 I would just like to ask you from your perspective what is Indigenous Aboriginal education from your perspective? There's a lot to the Aboriginal education. I do not use the word Indigenous because nobody asked me whether I wanted my person changed again. It's been changed ten times in my lifetime and so I'm Cree and I'm Aboriginal but I would prefer to call myself First Peoples. First Peoples education is the life, your lifestyle, your experiences and also of who you are and also going to our old people's teachings like the old way and bringing it forward. Because within that what our grandfathers experience every one of those have a teaching and that it can be brought forward to teach even the youngest ones. We touched a little bit about the little child that wasn't grounded and that was an experience that I had as a young mom and an experience from my mom from her grandma of how we had to ground our children. And that's not being done with our children. And the other one too is another grandfather, our great-great-grandfathers and our forefathers have taught us is even the umbilical cord of what is that being done and how are they being treated. And a lot of them end up in the dump and it's almost throwing the spirit away of our children. And so I teach all that and even our traditions of when we have a loss in our family and those are some of the things that has gone, been thrown aside, it's not practiced anymore. And I believe a lot of that has to also do with the residential school. But today I do teach what I've been taught by my grandparents and my parents. And also the elders that I had the opportunity of studying with across Canada, which I did that for six years. And I traveled right from Halifax down to Vancouver, BC. And the first elder I studied with was Albert Lightning from Obama and then Chief Snow from the Blackfoot Nation. And then also Robert Redcaf, who was an elder also, from the San Chalochis. And so from there I went to Halifax and studied with Ernie Benedict, who is an elder in Nova Scotia. And then right across to the territories with Tom Eagle and then in Vancouver with Chief Dan George, son Bob George. And in that lifetime I also sat with my own elders and also other elders throughout the past 30, 40 years. And every one of them have said that our children need to learn about our old ways because they're still there. They didn't get buried away. They're not gone. And following that tradition, following those teachings, it's amazing how they help adults, help children understand who they are and where they belong. I teach in numerous schools. I work with adults, elders, children. And I teach everything from drumming. I teach the medicines. I do the smudging. And we do the sweat lodge. And we also do the dance. And I do the First Nations and the Métis Jig. I teach the Métis Jig also. And also the fire ceremonies. And also I take many, many people out into the bush and rivers and creeks to pick medicines. And I grow a lot in my backyard here. I have trees. I have plants. I have sage growing, I have plantain and raspberries, I have saskatoons and rappel trees and choke cherries and wide range. And plus I grow others too. The thing is like it's there. It's all there. And we can go as natural as possible to go out and get our own medicines. And so it's teaching that so it doesn't get lost. I teach the language. And I open my teachings is not just the Aboriginal people or First Peoples. And it's open to everyone. And everyone is treated the same in the classrooms. I do my teachings in a circle. And it's amazing how the children respond a lot better than in the desk. Because this way everyone is involved in the circle. Not one person is left out of not asking a question or even responding to a question. And because so many of our people are shy. And if I ask a question I notice that they don't put their hands up or anything. They look at me and they'll smile and I know they know. And so I thought, you know, teaching with the desks just didn't work. So I asked I told the principal, you know that you want me to you're asking me to come and teach Aboriginal culture. I don't teach crafts. I teach Aboriginal culture. If I have an individual and it's a one on one and then we will make something. I teach a random of Aboriginal crafts and paintings and at the same time though it's a teaching. They will make dream catchers if they want one. But making a dream catcher is not just a dream catcher. It is rites of passage of where they originated and why and the purpose of it. It's not just to catch bad dreams and so there's many things in there that there's an involvement. And then yet you can go up to a store and you buy it and that's not right. And also many of our sacred objects. I don't teach them how to make the sacred objects. But I teach them how to play the drum and the fan and the pipe. And also the rattle. Those are sacred objects. It's not something that people can just attend a workshop and make a drum or make a rattle. Because those are sacred objects to us because I remember when my first son was born and I saw my dad with the ceremonies and stuff and they'd have a rattle. The traditional rattle. But I was at Hudson Bay and I walked in and I saw this little beautiful little blue rattle for a baby so I bought it. And I bought it for my son and my son is playing it in the house and my dad comes home and I was visiting my dad and mom and dad and then here dad hears who brought that rattle in here and I said I did. I bought it for my son. And he takes it and throws it in the fire. And he said that thing. He says you never know what a child can bring into the house. A good spirit or a bad spirit. And so I had my teaching and my his dad, my Muslim and my dad and they sat down and talked to us about the sacredness of a rattle. So there's many things that people today abuse. Because you look around my house, do you see any drums or things hanging around? No. Or eagle feathers? I noticed that, yeah. No, because they're sacred to us. It's clear. Because the thing is like people walk through my house and I never know what their spirit is like and it could attach it to the drum or to the eagle feather or something. And not only that but then if I turn around and someone I go to play the drum then that spirit hits that person because I don't know what that other person came out. I smudge it and stuff but still I protect it. It's wrapped up in a cloth. Yeah. Would it be fair to say, what I hear you saying is education cannot, Indigenous education cannot just be considered things. That's right. Crafts. That's right. There's so many more levels. There's many. And you need to determine or you decide who's privy to that information as they go along. You share when you feel it's ready or time. Yes, because when I work with the kids I don't have a schedule that says today we're going to learn about drumming. Today we're going to learn even the language. So I look at the kids and then I say, okay, we're going to do drumming today. And the kids are all excited. But they're also taught how to handle the drum and to warm up the drum, put the essence in that drum. And also the songs you're going to sing. And also the teachings of the drum, you know, is the heartbeat and how many of them they take the drum and they just start whacking it. And I said, is that how you treat your mother? You know, there's violence against women. And I said, if you hit that drum that hard again, I got to take it away from you. I said, because I don't allow violence to women. And they're looking at me as well. That's who we look at. You know, where there's a child here that first heartbeat, that drum, is in the woman. And that tells me many stories of when I'm working with adult men and they take the drum and they just whack it. They find out later on and that, oh, yeah, he beats up women. He had these girls and he beats them up. He even hits his mom and I'm going, oh, the drum just told on him. And those things. But even through there, I'll just say, okay, what are you guys learning in social today? Well, we're learning about residential school. Okay. Then I share my life in residential school. Then I tell them about what other people have studied. Of course, while I'm at the school has actually given me a classroom. So I brought in a lot of my information there. And so I can pull that out and then we get to look at it. And like the little kids, I have videos of the stories of how the rabbit turns, why the rabbit turns white in the winter and stuff like that. And so, but these are things that it also teaches them the values. Because I know that we have the TP teachings and we have the seven sacred teachings and we have the circle of courage, you know, but you can go, you can. I, what I do is I take all of that together. And then, then if someone says, well, because right now the biggest thing in kids in foster cares religion, you know, well, I don't want my child to learn because we are this religion, we're that religion, we're men and I, so we're Christians, we're born again. And I don't want my, you know, I don't want my child to learn about his culture. You know, I'm going, well, what do you mean culture? They don't realize, they think culture is religion. It's all spirituality. It's all sweat, lodge and Sundance and, you know, and I have to break it down to them. You know, there's language, there's their foods and there's our dancing, our history. I said, don't Ukrainians have a dance? Don't the Russians have a dance? You know, don't the Scottish have the backpipes? That's their culture. Well, whatever it is you guys do, we don't want to know. So, you know, and so the kids then I, I'm open with them and I share what it is that they're learning at the time it's in class. And it's amazing how some children will, they'll ask, they're open to ask. And I always encourage them to ask. And this is from, I believe that if, if there's a person in their child that's there and wants to know something, but they're hesitant, they're shy or they're going to think, they don't know anything. But there's always someone that will think of that question and ask. And you could see, I could see this little little child go, and then they're listening, you know, and they'll say, well, how come, you know? And so then I, you know, I'll explain it. And then the little kid is like, sit back and I'm going, ah, that's what I wanted to know. You know, and so I keep my, my way of teaching is keeping them involved by asking questions. But I never ask them questions of their life. What, what kind of life are they leading right now? Because that is not what I'm hired to do. I get these children or the people that come to me, they come to me because they're going through a problem. Even from dreams to sweatlots to, ah, I have to take, I have to go, I'm going to a powwow, where can I go? What is an elder? You know, what is considered an elder? So how come this is this and this, you know? So I share that with them. So part of, one of the important things is, is for individuals, students, is to learn who are they. I had the opportunity of going to Beaver Lodge and they were having a heritage day. And every child, not every child, but there was a room for the gymnasium, had all the children that participated, well I guess not all of them, but the majority of them, all came in with their, there was an Irishman, Scottish of all their cultures. And they had the family involved and they brought their little artifacts in there. There was a mate tea and it was a First Nation, they had all the moccasins and stuff like that. And I guess they had did some beating and there was other cultures. And then we just walked around and looked and all these children knew, you know, their culture. And they were so proud to talk about their culture. And you know, that's the only school I've seen do that. Really? I haven't seen any other school and I've been after them to do it. And I think they should throw out every school. Absolutely. Because today we have so many grandfathers and melting pot of cultures. Because we have their Syrians and the Black race. We have the Asians and the Caucasians and even mixed Aboriginal people are here. Yeah, yeah. You know, and they think that you see one Aboriginal, you've seen them all. No. And I explained to the children over and over. And even the students, I said, you know, there was 18 dialects in Alberta, Cree. And then not only that, but there's different tribes. I said, I don't understand what a Black foot is saying. Yeah, absolutely. It's a completely different language. It's a different language. Yeah. And even their foods are cooked a little different than ours. Yeah. Well, you know, even this tobacco that was been prepared was Linda Menigun's Black Foot Woman. Yeah. It's been with the Buffalo Fat rendering. Oh, yeah. It's a little different. I was going to explain, but I'm sorry. That's okay. They're up on a crazy drive. That's awesome. It's a little bit different. And I learned, but I told her I'm going to have to tell people if they notice. Why is it different? Well, you're not supposed to open it. Yeah. Yeah. So you'll know that it was in the oven. It's homegrown tobacco and it's been rendered with Buffalo Fat. And I said, that's completely different than we do it up north. Yeah. And so, you know, so, yeah, language. Everything's very different. Yeah. I grew tobacco back here too. Aren't they beautiful? Hey. Have you ever seen them? Once we grew a plant in Calgary. And it was so big. It was like a person. Huge. I felt like they were people just like this in the back yard. Yeah. They grew right up up to my deck here. Oh my gosh. All the way down was like over eight feet tall. Yeah. And huge leaves. Yeah. Huge. It was very true. Yeah. What is your vision for Indigenous education in the next 10 years? What would you like to see? I would like to see an elder or someone that knows their culture very, very well. And to teach, to have a classroom like I have in the schools right now. And to teach that and to have not just a half an hour here, 15 minutes here. Like I went to an elders conference and some of the elders that were there said, oh yeah, they bring me in just to come in 20 minutes or half an hour and that's it. And I said, no. I said, you should have one classroom that they come in per whatever study block. Yeah. Time. Yeah. 40 minutes and then another class comes in 40 minutes and another class comes in. The next week you come in, you know, whether it's there for once a week, all day. Yeah. Or every morning, Monday to Friday. Right. Or Monday to Thursday because sometimes, well, they used to have Friday off, now they don't. Yeah. Consistent. So everyone gets to learn it. Right. You know. And if they think, why should they have it only for Aboriginal people? Well, if you want, get the other cultures in there too. Yeah. You know. But I think because this is first people's country, then they should get to know about us. I would love to learn about other cultures. You know what I did in Red Deer? I moved from Red Deer and they, I worked for Alberta Gas Ethylene. And I don't know how it worked, but all my friends that we hung around together, we're all different ethnics and it was 12 of us. Everything. And once a month, we would go to either Edmonton or Calgary and we'd go to a play or something and then go to a restaurant. But it was always a different ethnic restaurant. And once a month, we would cook our cultural food, but we took turns. So I had a Scottish. I had a German. I had an Armenian and English, Cree. But Japanese and Chinese and they all cooked their food. Everything. And then we made little pamphlets and stuff and we taught them about our culture. Everybody, you know, as there was so much food in there that I didn't know, you know, who made baklava and the German food and I got the taste was a little bit of it. The Scottish haggis. We'll hear about the haggis. That wasn't. I will respect them. But the thing is though, it gave me a better understanding. You know, it's not just like we just worked together for like eight, nine years and best of buddies. And we went to, you know, operas and concerts and stuff. But once a month, we got to learn about each other. Really personal. Very in-depth. Yeah. And everything from the Japanese, he was a single guy. So I helped him. We went shopping in Calgary, came all the way back to Red Deer and cooked at my house. And then we took the legs off the table and we extended it. And then we put like books. And then we all started with cushions and not only that, but he went and got a whole bunch of dishes. He bought some and he also rented some of the Japanese dishes. Everything. And then we rolled the rice and all everything. And then we sat there. And I learned as he was cooking, I was helping him. So you have to show me how and well, how could you, how do you do this and how, you know. And then also when I was cooking my stuff and then they all had, they could come and help if they wanted. And I remember this one guy says, and I don't want no innards, you know. And so I had mousse. I had roast and tripe and mousse nose and a tongue. And then I had salmon and I had some dry meat and all the different vegetables, you know, how we cook them. And so everybody just raw, raw about, and he says, there better be no innards here. You know, he's just eating away and the innards. And then after we were done. And so I put everything in Cree. And then I didn't put it. They had to learn how to say them in Cree. And then, and then I told them after what it was. And then when he found out that he just had mousse nose and he had the tongue and he had the tripe. And, you know, I did have some liver. He did recognize the liver, you know, but it was just like small amounts, you know, because it was problem. Yeah. But it was, and he is trying to make himself throw up. I said, but it was good. Yeah, it was good, you know. So you must have walked away from that with a much better understanding of their culture. I did. And that's what I am. I really encourage people to whoever the issue, you know, when they go out into the world is get to know them. Not just that I work with them or this is my, you know, what we work together, but who are they? You know, and I think that would make a better world. For education, that makes a good sense. And not only that, but it's in our medicine wheel. Because if you have the red race, yellow race, black race and white race, and if you're prejudiced to one race, your prejudice to everyone. And so you have to get to know everyone. So, you know, understand. And that is one of the things I teach the children, even adults, you know, and about, I asked them first of all, I said, so where do you belong? They look at me like I'm weird. So I have to explain to them. And he go, yeah, well, I know my grandpa was a Dutch. So how much do you know about Dutch? You know, so just, and then they turn around next time I see them and they've done research. And then, or they'll text me and then they're all happy. And they said, you know, I can understand the children wanting to know who they are. You know, maybe they're babies, but that gene is there. It's there. Yeah, it didn't die. It's still, it passed on through generation, you know. So they need to know who they are. Yes. And everything I hear you saying that girl comes down to that. Because that gives you that part of that security and that belonging. And also from there, there's so many stories like I went to in BC of Youth Conference in Prince George. And it was a young man who shared his story of being raised, a vice mom, and then she ended up putting him in foster care and then she passed away. And he had a rough, rough life. And then he aged out, lived on the streets and met a girl and they had a baby and they broke up. I loved the baby, but the baby wasn't his and just devastated him. Then he walked in and he heard some music down the street. This is down in Vancouver. And so he stood outside and listened and it was warm but the door was open. And then the next week he went there again. And finally he got a little closer, a little closer. Fine. He went in and then they welcomed him in and then he started participating. And then from there he met another girl and they had a baby. I made sure this was mine. But in his heart he wanted to find his family and he was from Saskatchewan. And so he decided to go on a walk. And he saved up some money and he started walking across from Vancouver all the way lower, Alberta, BC, Alberta. And then Saskatchewan, they lived way up north. And then along the way he sent his wife and the baby back home. And he kept on going and he would stay in reserves and he would share his story and they'd help him in a way he'd go again. And he'd go to native organizations and he said, yeah, some places I was turned out, he turned out because he didn't look native. And they thought he was just a guy that was trying to get a handout or something and give some with phony story. And so he ended up back on the reserve. And I guess he thought, because he had told him he was coming. He knew who his grandfather was. And so I guess he entered, he showed up and he went to the band office. Nobody, yeah, you made it. He didn't get that response. He thought he would get. And then he, I guess he went and camped off the reserve along a creek, a creek or river, by a water anyway. And so I guess he had some people visit and then they just check him out and stuff. And then finally this one guy came out and said, told him to leave. He said, these are my people. I said, I control them. He was a drug dealer. And so he said, no, he said, I'm here to meet my family. So this is where I belong. You don't, you know. And so then a principal came to see him and asked him if he would come and talk to the students. And so he did and he shared his story and how he, what made him decide to want to find out who he is and where does he belong, you know. And that encouraged the children wanting to know where they belong, you know. And so I guess the band, the band was there, the chief account for somebody was there anyway and heard his story, then got a hold of the family. And I guess the family was waiting because they didn't know if they was real. That was their grandfather, their brother or sister relative. And so I guess he went to meet them and then they had a big feast for him and then they told him who he was and, you know, and his mother and this is your dad, this is your brothers and your uncles and, you know. But the thing is like he did that whole circle, the circle of courage, belonging, his independence. Then he experienced generosity from all the people and his generosity to share his story. And he mastered it. Like he didn't quit half ways. He completed his circle of courage. Yeah. Oh. And so many people need to do that. What happened to him? Oh, he's still in Vancouver. That's amazing. He works for, he does a lot of youth groups and he does a lot of sharing. And he has a wife and he is healthy and he's tall and he's so vibrant when he speaks like he's, the stage is here, but he ends up going out and then he walks back and forth to all the kids and he's so excited to share his story and you're like, you can't but follow him and everywhere he's going. And my son has all that information. Like I'd like to see him come here and share his story of how he went out to find out who he is. Because especially there's so many, there's 7,000 in Alberta, 7,000 Aboriginal kids are in care. In that same boat. In Alberta. Wow. 7,000. They say 67%, but what's the percentage? Nobody ever stopped to ask and I asked, so what is 67%? At one time it was 87%. Oh my God. That's how many, and what happened why it's gone so low is because so many of them aged out. But that's child care. Now there's adults. In that boat. Yeah. Wow. They're 18 to 24 that are still under social services. What information, materials, resources, what is necessary for that to happen? I've seen a book from Alberta Health Education. They did come up with a curriculum to bring to the schools in Alberta. And I've also seen one in BC. They're similar, but it's about BC and this one's about culture, Alberta. And I believe that it should be in every school and that they should, I know they are working on another curriculum, but it needs, and also the people that are servicing or working with Aboriginal people, they should know the culture. They should be taking that course because how can you work with someone when you don't know who they are? You haven't had dinner with them. That's right. That's right. Guess who's coming to dinner? Asians, the Germans, the natives. That's right. They need to know who they are. We weren't born yesterday or 200 years ago. History has been found over 10,000, 20,000 years that we've been here. So they should get to know who we are. And it's not just the Hollywood movies that they need to know us. They need to sit with us and learn about us. And also the positives, because I asked so many children, adults, can you give me one positive thing that you know of Aboriginal people? Well, there's you. Well, no. I said there's more. So I've compiled the list that I bring to the youth. All the speakers, the actors, the singers, the top model, just from Sugar Creek. And then there's the dancers. Canada's got talent. And it was the Métis dancers that won. Yeah, that's true. And so... Role models. Role models. And then the kids go, oh, you know. And then I have some of their pictures and I show them, eh? And they are so like, wow. I said, you know, I didn't know you guys did that. You know? And the different... There's an astronaut who's Aboriginal. Yeah. Hockey players, basketball players. Right. You know, they're Aboriginal and people don't know that until you bring it out. So the positives. Yes. Because they're so used to seeing the negatives. Like, we have a group here, Shannon Dunfield, who took a group of Aboriginal kids to, oh, was it Toronto? Pretty indigenous games. And they came home with gold and silver. And how far did that go? I don't know. I don't remember seeing it on Daily Herald. It was on baseball. I didn't know. So they should be, you know, from Alberta, lifted up. You know, you hear about McDavid because he's having a bad day, he's pouting because his team's not backing him up or something. Oh, yeah, you hear about that one. Yeah. A lot of negatives. Yes, but let's have some positives. Is there anything else that you would like to say in indigenous education and best practices in your experience? All I can say is that, is to keep the doors open. Like, it's not just... It seems like every time we get a new government, we get in, there's a different trend that happens. I remember in 1977, 1978, they did have Aboriginal teachings. They'd have people come in and speak to the kids. And then that died off. And then now, in the past two, three years, it's been more and more. But then when Trudeau goes out, another government comes in. Are we going to get another name? And then all of a sudden, there'll be no teachings of the Aboriginal culture? Yeah, we'll get renamed again. We'll get renamed again? Yes? You said you had 10 names in your life. 10 labels? 10 labels. And you don't like indigenous? Oh, no, I don't. Because I don't know what we're going to be called the next government. Because before Trudeau was a conservative government called the Aboriginal First Nation Métis in Inuit. And then before that was Native. And before that was Bill C-31. Status, not status. Yeah, lots of labels. Lots of labels. Savage Indian. Yeah. The Cree. The Cree, yeah. But thank you so much for your time. Thank you.