Supii-po'omaaksin: seeding reciprocal understanding through hermeneutic encounters in Indigenous-led eco-action research

Abstract

How does reflecting on hermeneutic encounters allow educators to better approach mutual understanding between traditional Blackfoot perspectives and science education? The topic upon which this interpretive inquiry research will focus is a greenhouse sweetgrass project carried out under the direction of elders, Piikani Nation Secondary School leadership, and the Piikani Nation Lands Department, partnering with The Resilience Institute and federal agricultural scientists to explore how Piikani students can contribute to scientific achievements and literature without departing from traditional language, culture and values. Sweetgrass was grown by students and staff and transferred under traditional Piikani protocol for published research on its role in the carbon cycle to further support natural revitalization efforts in the community. As a non-Indigenous educator, expanding my understanding of the importance, process, and protocol of including culturally responsive pedagogy within environmental education supported my own and students’ growth and development by guiding us towards a sustainable, iterative, Indigenous-led, eco-action research program focused on the youth as the most valuable renewable resource, instead of economic or energy output. The semiotic role of sweetgrass in bridging, braiding, translating and teaching diverse concepts of cultural and ecological values was explored, revealing a pathway of good practices for myself and other educators seeking to authentically include Indigenous ways of knowing and being in the curriculum.