to my experiences as a student I can’t recall learning positive
things about myself as an Aboriginal person. What I did learn
was that there were many negative stereotypes about Aboriginal
people. This was very problematic to my development as a
young person because these experiences were affecting how
I was feeling about myself and took shape in how I thought
I should live as an Aboriginal man. It was my Elders and my
Traditional teachers who helped me see the problem in how I
ended up this way. They helped me see that the stories I heard
in school and about my people were not true, that we had
many beautiful things to be proud of as Anishinaabe people.
It was because of them that I was able to see myself in a dif-
ferent light. It was because of their stories that I was able to
see strength and a resource in my culture that could help me
live a better life. It felt good to finally learn there was more to
us than what I was told. There was this whole other side that I
had not learnt yet of who I was and could be. This new learn-
ing connected me to things that countered what I was taught
in school.
They also told me that I had an important decision to make now
that I was well aware of who I really was as an Anishinaabe
man. With this new knowledge, I could no longer go on living
my life the way I was. I could not say my life was bad because
of what I learned in school because they had now shown me
something different. I could now choose between that old life,
that lived up to the stereotypes I was fed or I could embrace what
I had learned from my elders and continue living a good life.
They told me to decide who I wanted to be. That story and
those experiences I had with the elders have always stayed with
me and I have tried to bring this type of learning into the work
I have done as an Aboriginal educator throughout the years.
I have tried to find ways to bring the knowledge, perspectives
and teachings of our people to the education system so that all
students could experience a true account of our history. Our
truth is in our stories and it is through storytelling that I have
tried to demystify the stereotypes about Aboriginal people and
our experience here on Turtle Island. For Aboriginal students,
I always hoped our students would learn about their histories,
cultures and perspectives in a good way which would help them
feel good about themselves. For non-Aboriginal students and
teachers I hoped to help them understand the effects that edu-
cation and assimilative practices have had on Aboriginal peo-
ples. I hoped this new knowledge would create opportunities
for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to improve our
social conditions to create a better relationship between us all.
Overall, I hoped that through my efforts I could affect learners’
attitudes towards themselves and between each other.
I remember being told that Aboriginal people didn’t have an
education system before the coming of the white man (Euro-
peans). My Elders helped me see that we did have our ways of
teaching our people. It is important to help teachers understand
this because this type of thinking can lead to a low expectation
for Aboriginal children: the misconception that Aboriginal
parents and students don’t value education because they had
none. It is important to see that as Aboriginal people we had a
very sophisticated and practical education system that allowed
us to thrive in our environments. Our education was constantly
unfolding and changing and it was not restricted to learning in a
classroom. Our people used everything around them to teach and
to learn from. Finding a way to merge these two different world
views and ways of teaching and learning into one teachable mo-
ment has been both rewarding and a challenge in education.
Memorable moments in my career include spending time
with students. I remember one time a child came forward to
announce that he was Aboriginal. This was a heartwarming
experience because I saw it as a new beginning for that child.
He had heard something in what I said that gave him the cour-
age to free him from that which kept him from being open
about his identity. Like the stories that were told to me by my
Elders I believe stories have the ability to empower our students.
They plant seeds of self pride. Our schools should be places
that help all students feel good about themselves. Our Anishi-
naabe ways provide opportunities for all people to feel good
about themselves as human beings. This is what we need our
young people to share with others in the education system.
Garry Robson
E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G
Bachelor of Education.
Most of my education has come
from traditional and cultural
learning environments.
61
When I think back
R O L E S / R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
Recently retired Aboriginal Education Consultant for the Aboriginal Education Directorate,
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. Currently Elder in Residence, Aboriginal
Student Centre, University of Manitoba
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