Moon of the Dog Salmon: Trainer Lessons from the First Peoples Principles of Learning

Indigenous Elders, scholars, and knowledge-keepers articulated nine learning principles to guide the development of curriculum and teaching in British Columbia, Canada. These First Peoples Principles of Learning identify common elements in the varied teaching and learning approaches that prevail within Indigenous societies. 

First Peoples Principles of Learning
Developed by First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC)

• Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.
• Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).
• Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one‘s actions.
• Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities.
• Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge.
• Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.
• Learning involves patience and time.
• Learning requires exploration of one‘s identity.
• Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations.

What lessons do these principles hold for trainers or learning leaders working in nonprofit spaces? How might we apply these principles to create more inclusive and effective trainings? 

Join us for a conversation about the First Peoples Learning Principles, how they are experienced by Indigenous people, and what any teacher can learn from them. We will explore knowledge and knowing, the role of land and space in learning, the non-linearity of time, and storytelling as teaching, among other topics. You will gain a general appreciation for the Principles and leave with concrete steps to take as you design effective, inclusive learning experiences for whatever community you serve. 

In Coast Salish culture, the month of November brings the Moon of the Dog Salmon, a time when salmon continue to be fished, shellfish are harvested, and the last of the bracken ferns roots and camas bulbs are harvested. There is also hunting for waterfowl and game. We used this term for this conversation because it reminds us that the time of year matters as we think about learning and growing. 

PRESENTER

Jill La Pointe is the Executive Director of Lushootseed Research, and a member of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe and Nooksack tribal descendant. She earned her MSW from the University of Washington. In 2006, when her grandmother, Vi Hilbert, retired as Director of the nonprofit Lushootseed Research, Jill humbly agreed to carry on the work. Under Jill’s leadership, Lushootseed Research has successfully hosted an Annual Lushootseed Language Conference since 2010, hosted by Seattle University, has continued to provide resource materials, and most recently completed a documentary on the Healing Heart of Lushootseed, about her grandmother’s dream to bring healing to the world through music. She draws strength and healing from her work with Lushootseed Research and envisions a day when all people who visit or live in Seattle and the surrounding area will be able to see and hear the beautiful Lushootseed language and learn from the traditional culture and values of the first people of this land.

In conversation with:

Nancy Bacon is a teacher, instructional designer, and learning strategist who has worked for over 25 years in the nonprofit sector. Nancy began her career in international education, leading an ESL school in Boston and teaching social studies in the Philippines. She worked for ten years leading nonprofit fundraising and capacity building efforts alongside a community of Afro-Brazilian women in Salvador, Brazil. Nancy collaborates with diverse communities and organizations to design and deliver relevant outcome-based learning tools and experiences. Nancy has partnered with Native Action Network in its Native nonprofit capacity building work since 2018.