Co-Developing a Two-Eyed Seeing Approach to Archaeology Education
Principal Investigator: Woldum, Kaylee (1)
Licence Number: 17065
Organization: Western University
Licensed Year(s): 2022
Issued: Jun 23, 2022
Project Team: Karin Clark, Janelle Nitsizo

Objective(s): To provide a model for incorporating Indigenous knowledge, ways of knowing, and pedagogies into the Tundra Science and Culture Camp's scientific programs and other educational settings and evaluate the ability of this approach to increase involvement and engagement from Indigenous and non-Indigenous attendees.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5268. This project examines how implementing Indigenous pedagogies in the archaeology programming of the Tundra Science and Culture Camp (TSCC) impacts the experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants and leaders. Previously, the scientific programs of the camp have taken up more time and been kept distinct from the Indigenous cultural ones, prioritizing Western knowledge systems and approaches to teaching and learning. Western pedagogies often leave Indigenous participants, in this case, some of the students and the Elders participating as instructors, feeling alienated. This research aims to provide a model for incorporating Indigenous knowledge, ways of knowing, and pedagogies into the TSCC’s scientific programs and other educational settings and evaluate the ability of this approach to increase involvement and engagement from Indigenous and non-Indigenous attendees. The Principal Investigator(PI) will collaborate with the Indigenous instructors of the TSCC cultural program, Elders from Tli?cho First Nation in the weeks leading up to the camp, to determine which key messages and principles of the cultural heritage they wish to convey to the students about Tli?cho cultural history. The research team will discuss their expectations of the archaeology program, what they would like the students to get out of it, and how best to include Indigenous pedagogies. The team will then co-develop a new archaeology program to be delivered at the camp in 2022 with the team members as co-instructors. Together, the team and instructors will decide how best to weave together Indigenous and archaeological ways of knowing in the Archaeology program of the camp. To gauge the effectiveness of the new program, the PI will conduct pre-and post-interviews (semi-structured) with some 2022 camp participants. These would take place at a location of their choosing in Yellowknife and last from 30 minutes to an hour. The PI will also invite participants to take part in talking circles ("focus groups") before and after the camp at Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC) in Yellowknife (or at the beginning and end of the camp itself, depending on final scheduling). Talking circles will last up to an hour. These exchanges will help the team determine which aspects of the program were successful and which were not. Prior to the camp the PI will ask students about their expectations for and levels of interest in the different programs during the camp. After the camp, the PI will ask them about their experiences in the archaeology program, how they compared to those during the other "science" programs during the camp, and questions about their level of interest in archaeology and the other elements of the camp. For comparative purposes, the PI will also host a talking circle for students from past camps to discuss their experiences of the camp, exploring the same questions as with this year's students. In a semi-structured interview with the Elders and other instructors after the camp, the PI will ask them to compare their own experiences and observations of students in 2022 with those in previous years. The PI will also conduct participant observation during the camp, helping lead the archaeology program, participating in the daily activities of the camp, and taking note of how students from different backgrounds engage with the different elements of the camp. Throughout, the PI will reflect on experiences and observations as part of the camp in comparison to previous years through journaling. Community organizations and Indigenous stakeholders will be included in the research plan throughout the duration of the fieldwork and data collection. The PI will be collaborating with Indigenous knowledge holders in all stages of the research. Some members of Tlicho First Nation who participant in the Tundra Science and Culture Camp will also be involved in the interview process, and will remain informed through email or in-person communication during the development of the new archaeology program. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 23, 2022 to August 31, 2022