The intent of this workshop is to introduce participants with an overview of the local oral history and worldview of the Rotinonhsión:ni Confederacy; examine what are Territorial land acknowledgments and its linkages to current discourse around land, community, and western based academic institutions and relationships to Indigenous Peoples. Questions to be explored include: what are territorial land acknowledgments? Why is it important? What is your relationship to the land Concordia is built on?
At the end of this workshop, students will:
- Develop a deeper understanding of what is a Territorial Land Acknowledgment within the context of Concordia university’s teaching and learning across the curriculum.
- Increase their awareness and general knowledge about the local history and lived experiences of who the Kanien’kehá:ka people are.
- Develop critical analysis examining Territorial land acknowledgements as it relates to the Kanien’kehá:ka lands Concordia’s university is built on and its implications on teaching and learning and the lived experiences of local Indigenous communities.
This workshop is led by Donna Kahérakwas Goodleaf.
Donna Kahérakwas Goodleaf is Turtle Clan and is a citizen from the Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) Nation, Kahnawake Territory, which is part of the Rotinonhsión:ni Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. She is a Kanien’kehá:ka educator and scholar who joined Concordia university in January of 2018 and is the Director Decolonizing Curriculum and Pedagogy . Her primary role is to develop university-wide training for Concordia faculty on decolonizing and Indigenizing their curriculum programs of study in ways that re-center the advancement and integration of Indigenous peoples’ diverse humanities - intellectual, scientific and cultural knowledge systems, worldviews, epistemologies, histories, research and pedagogies across all academic units. She also serves on the Indigenous Directions Leadership Group.
Her faculty teaching and Indigenous-centered curriculum design experiences in various academic programs in the Humanities span across Canada and the United States. In addition, Donna has vast experiences working in Indigenous communities on a local, national and international level in the areas of Indigenous-centered education, language and cultural revitalization programs. Her current research interests are in decolonization and advancing Indigenous Humanities, Indigenous –centered-education, protection and promotion of Indigenous language and cultural rights, Indigenous land rights and rights to self-determination and Human Rights.