Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice

23. Wrap a Star Blanket around Each One Learning from the Educational Experiences of Indigenous Former Children in Care on Coast Salish Territory

23 Wrap a Star Blanket around Each One Learning from the Educational Experiences of Indigenous Former Children in Care on Coast Salish Territory Shelly Johnson (Mukwa Musayett) The goal of the qualitative doctoral research project on which this chapter is based is to learn from 15 urban Indigenous former youth in care in ways that will help to develop a holistic, Indigenous child welfare educational model. By learning from the lived experiences of those that survived the child welfare and education systems, the hope is that one day all Indigenous children will be educated with adequate attention to their academic and cultural needs, and remain in the care of their family, community, or nation. My concern about the low educational outcomes of Indigenous children in government care in British Columbia has been shaped by my experience, first as an Indigenous social worker, supervisor, and manager, and more recently as a policy analyst, chief executive officer of a delegated urban child welfare agency, and university educator. Throughout these experiences I have witnessed, advocated, and struggled to help Indigenous children and youth in care to survive the failures of child welfare and education systems. This work continues. This chapter also reflects traditional values of respect and reciprocity in relationships by formally acknowledging the traditional territory on which the research was conducted and“giving back”research findings that may help to improve the lives of Indigenous children in care (ICIC) living on traditional Coast Salish territories in the urban communities of Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. The term Indigenous, as it is used in this chapter, refers to those who inhabited or were descendants of those who inhabited a country or region before people with different ethnic origins arrived. These new arrivals became dominant through conquest, occupation settlement, or other means (United Nations 339 Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2007). The term Aboriginal is generally considered to have the same meaning in Canada, where it includes First Nations who are registered under the Indian Act (i.e., status Indians), those who are non-registered Indians or non-status, the Inuit, and Métis. Aboriginal people, then, include those with legal status as First Nations people and those who identify as having Aboriginal ancestry and are accepted as such within their community. Why Is the Education of Indigenous Children in Care (ICIC) Important? Self-government has to start with education, whether it’s an education of what our traditional systems were or how we merge what was once traditional governance to a more modern form governance. We have to be educated in both. We’ve been so displaced because of residential schools and foster homes. I felt like a fake Indian for 20 plus years. (Interview respondent, August 2009) There are many reasons why education of ICIC is important to me. The most personal is based on my own First Nations identity and history. Upon entering my Saulteaux First Nations Treaty Four complex in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, visitors are greeted by a life-size mounted buffalo. Stonechild (2006) asserts that, historically, the buffalo provided much of the physical nourishment , as well as the emotional, mental, and spiritual support needed to sustain the health and well-being of Plains Indigenous families and communities. With the coming of European settlers to our Plains territories and the mass extermination of the buffalo, my ancestors could no longer depend on the buffalo to sustain them. Their lives were dramatically changed forever. Inscribed on a plaque affixed to the base of the buffalo is:“Education is our buffalo now.” This is certainly true for me and my family. A blend of academic, cultural, and traditional education is the twenty-first-century buffalo that holds promise and opportunity for our ICIC, Indigenous communities, and nations. However , the decisions made by successive governments over time have created impediments to realizing that promise. Within the urban Indigenous communities in Victoria and Vancouver, located on traditional Coast Salish territories, there is a diversity of Indigenous languages and cultural traditions. This urban Indigenous diversity creates both special resources and capacity challenges for urban Indigenous child welfare agencies and educational institutions. Specific challenges include the complexity of cultural and language revitalization important to rebuilding Indigenous JOHNSON 340 children’s cultural identities and reconnections with sometimes distant home communities. The historical destruction of Indigenous languages, cultures, families, and communities through the assimilative policies and practices associated with residential schools, as well as child...