Indigenous scholars to speak
Part of the new indigenous philosophies at UPEI
Dr. J.Y. (Sa’ke’j) Henderson will each present a keynote talk at the University of Prince Edward Island on Monday, Oct. 2, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Room 242, Don and Marion McDougall Hall.
The lecture is open to the public as well as a component of the new indigenous philosophies course being offered at UPEI. Parking and admission are free.
For further information, email Pamela Courtenay-Hall at pcourtenay@upei.ca or David Varis at dvaris@upei.ca.
In her talk, “Decolonizing Education: Indigenizing the Academy,” Dr. Marie Battiste will speak about the importance of decolonizing teaching practices and curriculum in schools and universities, and what it involves. Describing Mi’kmaq consciousness, language and worldview, she will explore what it means to respect Indigenous knowledge, and why this is a pressing ethical obligation for Canadian educational institutions at every level.
Battiste has done award-winning work in Mi’kmaq cultural revitalization and in decolonizing and indigenizing educational institutions at all levels, elementary to post-secondary, for the past 40 years. From the Potlotek First Nation in Nova Scotia, she is a professor of education at the University of Saskatchewan.
Henderson’s talk, “Affirming Mi’kmaq Treaty, Human Rights and Humanity,” will explore what was involved—and what was compromised—in the drafting and passage of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He will answer the question of what is involved in respecting the humanity and basic human rights of Indigenous peoples, and why it remains problematic for nation-states today, including Canada.
An award-winning legal scholar from the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma, who has served as constitutional advisor for the Mi’kmaq nation and the Assembly of First Nations, Dr. Henderson helped develop the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He is a Research Fellow of the Native Law Centre of Canada at the University of Saskatchewan.
Battiste and Henderson have collaborated on two books, “Protecting Indigenous Knowledge and Heritage: A Global Challenge” (Purich Press, 2000) and “Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit” (Purich Press, 2013).