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ohpikinâwasowin/Growing a Child
Implementing Indigenous Ways of Knowing With Indigenous Families
Western theory and practice are over-represented in child welfare services for Indigenous peoples, not the other way around. Contributors to this collection invert the long-held, colonial relationship between Indigenous peoples and systems of child welfare in Canada. By understanding the problem as the prevalence of the Western universe in child welfare services rather than Indigenous peoples, efforts to understand and support Indigenous children and families are fundamentally transformed. Child welfare for Indigenous peoples must be informed and guided by Indigenous practices and understandings. Privileging the iyiniw (First people, people of the land) universe leads to reinvigorating traditional knowledges, practices and ceremonies related to children and families that have existed for centuries.
The chapters of ohpikinâwasowin/Growing a Child describe wisdom-seeking journeys and service-provision changes that occurred in Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8 territory on Turtle Island. Many of the teachings are nehiyaw (Cree) and some are from the Blackfoot people. Taken together, this collection forms a whole related to the Turtle Lodge Teachings, which expresses nehiyaw stages of development, and works to undo the colonial trappings of Canada’s current child welfare system.
Contributors
Leona Makokis
Leona Makokis, EdD, is a member of the Kehewin Cree Nation and has dedicated her life to supporting the growth of programming that balances iyiniw language and worldview with contemporary experiences. Dr. Makokis was the Book’s nôcikwesiw, providing guidance to each project and to the team as a whole. Dr. Makokis is the former president of the University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills. Her contributions were recognized by an Honorary Degree from the University of Calgary and, in 2012, by the Indspire Award, (formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards) for outstanding lifetime achievement in the field of Indigenous Education.
Ralph Bodor
Ralph Bodor, PhD, RSW, is an Associate Professor with the Edmonton-based Central and Northern Region of the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. For the past nineteen years, Dr. Bodor has allied closely with the University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills to develop and provide culturally relevant social work education and to design and implement numerous research projects and program evaluations using Indigenous methodologies. In 2010 Dr. Bodor was ceremonially given his Cree name, which demonstrates the extent of his contributions to and esteem within the iyiniw community. Specifically recognizing his contributions to Indigenous social work education, Dr. Bodor’s work was honoured through the Killam Trust Innovation in Teaching Award (2010) and the University of Calgary, Native Centre Chief John Snow Award (2017).
Avery Calhoun
Avery Calhoun, PhD, is an Associate Professor, Emerita, with the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary during this book’s creation. Retired in 2019, her academic career included roles as Associate Dean, Students (2002-2005) and Associate Dean of the Central and Northern Region (2008- 2013), along with a focus on teaching research from a critical perspective. Dr. Calhoun’s research involved community collaborations in the areas of violence against women, restorative justice, social justice activism and Indigenous child welfare.
Stephanie Tyler
Stephanie Tyler, MSW, RSW, is currently a PhD student at the University of Calgary and a sessional instructor at MacEwan University. She has been involved as a research coordinator/assistant in several of the projects discussed in this publication and was the managing editor for this publication.
