Sharing Indigenous Knowledges in University Teaching: The Need for Conciliable Spaces

Calls to Indigenize the curriculum have been occurring and, indeed, increasing across Canadian universities since the release in 2015 of the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC, 2015). The present article documents the emergence at two universities of a support program for Indigenous curriculum, in the form of digital Indigenous Learning Bundles. The Indigenous Learning Bundles model was first conceptualized in 2018 by Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) scholar Kahente Horn-Miller of Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada, and was later adopted in 2021 by an Indigenous-led curriculum development team at Western University. Both projects involve deep collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and strive to unite people around the ethical inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in a post-secondary setting. The bundles involve the co-creation of a collection of Indigenous-led digital teaching resources that prioritize local Indigenous knowledges and ethics in the making and delivering of learning opportunities in classrooms. The present paper draws on Indigenous approaches to scholarship in teaching and learning to document the development of these unique Indigenous Learning Bundles. Using aspects of case study and self-study research, the authors review and analyze project documents and their own experiences of the project to offer up six core tenets of Indigenous Learning Bundles work. They suggest that such work should uphold Indigenous ethics and intellectual sovereignty; privilege local Indigenous community voices and knowledges; operate in conciliable spaces outside Euro-Western academic governance and disciplinary structures; engage people collaboratively in the development process; rely on ongoing instructor supports to facilitate the teaching in classrooms; and require ongoing institutional support to be sustained into the future. The authors discuss the strengths and limitations of Indigenous bundles work in general and make recommendations for educators and universities wishing to explore similar Indigenous curriculum projects.

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