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LT2- Photo Essay

LT2- Photo Essay

EDUC 530
Dr. Gabrielle Lindstrom
October 8, 2021
Kyla Park
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LT2- Photo Essay

Chapter 1: Planting my Roots

This visual essay is a representation of my path from past, present, and future, that I have

walked and continue to walk. It is a representation of my learning about Indigenous culture and

history and the impact that colonialism had and continues to have on Indigenous peoples. This

photo was taken at my childhood home in Bragg Creek, Alberta which sits on treaty 7 territory

and is surrounded by the Tsuut’ina reserve (The Canadian Encyclopedia, n.d). This is where my

story begins, this was and will forever be ‘home’. I grew up in a middle/ upper class

neighbourhood, in the hamlet of Bragg Creek which was predominately white. My father was a

geologist, so my childhood was filled with time spent in nature, exploring the world with an

inquisitive mind. He was/ is my greatest teacher and taught me to respect the land we were so

fortunate to call home, because “land is forever, people may not be, but land will always be
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LT2- Photo Essay

there” (Story Hive, 2018). My father has always had a deep respect for the Indigenous ways of

life. He was friends with many of the elders in the Bragg Creek area (one helped with the

construction of the teepee) and as a child he would teach me (the best that he could) about

Indigenous culture. He took me to many sweat lodges and would bring my sister and I to the

community hall to participate in ceremonies for the winter and summer solstice (which were a

big deal in Bragg). I grew up believing that I had a firm understanding and appreciation for the

Indigenous ways of life- but I was wrong. As this photo of the teepee demonstrates, I knew a

little about Indigenous ways of knowing, as the poles represent my roots of understanding, but it

was whitewashed (represented by the snow), it was still taught to me through a predominately

white lens, embedded in Eurocentric ideologies, sealed in by a tarp, which represents a sort of

fake (superficial) understanding, that is ripped and torn and lacking truth.

Chapter 2: The Awakening

This photo, which was also taken in Bragg Creek on treaty 7 land, represents my

awakening; the knowledge and understanding I have acquired over the years, and through this
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LT2- Photo Essay

course, surrounding Indigenous education. The path signifies the way forward, while the

mountain represents that I still have a lot more to learn. Through this course I have been given

the opportunity to learn about the pass system (which I had never heard anything about), what

treaties are and why they were created, and the hardest of all, the depth and impact residential

schools had and continue to have on Indigenous peoples today. How they stripped individuals of

their language, tore them away from their families, abused and murdered young children, all in

the name of God, as a means to assimilate them into western society. The effects of which have

left generations striving to reclaim their cultural identities. Residential schools truly were cultural

genocide and a very real and horrible part of Canadian history. While we can’t undo what has

already been done, we can choose to listen and learn from it so we can ensure history, in this

case, is never repeated.

The colourful leaves in the photo represent the many Indigenous voices I have begun to

listen to, which make up the roots of this land, and their stories are key elements to our learning,

as we practice deep listening in class, our witnessing groups, and the readings. As Pratt and

Daniel’s (2014) stated, it is not merely enough to learn and recite historical facts, as educators,

and members of Canadian society, it is imperative that we go beyond and “deeply listen” to the

stories of history because “once we have heard a story…we can never return to our uniformed

state” (Pratt & Daniels, 2014, p.180). Hearing firsthand the lived experiences (stories) that

yourself, your father, and many other Indigenous peoples have endured, and continue to endure,

has been invaluable to me. Truly. It has allowed me to listen deeply, made the learning more

meaningful, and has impacted me in profound ways that has re-shaped my world view forever.

These stories have also brought to light some uncomfortable realizations about my own

white privilege that I am afforded due to colonization, and the need to adopt a critical social
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LT2- Photo Essay

justice lens moving forward. This is represented by the white clouds in the photo, which are

beginning to clear as this realization becomes more abundantly evident. The sun represents my

enlightenment, the dawn of my understanding, which is beginning to grow, but I still have a lot

to learn. This course has made me realize that much of what I believe to be true about the world

is embedded in Indigenous philosophy. I too believe that “existence consists of energy” and that

“all things are imbued with spirit, and in constant motion” (Little Bear, n.d, p.1). This is a deep

knowing I have always felt and understood and was largely cast off by my church as being “new

age thinking”, but now know that is not the case. The world view that I believe in, like

Indigenous peoples, is a cyclical world view, one that is in “constant flow and flux” (Little Bear,

n.d, p. 2), which resonate more with me than the Eurocentric worldview of linearity, and I

honestly would love to learn more about indigenous beliefs around spirituality and creation.

Chapter 3: The Pledge

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LT2- Photo Essay

These two final photographs are a representation of where I am now in my journey and

who I strive to become. The teepee shows that I have a solid foundation on which to grow (the

poles), a new perspective that has begun to look and think critically about Indigenous issues from

a new lens; one that isn’t whitewashed by colonial ideologies. I can now see beyond what has

been socialized into me since birth, to help build a deeper understanding, while also possessing

humility- recognizing that I still have much to learn. The wolf symbolizes the strength and

perseverance of the Indigenous peoples and acts as a reminder to always stop and reflect on my

own biases and how I am showing up in my life to do my part. It reminds me to walk my talk.

To pledge to continually learn as much as I can and to share that learning with my future

students. Recognizing that “every school is either a site of reproduction or a site of change”

(Battiste, 2013, p.175) and that as a future educator it is my duty to help facilitate that change.
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LT2- Photo Essay

While I believe that we have begun to shine light on the horrors of the past, it is equally

important to address how this still affects our indigenous communities today. Orange shirt day

shouldn’t be just a day that we actively work towards truth and reconciliation, it should be

something we work on everyday. There are other issues that need acknowledgement, like clean

drinking waters on reserves, access to quality education and the huge over- representation of

Indigenous people in our prison systems that is due directly to the cultural and physical genocide

of indigenous children for several decades. While I do not have all the answers, I pledge to

myself as a future educator that I will actively engage in conversations, offer deep listening, and

educate myself to the best of my abilities, so I may be able to facilitate the change I wish to see

in my future classroom and within society. “You think you’re just a drop in the ocean… but look

at the ripple effect one drop can make” (Quotes Gram, n.d).

References
Battiste, M. (2013). Decolonizing education : Nourishing the learning spirit. ProQuest Ebook
Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca
Little Bear, L. Jagged worldviews colliding. In Battiste, M. (ED.), Reclaiming Indigenous voice
and vision, (pp. 77-85). Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgary-
ebooks/reader.action?ppg=108&docID=3245709&tm=1503510834180
Poitras Pratt, Y. & Daniels, L. (2016). Metis Remembrances of Education: Bridging History with
Memory. Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/50603
Quotes Gram. (n.d). Quotes about water ripple effect. Received from
https://quotesgram.com/quotes-and-sayings-about-ripples/
The Canadian Encyclopedia. (n.d). Treaty 7 land acknowledgment. Retrieved from
https://www.storyhive.com/projects/3852
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LT2- Photo Essay

Story Hire. (2018). The crying fields. [Video]. Retrieved from

https://www.storyhive.com/projects/3852