We Need a New Story: Walking and the wâhkôhtowin Imagination

Authors

  • Dwayne Donald University of Alberta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-4467.40492

Keywords:

story, walking, wâhkôhtowin, kinship relationality

Abstract

Inspired and guided by the nêhiyaw (Cree) wisdom concept of wâhkôhtowin, this paper frames walking as a life practice that can teach kinship relationality and help reconceptualize Indigenous-Canadian relations on more ethical terms. I argue that Indigenous-Canadian relations today continue to be heavily influenced by colonial teachings that emphasize relationship denial. A significant curricular and pedagogical challenge faced by educators in Canada today is how to facilitate the emergence of a new story that can repair inherited colonial divides and give good guidance on how Indigenous peoples and Canadians can live together differently. In my experience, the emergence of a new story can be facilitated through the life practice of walking.

Author Biography

Dwayne Donald, University of Alberta

Associate Professor Education Secondary Education University of Alberta

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Published

16-03-2021

How to Cite

Donald, D. (2021). We Need a New Story: Walking and the wâhkôhtowin Imagination. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 18(2), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-4467.40492