(Ottawa) The School of Social Work at the University of Ottawa has passed a resolution to give indigenous traditional knowledge equal value to Western knowledge. She wants to integrate them into the training of future social workers called upon to work in Aboriginal communities as they obtain the management of their own youth protection services.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
“Our resolution is not intended to question the relevance and validity of Western knowledge,” said the director of the School of Social Work, Sébastien Savard, in an interview.
It is more their hegemony that is questioned, that is to say that it is the only way of perceiving and understanding the world that is valid. It is this kind of principle that we are trying to move away from.
Sébastien Savard, Director of the School of Social Work
The idea was launched by Gilbert Whiteduck, former chief of the Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi, in the Outaouais region, as part of Cercle Kinistòtàdimin, a group made up of staff members and members of the First Nations whose goal is to decolonize this study program.
“What exactly does reconciliation mean in the end? asks Mr. Whiteduck. I often ask the question. And when we talk about decolonizing the university, what does that mean? According to his research, the School of Social Work at the University of Ottawa would be the first to recognize this knowledge officially.
The resolution was adopted unanimously on March 15 by the school’s board of directors, which brings together its professors, members of the administrative staff and student representatives. She states that “Indigenous traditional knowledge has equal value and adds to Western knowledge”. It also requires their “progressive and sustained” integration into research, teaching, training and social intervention.
Benefits for all
Whiteduck expects more Indigenous people to be able to teach, whether by being invited by professors or by getting a course load. He believes that all future social workers would benefit from learning more about the culture and traditions of the First Nations, such as the responsibility of the extended family vis-à-vis a child and the ceremonies to recognize the various stages of his development. .
“The responsibility of raising the child is not only up to the parents – the parents have priority – but it is also up to the family”, he recalls. For example, it is therefore up to the extended family to intervene and propose solutions for the good of the child when the parents encounter difficulties, instead of immediately calling on social services.
The adoption of the resolution raised some questions among the faculty. “They were more looking for definitions,” says Anishinaabe teacher Cyndy Wylde, who will be offering the first introductory course in social intervention with Aboriginal peoples during the summer. The one who participated in the Viens au Québec commission will rely in part on oral tradition by inviting elders who will tell their stories to help her students understand the principle of cultural security.
It can be in relation to colonization, in relation to the effects of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop or anything related to youth protection. Stories about family breakdown, it is certain that the elders have more than one to tell us.
Cyndy Wylde, Anishinaabe teacher
She notes that there is a growing body of literature on First Nations values that can supplement academic reading, and that the World Intellectual Property Organization recognizes Indigenous traditional knowledge.
Growing needs
The director of the School of Social Work expects to have to train a large number of students from First Nations over the next few years in the wake of the adoption of Bill C-92 on youth protection native.
“There is clearly an immense need to train social workers who are truly capable and empowered to intervene with Aboriginal peoples, and that requires a major transformation,” recognizes Sébastien Savard.
Especially since a certain mistrust remains towards social services, which played a role in residential schools for Aboriginals and in the scoop of the 1960s during which Aboriginal children were torn from their families to be given up for adoption.
Mr. Savard would like the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa to welcome an elder in residence, as the Faculty of Civil Law has done to support Aboriginal students.
The An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, passed by Parliament in 2019, recognizes Indigenous, Inuit and Métis jurisdictions in child and family services. Since it came into force, five communities have adopted their own youth protection legislation, including the Atikamekw Nation of Opitciwan.