All we need is a wâspison

Tanisi, Preston Huppie nitisiyihkâson (my name is). I am a Métis/Cree educator from the Métis homeland and the Treaty 6 ancestral territory in what is now referred to as Alberta. The story of who I am leads to the challenge of fitting in a balanced education involving an Indigenous world view and a Western world view. It began with our family being forced to move west, away from the Red River of Manitoba. As settlers moved in, so did Western values. Métis people, and Indigenous values, were displaced and struggled with their placement and identity on this land. Our Indigenous world view was taken from us through the loss of culture, language and traditions. 

When they signed treaties with settlers, our Elders said we must learn both Indigenous and Western ways if we are to live in harmony together. However, throughout our history together, settlers haven’t shown much interest in learning about Indigenous ways, and Indigenous Peoples have only learned Western ways through oppressive systems like Residential or Day Schools. Moving forward together means we all need to decolonize our minds, bodies, spirits and hearts, find a balance between two world views that don’t always see eye to eye, and provide a balanced education for all students.

The way I seek to find balance between the world views is through the concept of a moss bag, or ­wâspison in Cree. A moss bag is an Indigenous carrying case for babies that’s made from moose hide, deer hide or cloth. Laces are used to tie the baby inside so they can be carried, cared for and loved. Just the head and the face of the baby are visible while the arms and legs are gently wrapped like in a mother’s womb. Beaded flowers or a floral design typically adorn each side and actual moss was used as a medicine to keep babies healthy. The babies learned to trust those who tied and cuddled them. I believe our education system needs to bring together Indigenous and Western views and tie them together in a way that can hold our collective histories with students nestled in, like in a moss bag. This is my philosophy of teaching. As we teach and learn more about the two world views, we’ll see our students within the moss bag of education and we’ll know they are receiving the best education, as our ancestors intended. 

As a Métis/Cree educator, I am here to tie the moss bag of two world views together so that each has its place in reconciliation. I am here to help students with who they are, where they come from and how they fit within this moss bag of education. I am also here to provide this perspective of balanced teaching to non-Indigenous teachers in the classroom, school and community. 

We must learn our shared inherited history both as settlers and as Indigenous Peoples. This must not be a hierarchy of learning, but more a balance of learning coming from two world views. We need to know that this is the best thing to do. Through reconciliation, together we can all learn about the truth and history of this land and provide the best education for our students and ourselves.