One thing that has been on my mind for the entire duration of the Indigenous Perspectives on Health and Healing course is, why has it taken this long for me to gain this information. I have learned more about Indigenous culture in the past 11 weeks than I have ever thought I would. These are things such as ceremonies and rituals, cultural norms, and aspects of history that until this point I was oblivious to. I will carry this information with me throughout the course of my life and my career, and I feel as if I am a better person and will be a better nurse for knowing it.
That being said, I think that information on the Indigenous people should be incorporated in all levels of schooling. This will hopefully enhance not only the respect, but perspectives on the First Nations peoples and their culture held by people who otherwise may not receive this information in the course of their lives and education.
Academic Indigenization is the idea of incorporation of Indigenous culture, ways of learning, and ways of knowing into the curriculum being taught at schools. This is a concept that has been becoming popular as of recently at universities across Canada. The University of Winnipeg recently announced on Nov. 20th, 2015 that it will require all students starting the next school year to take an Indigenous studies course in order to graduate . As well, Lakehead University as of May 2014 has made it a requirement for all students, beginning the 2016/17 school year, to take a course teaching at least 50% Indigenous knowledge or aboriginal content. These are great examples of Universities who are making change for the better. It is my hope that soon enough, here at Cape Breton University, we will be seeing a change to incorporating Indigenous course requirements in the programs being offered.
However, even though this is an outstanding change, I feel that we should not limit this to just our universities. We should be incorporating this knowledge into all levels of education. Children are like sponges, absorbing all this information which provides them with a basis on how to live their lives. If we strive to include Indigenous culture into their learning we could be promoting cultural competence and acceptance at an early age and make them better individuals because of this. That being said, by the time they are adults with children of their own, they may have the means to teach them of the Indigenous population and their ways of life and learning which is so profound here in Canada.
Two-Eyed Seeing for Health 