Reflections on the coursework and readings of Approaching Knowledge.

Fall 2020

REFLECTION 1

Little did I know that in enrolling in a mandatory course for my interdisciplinary degree, I would be enrolling in something radical, subversive, and countercultural. In my many years’ journey away from academia, I had already begun to question the sources of knowledge that I had been raised to see as legitimate. Science, academia, and even religious authorities began to break down in my attempts to live in a more holistic and de-colonized way; this was quite a challenge for a western raised colonial settler like myself.

Many of the things we have been learning in this course are not completely new ideas to me. Though not novel, these ideas have been shared with beautiful, rich, subversive language not used by colonial settler academics. It has been such a treat to read a variety of indigenous academics and wisdom-thinkers sharing their views on academia at large as well as how to make space for more traditional ways of knowing without compromising those sources of wisdom. Jo-Ann Archibald’s words in Indigenous Storywork set the stage with her introduction to Coyote the Trickster and their necessitated two-eyed seeing. 

Leanne Simpson’s Land as Pedagogy is also an amazing example of anti-colonial resistance writing. Having a research paper that begins with poetic storytelling is radical in itself, regardless of what else the author intends to say. To me, Simpson’s desire was clear. It was as if, through her prose, she was saying: I have legitimate things to say in the world of academia and I refuse to conform to your western, colonial standard of knowledge sharing in order to prove my legitimacy–the indigenous way is more than enough.

I was struck in both Archibald and Simpson’s writing at the richness of the languages they claimed as mother tongues. Perhaps more specifically, I was shocked to discover the shortcomings of my own mother tongue, English. Often in their writings, Archibald and Simpson would translate a single Nishnaabeg or Halq’eméylem word into an entire sentence or concept in English often claiming that the English translation still fell short of the indigenous wisdom they were generously sharing. It’s hard to ignore these linguistic shortcomings and even harder to not extend these realities into simile. Like the shortcomings of English in expressing reciprocity, holism, and spiritual connectedness, western colonial academia has also fallen short in areas of reciprocity, respect, and holism. In reality, the knowledge of colonial settlers alone is extremely stunted. 

Lori Snyder’s plant walk further confirmed the limitations of the western approach of knowledge. Though I found that I knew most of what she shared regarding plant nutrition and medicinal uses, I was totally floored by the language she used to talk about the plants that surrounded us. Her language centred around relationship, respect, and reciprocity–words that we were first introduced to in Indigenous Storywork. Instead of ‘using’ the plant, Lori talked of being in relationship with the plant, accepting its offerings as sacred gifts, and then offering something back whether it’s tobacco or pruning or simply taking just enough with deep gratitude. 

Perhaps what has become the most evident is that there is so much more to learn. I’m looking forward to continued alterations and developments in my own identity as a settler, student, and artist. For now, I will recognise that the ability to expand my own ways of knowing is only possible because of the generosity of these indeginous elders and storytellers who graciously share their wisdom.

REFLECTION 2

When I registered for INTS 210 ‘Approaching Knowledge’ I thought that I was simply fulfilling a graduation requirement for my interdisciplinary degree. Little did I know that I would be embarking on a lifelong journey of deep and meaningful integration of which this course is only the first step. Coming into adulthood in East Vancouver, I believed I had, at the very least, a decent understanding of west coast Indigenous history (and, therefore, culture and knowledge). In reality, I had no conceptual or concrete experience of Indigenous ways of knowing. Evidently, I was deeply embedded in the limitations of western logic and academia. I held the assumption that I was a thinker radically removed from white thought and the male gaze simply because I identified as a woman of colour, and a queer one at that. 

Reading the likes of Jo-Ann Archibald, Cheryl Bartlett, and Beverly Tatum expanded my academic world. For the first time, I was directly exposed to the idea that North American, or Euro-centric white, academia is oftentimes void of the rich and diverse ways of knowing that are passed down ancestrally, traditionally, orally in communities that are fighting to survive their eradication brought on by colonization and western imperialism. 

After our outdoor walk with Lori Snyder, I invited her to be featured in a podcast (launching December 2020) episode concerned with relating to the land and decolonizing our ways of engaging with the land. It was during that conversation that I was reminded by my co-host that Indigenous knowledge (especially on relating to the land, flora and fauna) have significant similarities to  ancestral wisdom from my own heritage in the form of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Lori agreed enthusiastically and reminded us that all over the world, different cultures, historically, have been saying the same thing: holistic individual and societal health have their roots in traditional practices, embodied wisdom, and relationships with the environment.

This understanding of holism, though rudimentary in Indigenous communities around the world, is a total game changer in the realm of western academia. Such richness could be achieved by weaving together western knowledge, Indigenous wisdom, and personal experience.

I identify as many things; I am a birth worker, an artist, a daughter, a queer woman. Though I plan on pursuing a career in midwifery, I know I will always identify as an artist. I am aware of this reality all the more when considering my graduation project and beyond. Oftentimes, academia has little or no place for visual/fine arts to be authoritative voices in research or narrative shaping and exploration. I hope to look specifically at this deficiency by exploring the question of how art can be used to offer a more nuanced exploration of queer identities and experiences in and through academia. I’m interested in the differences between how queer culture, and individual experiences, are written about and presented and what queer experiences actually look like and the effect that that dichotomy has on queer students and the shaping of queer culture. I hope to present my reflections and findings on this big question in an art show as a direct example of how visual art can be used to explore interdisciplinary, academic questions.

I hope to use this ePortfolio academically, as I continue to shape my graduation project. Further reflections will help shape the specific direction to be pursued. This ePortfolio will also be a helpful documentation of the exploration process of refinement, creation, and presentation of my graduation project and tutorials.