Journal of Contemplative Inquiry
Abstract
This article discusses how shared narratives about mindfulness practices and Indigenous knowledge advance the reconciliation and the decolonization of Teacher Education curricula. We, the authors, experienced the beneficial impact of our personal mindfulness practices in nurturing and cultivating the harmonious balance of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of the self. Within the context of the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action (2015), we observed the connections between mindfulness practices and local and place-based teachings of First Nation and Métis First Peoples in Northern British Columbia and in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Our experiences are informed by our personal mindfulness practices and from traditional and ancestral practices led by Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Our distinct narratives describe our learnings and our unlearnings as we participated in ceremony and listened and learnt from Elders and Knowledge Keepers of Syilx Okanagan Nation, Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, the Māori Nation, and the Métis Nation of Manitoba. By recognizing and respecting ancestral ways of doing and ways of being, we propose that contemplative practices like mindfulness can support a deeper understanding of how reconciliation and decolonizing are brought to the forefront of shared narratives in Teacher Education programs in the Okanagan and in Prince George.
Recommended Citation
Ragoonaden, Karen; Fraser, Tina; Hoffman, Ross; and Hebert, Brenda
(2021)
"Mindfulness and Indigenous Knowledge: Shared Narratives About Reconciliation and Decolonization in Teacher Education,"
Journal of Contemplative Inquiry: Vol. 8:
No.
1, Article 12.
Available at:
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/joci/vol8/iss1/12