Workshops
These workshops are the culmination of 20 years of education, experience, and cultural teachings, relating to the field of Indigenous health. They represent my endeavor to create modern and effective Indigenous health policy that is culturally relevant.
Floating Sky is my attempt to break free from the constraints of writing proposals and funding sources that come with strings attached. The goal is to offer a more authentic and humane experience, one that is rooted in tradition and culture. As an Indigenous North American the collective knowledge possessed by the nations - of which I am a citizen - are encoded and transmitted through story. The late Chief Dan George once wrote “My people’s memory reaches into the begging of all things” (My Heart Soars). The memory referred to here, lives and breathes through story. These workshops are an invitation to experience the creativity, imagination, and effectiveness of the Indigenous pedagogy known as storytelling.
The series is designed to replicate Indigenous storytelling in a modern setting either online or in person. Workshops begin with an oral narrative to explicate the core ideas of each theme. Once the narrative portion of the workshop is complete, the facilitator will lead a round table discussion. Participants are encouraged to share their ideas, insights, thought, and voice their overall reflections. Creating and participating in this space is very important because it helps the group identify themes and trends, expand on ideas, and/or provide further clarity.
Collapsible content
1). Origins: Setting the Discourse
The focus of the first workshop is to recenter the plant within Iroquois culture and language. My approach relies on the Kaswentha (the two-row wampum belt treaty). The intention is not to assert Iroquoian culture onto different Indigenous nations but rather, to create dialogue that is rooted in Indigenous knowledges, which offers a baseline to answer the question “why is this plant considered sacred?”
This workshop is the most entrenched in Iroquoian culture and story. This workshop provides a glance insight into Iroquoian culture and traditional knowledge. For this reason, there are two version of this workshop: the summer and winter version.
The summer tells the story of the Peacemaker and how the Kayennerako:wa or Great Law of Peace was established.
The winter version explains the origins of oyenkwa’ón:we (tobacco) as described by the Iroquoian creation story.
Learning objectives:
- To learn more about the precolonial history of this plant.
- The gain insight into Indigenous culture and perspective.
- Where oyenkwa’ón:we comes from.
- Understand that this plant is sacred.
- Cultural history of oyenkwa’ón:we.
2). Uses of a Sacred and Powerful Medicine
The second workshop gives an overview of how this plant was/is used by the Iroquois. This covers extensive contexts including ecology, economy, medicinal, political, social, and spirituality.
This workshop reveals some of the ways this plant was used by Indigenous people and how these uses strengthened every aspect Iroquois society. This helps to create a greater understand of why Indigenous people regard this plant as sacred.
Learning objectives:
- How this plant is used by Indigenous peoples.
- Understand why oyenkwa’ón:we is sacred.
3). 'Sacred tobacco': An Indigenous-Specific Risk Factor
- The third workshop unpacks the history and development of the product known as tobacco. I explain how cultural genocide and the western commercialization/exploitation of this plant come together to form an Indigenous-specific risk factor I refer to as “sacred tobacco”.Learning objectives:
- Timeline of the invention of tobacco products.
- Reasons why tobacco is not sacred.
- Ability to differentiate between tobacco and oyenkwa’ón:we
4). Self-Procurement: Basic Methods of Growing and Preparing Medicine
The final workshop provides a road map for participants to reclaim, rename, and reimagine a sacred medicine dishonored by colonialism. The focus is the practical aspects of growing the plant, as well as drying, curing, storing techniques, bundle making, and protocols associated with gifting and receiving.
This workshop can be described as cultural access training. It is a way to facilitated access for Indigenous people to an aspect of their culture that was damaged by colonialism. Though, not meant to serve as a complete solution it provides one step towards healing.
Learning objectives:
- How to respectively engage with Indigenous culture.
- How to care for a sacred medicine (oyenkwa’ón:we).
- Protocols and practices for gi]ing.
- Appropriate way to respectfully prepare bundles.
5). Bundle Making
Description coming soon
Goals of the series
- Cultural awareness/access provides an insight into Indigenous perspectives including
worldviews, beliefs, and values, and the ongoing impacts and harms of colonialism. - Smoking cessation: create a clear distinction between our sacred medicine and tobacco, thereby enabling people to reject tobacco in all forms.
- Repatriation of medicine: Reclaiming and healing our relationship with our medicine and
opening a new set of possibili:es that could impact our communities within ecological, economic, medicinal, political, religious, social, spiritual settings. - Map out a new approach: culturally informed and culturally appropriate policy-making methodology that can be applied to other sectors of Indigenous health.