In our first podcast of the new year, Daphna Leibovici and I had the honour of welcoming Mona Tolley, an Anishinabekwe from the Kitigan Zibi First Nation, to discuss decolonization, indigenization, and how non-indigenous educators can approach this work in a good way.
Roles, Responsibilities, and What We Carry
Our learning began before we even pressed record, when Mona emphasized the importance of starting these conversations with words of gratitude and thanks, as well as with a circle of introductions. Mona shared that, in Anishinaabe protocol, introducing oneself is about explaining where you are from and what your roles are, as these roles define our responsibilities and shape how we perceive and engage with the world. She shares with us a bit about the ages and stages of life, and how at each stage we can learn from our relationships with others at different stages, highlighting lifelong learning.
Mona describes the wisdom and experiences we collect throughout our lives as our “knowledge bundles.” Similar to carrying physical bundles of supplies, traditional medicines, or tools on a journey, we carry internal bundles that hold our learning as we move through the world. In an educational context, we are all responsible for what we put into these bundles and the way we share that knowledge with others.
Understanding the Terms Decolonization, Indigenization, and Reconciliation
While decolonization, indigenization and reconciliation are terms we hear a lot in education, they can often feel abstract or difficult to grasp. At times, I have even heard people use them interchangeably, though they represent distinct concepts. In our conversation, Mona took the time to clearly explain their distinctions.
Mona notes that decolonizing involves deconstructing our beliefs and systems. It often begins with the ‘why’ as people explore questions like “Why are things the way they are? and Who do these systems serve?. It involves taking a critical look at history and recognizing that our current colonial systems don’t work for everyone. Indigenizing builds on the group cleared by decolonization work and involves creating something new, centred on local Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being. Rather than simply adding content to an existing system, indigenization involves dismantling the system and rebuilding content, methods, and structure. Meanwhile, reconciliation involves acknowledging Canada’s colonial history through clear actions that work toward restoring relationships.
Starting Beneath Our Feet
Mona emphasizes the importance of centring local nations’ ways of knowing, doing, and being in education. This work can include words of gratitude and land acknowledgments paired with action, such as inviting Elders into schools, co-designing units and lessons with the community, and honouring seasonal cycles and traditional practices. It can also involve land-based activities in which students learn skills such as reading water, noticing plant cycles, tracking animal patterns, and connecting those observations to math, science, language, and art. This approach broadens assessment beyond tests, valuing observation, mentorship, storytelling, and applied knowledge that serves the community.
A Holistic View of Progression
During our conversation, Mona shared insights into a holistic progression that she used while teaching high school, in which learners move through observing, showing readiness, practicing with guidance, working independently, and finally teaching others. This sequence shifts the role of mistakes from failure to feedback, which can build learner confidence. She explained how she structured her class to support peer teaching and foster independence, and how that sense of community helped foster academic growth.
Unpacking Our Own Bundles
As I reflect on our conversation about ages, stages, and the knowledge bundles we carry, I am reminded of how the learner and educator roles are interconnected and support one another’s growth. I am also thinking about how important it is to make time to intentionally reassess what we carry and why. As a traveller, you wouldn’t pack the same thing for a beach vacation as you would for a polar expedition. In the same way, I think that as educators, we need to look at the knowledge bundles we’ve gathered through our own lived experience to see if the systems, approaches, and content we carry still align with our intended destination. We get to choose what we carry with us, and what we carry impacts the students travelling alongside us in our educational communities. I hope this episode encourages you to look at your own bundle and reflect on what contents may need to be added or removed to best serve our shared journey.
Want to learn more? You can tune in to the full episode below. You’ll also find it on more popular podcast platforms.
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