12 Sammon (Salmon)
Chi-Miigwech for helping me on my search
Help me to listen with an open mind
And to see with an open heart
Help me recognize the leadership and wisdom of those before me
And to honour the knowledge of those today and those of the past
Give me the landmarks so that I can remember my own path for those to come
Help me to not get lost on this search
And to gather with humility and integrity
Zhiway miishnaun G’chi’ Manidoo…
Chi’miigwech G’chi’Manido for your guidance
(Minogiizhigokwe)– Kathleen E. Absolon (2011, p. 32)
Purpose of this section
Explore institutional change, now that you have explored your values and beliefs, and the community that your institution serves.
On completing this section you will understand:
- how institutional change occurs.
- why it is important to create environments of caring and giving.
Estimated time to complete this section is four hours. The activities can be done either individually or as a group.
In the sammon phase of this journey, you will begin to reflect on how you might develop and resource Indigenization work rather than considering Indigenization as a stand-alone initiative or pilot. This will facilitate embedding Indigenization in all plans (strategic, financial, student engagement, academic) and in governance. In this phase, you will also explore how to share accountability for Indigenization among all levels of administration and leadership while recognizing equity of Indigenous expertise, knowledge, and practice (human resource policies, workload, roles and responsibilities). Finally, you will learn about resourcing and requiring training for instructors in community-based programs and services. As a leader, you are responsible for bringing home the harvest or knowledge and sharing it, as an act of generosity. The three areas of sammon are the voices of experience, reciprocity, and generosity.
