native Americans, who had been classified as Lamanites in terms of theology in the Book of Mormon. An estimated 50,000 Native American children went through this program. These were just local to me in a small part of the west, hundreds of thousands of native folk throughout the country suffered similar fates.

    That was what I wanted to share about my personal experience in pursuing the Certificate in Indigenous Cultural Awareness, I welcome comments from others who enrolled or have something to add, you'll find a button down below.

Although this material is still available elsewhere I’d like to share some more details, mostly taken from the ICA page on the Parliament’s website:

The 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto may be your starting point to discovering a renewed appreciation of Indigenous worldview and taking an important step to Reconciliation action.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Program of the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions is offering a Certificate in Indigenous Cultural Awareness. This full-day offering (minimum 8 hours) will provide a wide-ranging and informative primer into Indigenous peoples of the world, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in Canada.

Developed by the Toronto-based Indigenous Steering Committee, their mission is to develop an inclusive and diverse program that creates awareness of Indigenous spiritual and faith traditions to all those attending the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions. The Steering Committee consists of knowledgeable Indigenous people and cultural-practitioners from nations across Turtle Island, and led by representatives of Indigenous traditional societies.

About FNTI
The Certificate in Indigenous Cultural Awareness is issued by First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) one of the foremost Indigenous post-secondary institutes in Ontario. First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) is a First Nation owned and governed educational institute specializing in applying Indigenous knowledge to both formal and informal learning experiences. Many of our programs and services are delivered at locations across Ontario.

FNTI is accredited by the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC), and is a member of the Ontario Aboriginal Institutes Consortium and Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan).

About ICA Certificate Program
The Certificate in Indigenous Cultural Awareness (ICA) is issued by the Indigenous Working Group and FNTI. It will require registered ICA participants to attend and complete a minimum of eight (8) hours in the Indigenous Peoples’ Program of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. The ICA participant will register for a full-day of programming that could include elements of the following:
 
   Daybreak Ceremony
   Over 60 Indigenous developed, led and delivered workshops, panels, film screenings and other content-specific sessions to choose from
    Blanket Exercise
    Water Walk and Water Ceremonies
    The Lodge of Nations: A beautiful and important Indigenous sacred space that will be the centerpiece to the Indigenous Peoples’ program.
     Ceremonies, teachings, prophecies, story-telling and sharing of Indigenous traditional knowledge

What is Indigenous Cultural Awareness?
Indigenous Cultural Awareness (ICA) refers to the development of knowledge, skills and improving the understanding of Indigenous people, culture, history and worldview. It goes beyond a typical academic approach to Indigenous awareness. It implies knowledge transfer from Indigenous peoples themselves through a cultural experience, Indigenous traditional knowledge learning within accepted contexts and protocols, including participation in knowledge sharing, teachings and in ceremony. In most cases, building Indigenous Cultural Awareness involves reaching the participant holistically, through immersion of the body, through the senses, the mind as well as reaching the spirit. It is a step towards Cultural Competency.

Cultural Wisdom from many Nations:
The program featured teachers, traditional Indigenous knowledge holders and Faith Keepers from many nations, including:
Anishinaabe (Mississauga, Ojibway, Chippewa, Odawa, Pottawatomi, Algonquin), Haudenosaunee (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Caguga, Tuscarora), Métis, Cree (Mushkegowuk and Plains Cree), Hawaiian, Maori, European Indigenous traditions, Hopi, Lena Lenape (Delaware), Dene (Blackfoot), Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Apache, Choctaw, African Indigenous traditions, Karamojong (Uganda), Cheyenne,     Aleut, Maya …and many more.

Workshop Topics and Titles
ICA participants were able to choose from over 60 workshops, feature panels, presentations, film screenings and other content-specific sessions, including:
    Impact of Colonization on the Health of Indigenous People in Canada
    Lana Gets Her Talk: Documentary Film Presentation & Conversation
    Ininew Pamatisiwin (Cree World View)
    Indigenous Eden: New Perspectives on an Ancient Foundational Beliefs
    The Twisted Roots of the Doctrines of Discovery
    Sacred Fire Ceremony of the Tzs'utujil Maya
    Iwi Kupuna: Caring for Our Ancestors
    Your Place is an Indigenous Place: Using Digital Humanities to Illuminate and Assert
    Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation
    Anishinabe 101
    Reclaiming the Indigenous Ethnic Religions of Europe
    Why Spirit Matters: Expanding Our Sense of the Sacred
    Reconciliation, Dialogue & Hope - An ongoing relationship with Canada's Indigenous Peoples
    Reclaiming Our Indigenous Spirituality and Sacred Sites
    Envisioning the Future through Indigenous Ceremony and Wisdom
    Lifting the Spirit: Healing through our Connection to Sound Vibrations of the Human Voice
    Sweat Lodge Teachings
    Creation of Love
    Tradition Bearers for Bio-cultural Diversity
    Colorado Plateau: Sanctuary - A Message of Hope
    Protection of Land and Sacred Sites
    Climate Change
    Traditional Medicine & Gardening
    Spirit of the Environment and Stewardship of Mother Earth
    Emerging Spirit: Transcending Colonization
    Indigenous Eden: New Perspectives on an Ancient Foundational Beliefs
    Reconciliation
    Indigenous Women Leading Change Panel of Prominent Women
    Water Rights for Indigenous Peoples
    Native American Grave Protection
    Sacred Feminine
    Ancient Skills Workshop
    Learning together through the Blanket Ceremony
    Doctorate of Cultural Genocide, Intergenerational Trauma: The Way Forward
    Intercultural Understanding & Awareness
    Prophecies: Global Change & Emerging Civilizations
    African Spirituality

In closing I have to say that in pursuing this certificate my experience at the Parliament was much enriched. I hope that a similar program will be part of the next Parliament of the World’s Religions!
 
 
 
 
 

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