Eireann Hauer EDUC 530 S07 Visual Essay

For my visual essay, I have chosen to use a picture taken on a hike I took

recently when we had a bear encounter and were forced to turn around. I have always

had what I considered to be a “good relationship” with nature and with the land. I spend

a lot of my free time exploring the mountains, going out hiking generally at least once a

week. However, I am now realizing that I have been looking at the wilderness from a

selfish, and Western Ideology-oriented, perspective. I have looked at the mountains to

serve solely as a vehicle for my enjoyment, for me to come and go at my leisure and

hope that no change in weather or wildlife encounter should get in MY way1. Themes in

1
I have bolded certain words and phrases that reflect what I am describing as a selfish, Western-ideology
perspective, the perspective that has now changed for me throughout this course. I feel that bolding the words
emphasizes the attitude and entitlement that is being demonstrated.
Eireann Hauer EDUC 530 S07 Visual Essay

this course have made me examine my perspective and move towards a new view on

my relationship with nature. Whereas in the past I have always dreaded the idea that

any elements would dare interfere in my outdoor activities, the Native American

worldview opened my eyes to the idea of sharing space, existing and moving in

harmony with nature and all of creation (Little Bear, 2000a, p. 80).

The day this photo was taken was the second time when a too-close-for-comfort

bear encounter has impeded me from completing a hike. Both instances, I have found

myself rattled, scared, and frustrated, that I had gone all the way out to said hike only

to be unable to complete it because an animal had the nerve to be minding its own

business, making its way through its own territory when I, the visitor, wanted to trudge

my way through. The idea of me vs. the bear is a great example of Western Ideology-

the notion that the world exists solely for the purpose of human exploration and

dominance (Duran and Duran, n.d., p. 91). We are constantly warned when there are

bears in an area so that we stay away to keep ourselves safe or arm ourselves with

bear spray and travel in groups to scare them off, and so rarely is it acknowledged that

staying away from wildlife is integral to the wildlife’s survival as well. If humans

encounter wildlife and it turns into a violent interaction, it is always going to wind up with

the death of the animal, regardless of what happens to the human. This hierarchical

assertion of power reflects exactly how we have been trained in Western thought to

believe we are the most important lifeform. Where the Western perspective is to end the

animal’s life because it had the audacity to defend itself, the Aboriginal worldview sees

all life as sacred and asserts that humans are neither above nor below any others in the

circle of life (Alberta Education, 2005, p. 15). It occurred to me how the us vs. them
Eireann Hauer EDUC 530 S07 Visual Essay

mentality is only going to cause further harm, creating a fear-based relationship, when

for mutual survival and safety we need to focus on a relationship of respect. We are the

ones who are invading the home of the bears, often disrupting their migration patterns

and prime breeding and feeding habitat, and then we blame them and paint them as

vicious monsters when they attack to defend their land or protect their young, after we

humans barge into their space and often catch them off-guard. If we focus on respecting

and being cautious in the wild, we are more likely to avoid encounters and keep

ourselves and the wildlife safe from harm. It never occurred to me before this course

that yes, an animal encounter is inconvenient for me, but if it were to turn violent and I

had to use my precious bear spray the implications for the animal would likely be

much more drastic than for myself.

I think about how the ideas I have explored of the relationship between hikers

and wildlife can also be mirrored in the history of Canadian colonialism. The sense of

entitlement to invade the land that was home to Aboriginal people and disrupt them so

much that their native lands were literally displaced and segregated and their lifestyles

were attacked and antagonized because they did not align with the Western way of

thinking, is paralleled in the entitlement displayed when I wander into the forest and

expect wildlife to get out of my way. (By no means am I making equal comparison

between wildlife being displaced and the trauma endured by the Aboriginal people

during the time of colonization. I just mean to compare the attitudes of self-importance

and entitlement of invading another’s land and expecting them to reorganize themselves

to suit your will.)

Eireann Hauer EDUC 530 S07 Visual Essay

I think it’s important as an educator to change the narrative from a people vs.

nature or us vs. them perspective to more of the Native American worldview, one in

which the individual is a part of all creation, living life as one system and not in separate

units that are objectively relating with each other (Duran & Duran, n.d., p.91). We need

to emphasize the importance of building a holistic worldview that values living in

harmony and respect with the environment and with others, as is consistent with

Aboriginal epistemology (Ermine, 1995, p.103). Whether it be between people of

different cultures or between humans and nature, we need to move towards

encouraging respect, humility, and harmony rather than a culture of entitlement and fear

of what is different.

Note: I just wanted to add a little note because listening to Casey Eagle Speaker talk about the

bear encounter only further emphasized the point I wanted to make in this reflection. The way

he described the contrast between the elders who were not scared of the bear but approached it

with respect and asked it if it was okay with sharing the space with them, with the students who

were holding onto their bear spray for dear life in fear. The way he described how the students

were looking at the elders like they were crazy for not running from the bear is a great example

of how our attitudes are affected when we are scared. Once the students learned more about

how the elders were approaching the bear they understood more and were less afraid. I thought

this was worth adding because not only was it coincidental that his story related so much to my

reflection, but it was also a great example of how a lot of the time when we are afraid or upset it

is simply because we do not understand the situation and it can be rectified with education.
Eireann Hauer EDUC 530 S07 Visual Essay

References

Alberta Education (2005). Our Words, Our Ways: Teaching First Nations, Metis, Inuit

Learners. Retrieved from:

https://education.alberta.ca/media/307199/words.pdf

Duran, B. & Duran, E. (n.d.) Applied Postcolonial Clinical and Research Strategies In

Battiste, M. (Ed.), Reclaiming Indigenous voice and vision, (pp. 86-100).

Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgary-

ebooks/reader.action?ppg=108&docID=3245709&tm=1503510834180

Ermine, W. (1995). “Aboriginal epistemology” in J. Barman, J.& M. Battiste, (Eds.), First

Nations Education in Canada: The circle unfolds. Vancouver: UBC Press.

[eBook: Full text online]

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgary-

ebooks/reader.action?ppg=122&docID=3412224&tm=1503510739016

Little Bear, L. (2000a). Jagged worldviews colliding. In Battiste, M. (Ed.), Reclaiming

Indigenous voice and vision, (pp. 77-85). Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgary-

ebooks/reader.action?ppg=108&docID=3245709&tm=1503510834180