Abstract
This presentation utilizes a personal narrative to explore the profound power of Indigenous ceremony and Ways of Knowing across a lifespan of education, from childhood through to age 37. Rooted in the lived experience of maintaining cultural and spiritual identity while navigating professional and academic institutions, this talk directly confronts the persistent colonial tension that privileges Eurocentric formal education over Indigenous spiritual knowledge and lived experience. The narrative traces a developmental arc, demonstrating how Indigenous spiritual practices—often dismissed as mere “cultural” or “traditional” activities—functioned as a sophisticated, lifelong educational system that provided resilience, ethics, and a framework for community well-being. By contrasting the rigorous standards and accolades of Western academic achievements with the profound, yet often uncredited, wisdom gained through ceremony and the land, this presentation exposes the systemic devaluation of Indigenous lifeways as legitimate knowledge. The aim is to articulate a powerful argument for recognizing Indigenous spirituality and lived experience not just as identity, but as valid, vital, and rigorous forms of knowledge and pedagogy crucial for contemporary Indigenous leadership. Attendees will gain actionable insights into challenging settler-colonial knowledge hierarchies and actively centering Indigenous epistemologies in policy, education, and advocacy.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Religious Commonalities and Differences
KEYWORDS
Lived Spirituality Indigenous Pedagody Decolonization Indigenous Ways of Knowing Ceremony
