Learning from Indigenous Literatures

“How should we teach and learn from Indigenous literatures?” The aim of this website is to help educators gather resources and engage with current critical debates in Indigenous literary studies in order to responsibly teach and do justice to the complexity and diversity of Indigenous literary arts in their classrooms. In this section you will find lectures, position papers, and roundtable discussions among educators who reflect upon their own positionality, especially as it is shaped by the stories and histories of the land they stand upon. Acknowledging the territories under our feet, as a daily practice, and as shaping all of our thinking and doing in every aspect of our lives is one of the most important first steps in better understanding our responsibilities and roles as teachers and life-long learners in Indigenous literary studies. In acknowledging the land that we walk and talk upon, we ground ourselves and commit ourselves to reflect upon our own perspectives, even as we grapple with the complexity and dynamism of Indigenous perspectives. Ask yourself what do you know of the Indigenous territories of the place where you live. Go to Native-land.ca and find out on whose lands you live, and where you grew up. Did you know this information already? If so, how did you find out, and from whom? Is this information well known within your family or community?