In our latest podcast episode, I had the true honour of learning from Kanienkehaka Elders Niioie:ren and Otsi’tsaken:ra Patton, alongside Daniel Johnson and Tania Arquilla from the Sir Wilfird Laurier School Board. We spoke about a transformative collaborative project called Land-Based Learning Day, which brings students from across the board together at the Kahnawake longhouse to learn from local Elders and plan year-long Truth and Reconciliation initiatives to improve their relationships with Mother Earth and each other.

Moving Beyond the Classroom Walls
Daniel notes that the initiative began when educator Michael Rice posed a vital question to a student leadership team: How do we turn the truths into meaningful reconciliation?

The answer was found by leaving behind the neon lights and school bells, heading out onto the land, and listening deeply to the guidance of Elders. The event, which has since become an annual occurrence, aims to bring communities together. Students from all of the boards’ elementary and high schools are in attendance. Throughout the day, students and staff gather to listen to Kanienkehaka Elders, watch traditional cultural activities, and then plan action items for their individual schools based on the learning that takes place. Although the first version of the event took place on school board property, the day now involves inviting schools to experience authentic, land-based learning right at the Longhouse in Kahnawà:ke.
As Daniel Johnson notes, this authentic approach to learning shifts students from being mere spectators to active participants and lifelong stakeholders:

“It gets students outside their comfort zone, outside the cement brick walls of the classroom, and into the longhouse. … By the end of the day, the last hour is the most important hour. It’s when the students put it all together. They work on school teams with leaders to develop their reconciliation plan at their school.”

What is Land-Based Learning?

Niioie:ren and Otsi’tsaken:ra Patton highlight how “land-based learning” is a modern term for what is simply a natural way of life. They honour listeners with memories of childhoods spent entirely on the land, climbing trees, running in the bush, and working with animals.
They speak to the importance of being attentive to the world around us and share teachings about Earth being our mother, giving us all life, and the importance of expressing gratitude and thankfulness for the gifts Mother Earth provides. They share that many ceremonies and practices that take place in Kahnawake, from the tapping of maple trees to the ripening of green corn and strawberries, are entirely centred on the practice of giving thanks.
Tanya Arquilla notes that this requires a fundamental shift in how we view our environment, noting that today “people think of land as a resource, not as a relative. … and it needs to be a reciprocal relationship, and we need to be, like you said, grateful and thankful.”

Supporting the Journey Forward

This program is more than a one-day field trip, as Daniel says, “it is a multi-generational plan …to create opportunities of reconciliation within school communities.” He shares that when school groups return year after year, students reignite their connection to the land and actively build upon their school’s unique reconciliation plans, whether through establishing green clubs or leading National Day for Truth and Reconciliation initiatives.

They aim to build a sustainable model in which Indigenous communities receive funding to offer experiences to schools across Quebec, thereby supporting the building of genuine, local relationships.

We hope this conversation inspires you to step outside, reflect on what it means to live in a reciprocal relationship with the world around us, and give thanks to Mother Earth for all she provides.

Listen to the Full Episode

Tune into the full episode of Kwey, Let’s Talk Education, below or on your preferred podcast platform.