Searching for a Better Way: My Journey into "Two-Eyed Seeing" - Reflections on Spiritual Teachings from a Saulteaux Knowledge Holder Relevant to future Indigenous Teachers

Abstract

Abstract This thesis is an account of my own journey into an Indigenous way of knowing, the teachings that stem from it and the potential path going forward. A decision-making process cemented in logic and reason, guided primarily by a Western way of knowing, marks the beginning of the journey. My journey into an Indigenous way of knowing is propelled by an inner urgency and a search for a deeper meaning to my existence. I engage in an extended conversation with a knowledge keeper of the Saulteaux traditional teachings of the Bear Clan and then reflect upon the meaning of these teachings. In doing so, the spiritual component of existence, which I have experienced through ceremony, is underlined as is its life-altering power to inform, alter and enhance my current way of knowing and being in this physical world. As Métis peoples we have been naturally gifted with two different ways of knowing. In order to make informed decisions about how to lead our physical existence, we need to understand both ways of knowing: to be able to see with both eyes. Neither system is inherently right or wrong. Hence, the extent to which each way of knowing becomes part of an individual Métis epistemology is a personal choice. Indigenous theory and Indigenous methodology are both used throughout the thesis. The concepts of Two-Eyed Seeing (Bartlett et al., 2012), narrative, storytelling, the conversational method as interview process, self-in-relation, self-referent and experiential learnings make meaning of the teachings and guide my reflections by providing the context for my insights. In the conclusion (chapter five), I write a letter to future Indigenous teachers, reflecting on the central role the spiritual component of existence can play in their journey as educators.