Land Base Learning: Youth reconnecting to their culture and Indigenous ways

Описание: Land-based leadership is vital for the return of language, culture and traditional ways of knowing to Indigenous peoples and Indigenous communities. It is vital to the wellness and vitality of Indigenous peoples worldwide. The land-based leadership program provides an experience on the lands, waters, in ceremony and in the indoor and outdoor teaching space of Wabanaki peoples. The participants reconnect with their ancestral way of being and learn through reconnecting with the natural world – the land. This will connect them to who they are - to knowing they DO belong
We are a people with a rich history and tradition, yet we are struggling to maintain our culture, spiritual base and language. We live under the weight of a myth—the myth of a people who are unable to integrate into mainstream society, who cling to antiquated religions, nearly dead languages and irrelevant traditional beliefs. This myth has been internalized by our people and readily accepted by non-natives. The result of this internalization is a people who are losing their way, as we attempt to reconcile our cultural teachings and heritage with Western culture.

Lack of education, poverty, premature motherhood, substance abuse and violence—these facts paint a disturbing and distorted image of a people. Yet, it is not a backwards culture that has created this frightening reality – it is the absence of our cultural teachings and traditions that has hurt us. The assimilation process as experienced by Native peoples has wreaked havoc. We have come to believe that help must come from within. We must reintroduce traditional Wabanaki teachings and spirituality to our people.

Our vision is rooted in our collective, life-long commitment to develop and teach our traditional life-way skills, cultural knowledge and spirituality in a manner that feeds and helps heal the spirit, nurtures self-appreciation and promotes overall wellness among all our people, but most especially among our youth