Research Overview
Who we are, how we worked, what we did, and a summary of our findings.
Project Background
This research project was born as a response to horrific injustices that Indigenous peoples specifically face in health and education systems. Within higher education, opportunities for emerging professionals to engage in transformative reflection on the experiences of MMIWG2s+ and Indigenous-specific racism are broadly unavailable. Places of education and learning have been built on colonial systems of thought and action, and engaging education and health professionals during this important developmental period is crucial if we want profound and necessary shifts to occur. Arts-based, antiracist workshops can foster alternative and transformative learning experiences and increase critical engagement with challenging topics, as they engage both thinking and feeling processes, oftentimes in community with others.
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Research Purpose and Objectives
This research project formed an interdisciplinary research collective of Indigenous peoples and settlers who together explored how arts-based, antiracist educational strategies support emerging health and education professionals in engaging with and responding to the MMIWG2S+ report.
From this research, this toolkit was developed to thoughtfully engage educators and emerging professionals alike in actively responding to the MMIWG2S+ Calls to Justice, implementing anti-racist and culturally humble pedagogy, and joining together to disrupt oppressive systems of care.
What We Did
Our collective work took place across three different territories and was knit together through a shared intention for change in our lands. The first workshop was held on Treaty 1 Territory with University of Manitoba (UM) students and faculty and involved soil art to respond to the land fill crisis. The second workshop was held on Stó:lō Territory with Trinity Western University (TWU) students and faculty and involved Tear Drop Art to respond to the crisis on the Highway of Tears. The third workshop was held on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory with Thompson Rivers University (TRU) students and faculty and involved red dress art to respond to the crisis in local communities.
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How We Worked
We worked together collectively as Indigenous faculty members, knowledge keepers, staff and students, and European settler researchers to decolonize the research process. Indigenous research principles guided participatory action research project. We walked together down two parallel paths to transform ourselves and our relationshipswith each other and our response to the MMIWG2s+ atrocities. For more information about our research methods, please see our published papers.
Overall Study Findings
We worked together collectively - Indigenous faculty members, knowledge keepers, staff and students, and European settler researchers - to decolonize the research process through emphasizing relationship, honesty, reflection, and community. We walked together down two parallel paths to transform ourselves and our relationships - with the land, with each other, and with our response to the MMIWG2s+ atrocities. Indigenous research methodologies guided our work, and together we sacredly held the truth of blood memory, a knowing that memory, story, and experience are not only cognitive functions but also deeply connected to blood, breath, and land. This knowledge connected us to the memory of those who came before us, honouring the wisdom and impact that sharing our stories and encouraging reflection brings.
Conclusion
Through art, we opened the door to deep, meaningful reflection. This project brought nurse and education participants and facilitators alike closer to ourselves, to each other, and to the land we share. Most importantly, by offering tangible pedagogical strategies and resources, honouring Indigenous knowledges, we created a shared space to critically engage with and honor the MMWIG2S+ Calls to Justice and support Indigenization of nursing and education curriculum.