Students inspired to be leaders on the land

As Thaden Coltess struggles to find patience making his birch-bark basket, he gets up and leaves. He has no thought of it until seeing his unfinished work. The physical representation of his progress bugs him and sits back down to finish what he started.

“I was getting frustrated, but eventually I got the hang of it. If you do something that’s challenging, you’re going to want to quit,” said Coltess. “Once I finished it, I thought to myself, it wasn’t that bad nor was it hard. Why was I complaining about it?”

A retreat onto the land organized by the Mamidosewin Centre gave students a chance at personal growth and to develop their leadership skills. The Mamidosewin Centre believes this is essential for Indigenous students as the staff sees the students as leaders of tomorrow.

The retreat to Camp Awacamenj-Mino north of Ottawa took place from Oct. 19 to Oct. 21 with eight students from Algonquin College who applied for the experience. The retreat will take place again in the winter 2025 semester.

“These (Indigenous students) really are the future thinkers of Canada. It’s important for us to use these skills and what we’re taught to become bright students who will pave a path into the future and make positive change in a stagnant system,” said Trevor Ng, a student navigator with the Mamidosewin Centre and a police foundations student.

Because it is difficult for Indigenous students to connect or reconnect with their roots in the city, the retreat created an important link for students to experience land-based learning. Coltess, a student studying diesel mechanics, had little knowledge in his Indigenous heritage but now sees its importance because of the retreat.

Coltess attended the retreat for a connection to and better understanding of his Indigenous side. He had been on his own since he was 15 years old and did not have a chance to connect with his culture.

“I wanted to get in touch with my native side. I was getting calls and emails about the (Mamidosewin Centre). I was busy, so I applied for the retreat. Also, I just wanted to get away,” said Coltess. “I’m class rep as well so this sounded like a really good idea.”

One memorable activity the students did was basket weaving. The only part used for it was birch bark — it’s as traditional as it gets. It was a calm experience for the students, but it also taught them something about themselves.

The students each made their own basket with assistance from the invited elders to teach them and help them with their projects. The elders came prepared with Ziploc bags full of birch bark made to the right measurements.

Everyone walked away with their experience with the elders, and also with their own birch basket.

Not only is this a tradition and old knowledge Indigenous people carry, but it is a moment of teaching. It taught those like Coltess to have patience and to push through those times when you feel like giving up.

The retreat fostered connection and helped Indigenous students develop their personal style of leadership, but it also solved problems with the perception of Indigenous people. Coltess thought his Indigenous side was mostly stereotypes, the people he met, including the elders, taught him otherwise.

“Originally, I didn’t care about my Indigenous side. But when I hear someone like Eric (Johnston) talk about our people and the way we used to live, (it) really brings into light who we are,” said Coltess. “I’ve been learning a lot about my culture in the past few days, it’s one thing after another.”

Johnston, manager of Mamidosewin Centre, played a significant role, not only as a leader, but also as a teacher like the elders on the retreat. Johnston and elder Rolland Pangowish spoke for two hours about the history of Indigenous people.

After speaking with elders, students on the retreat realized there needs to be more Indigenous leadership. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been less of an Indigenous influence in the college.

“They spoke on Indigenous rights, treaties and land claims. It was super interesting to learn about it. Especially how the government is taking advantage of the many grey areas in those documents,” said Jade Peltier, an student in the law clerk program.

Peltier attended the retreat for the same reasons Coltess did. However, she ended up walking away with something other than connection. Her interest grew stronger for Indigenous history and understanding of Indigenous rights.

“I’m learning a lot more about my Indigenous side. I feel more connected being in the right environment,” said Peltier.

Following in the footsteps of their ancestors on the land brought students closer to their families and culture. The students did archery, late night campfires and told stories about issues in their communities and how they try to solve them, as well as sharing legends from their own cultures.

“The retreat turned out better than I could have ever planned it to,” said Summer Wabasse, the events and communications officer for the Mamidosewin Centre. “A really good group of students came out and a lot of them are natural leaders.”

Land-based learning is a rarity and the students shared positive feedback about their experience with the Mamidosewin Centre on the retreat. It is a truly a return to their roots as it focuses on the way of Indigenous people since before the traditional European system, chairs and desks.

“What has become our normal of sitting in class and living in cities, like Ottawa, is not normal for most of our ancestors. When I think about land-based education, it is the most natural way of being educated,” said Wabasse.

The Mamidosewin Centre hopes the students who attended the retreat walk away with a new sense of confidence in how they lead their communities in Ottawa.

“It’s been fun reconnecting with myself and reconnecting with the land,” said Ng. “We spend a lot of time cooped up indoors. A lot of the distractions is on ourselves. They make us lose track of who we are.”