NNEC student speaks at AFN summit

A Northern Nishnawbe Education Council student is concerned the Indigenous worldview is non-existent in mainstream university studies.
Wasaskwun Winston Wuttunee is a Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug band member and student at Vancouver Island University. He was taking part in the Assembly of First Nation’s virtual summit for First Nation students on post-secondary education Jan. 27.
“It’s like First Nation studies is teaching us in one direction and we have the rest of the students going through school with no acknowledgement of Indigenous people and no acknowledgement of their Indigenous governance systems,” Wuttunee said during the summit.
The summit had about 100 students participating at Vancouver Island University and another 400 participating online.
Wuttunee also questioned how to challenge teachers to think outside “their typical Eurocentric thinking that they’ve been taught.”
“How are we going to get them to acknowledge and recognize First Nations people so that students like me can feel proud to be in those classrooms and feel proud to stand up for what I believe in and express myself?” Wuttunee asked.
National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo thanked Wuttunee for his question on how First Nations can challenge teachers, institutions and ways of learning.
“I think you are posing the question to all of us about the place of Indigenous world view, Indigenous governance and Indigenous perspectives in the place of learning,” Atleo said.
He noted that Wuttunee raised the issue of changing learning “from the notion of inculcating, or pouring data into one’s mind,” towards “an exchange where institutions and instructors and professors and teachers also have much to be able to learn … about Indigenous peoples and our place in sharing the lands.”
Oshki-Pimache-O-Win’s executive director Rosie Mosquito shared an online message with the summit participants about Oshki’s role in education post-secondary students.
“Our graduation rate has grown by about 3,000 per cent in five years,” Mosquito said. “Other Aboriginal institutes in Ontario have similar experiences so together we are contributing to decrease the education gap that exists between First Nations and Canada.”
Mosquito also brought up the need for more investments for Aboriginal educational institutes.
“So I put in a pitch for Aboriginal institutes,” Mosquito said. “Generally, First Nation students in post-secondary education require more funding support, but so do Aboriginal institutes.”
Atleo asked a number of prepared questions to the students and online participants were able to send in their comments, some of which Atleo aired.
A video of the summit is available online at www.viu.ca/afn-psesummit.