On the land gathering: education for reconciliation

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the meaning of education for reconciliation in the context of Canadian settler-colonialism. It captures an attempt to delve into the meaning of reconciliation as an experiential process, through learning on the land with the Tahltan People. We focus on reconciliation not as a theory or political discourse, but rather as a meeting point of theory and experience. We identify and discuss four main components of education for reconciliation: Land as educator, Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy, reciprocity, and sovereignty. We argue for the need to shift from superficial and theoretical discourses of reconciliation in the classrooms to deep engagement with Indigenous knowledge and ways of living on the land.

KEYWORDS:

• Reconciliation
• land pedagogy
• Indigenous education
• decolonizing education; Indigenous knowledge

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Sara Shneiderman for her help in the initial stages of this study. Our gratitude also to the editors and reviewers of CSIE for their constructive critiques.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lilach Marom

Lilach Marom is a teacher educator and a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Her research is focused on questions of diversity and social justice in education. Some of her recent work was published in the Canadian Journal of Higher Education (2016), Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies (2017), the Canadian Journal of Education (2017), and Race, Ethnicity and Education (2018).

Curtis Rattray

Curtis Rattray, Curtis is a Tahltan educator who lives in Tahltan territory; he is interested in learning on the land through cultural experiences and wellness.