inquiry through Wisdom Seeking

Wisdom seeking, is a process generated from experiential knowledge, in pursuit for an understanding, or wisdoms specific to a question(s) (Makokis, et al. 2020). Wisdom seeking is an everyday lived reality in Indigenous paradigms. We are constantly pursuing an understanding of ourselves within the relationships that encase us; the more we understand ourselves and responsibilities in our relationships, the better we are equipped to act for goodness and well-being. The wisdom seeking process, for this research, is governed by Indigenous paradigms, specified by language and cultural knowledge, that flow from dynamic kinships within a certain locale. Born and raised in Calgary, living in the land of the niitsitapi (real people translated from Blackfoot), as Michif, I understand that being a good ‘visitor’, a good relative, is to honour the customs and ways of the people to whose land I reside. Learning the ways of the people of this land coincides the cultural knowledge that I carry with me from my Michif ancestors and relatives. My wisdom seeking engaged the theories, practices, and ethics of an oral system, guided by Piikani (Blackfoot) Elder, Dr. Reg Crowshoe through smudge and ceremony. My relationship with Elder Crowshoe began in 2011 and has blossomed since; I am indebted to his teachings, care, and kindness.

Gatherings

The inquiry was built upon collective gatherings as the process for come together to dialogue and story-up. Six research gatherings took place over a five-month time frame, spanning from September 5th to February 3rd, 2019. A final seventh gathering took place on February 5th, 2022 to ascertain permission from the Métis to submit my analysis and interpretations. The six gatherings were held at the Métis Nation of Alberta Métis Local 87 in Calgary. I specifically chose this place as I, and others in the research group, are members of this Local, and possibly more importantly, the Local is a Métis specific space. Because of the nature of the inquiry, I felt it was important to have the gatherings held in a community-based space where a sense of safety and comfortability might reside. A meal, tea, coffee, and water were available at each gathering; the meals were prepared by a Métis community member. The sessions included me, the research kin, the Elders, and the bundle. Additionally, during the six months, one-on-one conversations occurred, at my home, in a coffee shop, and at a Métis event. These ‘side conversations’ were unexpected and unplanned; however, they were essential to the inquiry and subsequently enhanced our understandings of the research topic.

Each gathering was guided by the Elders that were present with each process beginning with prayer and smudge. After opening our process with protocol, we shared and conversed for the entire three hours. Each person would show their photos and videos with a following dialogue. Our discussions were never linear, one photo could spur different conversations and often would lead to the showing of other photos. Although I designed the inquiry to resemble a circular iterative process, I also relied on the research kin (see video: Making relatives, for an explanation of why I use ‘research kin’) to guide me as we moved through each gathering. Circumambulation allowed each of us the ‘time’ and movement we needed to be able to bring our stories to the project. Our stories were reliant on the research kin experiencing their own practices, to then notice them, and story them back to us. The number of gatherings provided entry points for each member to step into the process when they were ready. There were some individuals who were ready with photos and storied experiences at the second gathering and others who needed an additional gathering to come into the process (see in the Lii Nistwayr d'ooschipayihk (stories of where it came from) section with my experience with Matt, Métis research kin) . My master’s research used interviews with family and community members that entailed a one-time sit-down discussion. That was not wrong, but I have come to see the value in iterative cyclical gatherings that offer the opportunity to circumambulate — to share, build, circle, and settle into stories with one another. Through our seven gatherings, we circled together through stories, experiences, we were never in the same place in our lives as we were when we first had the experience. Circumambulation allowed viewpoints to change, to alter, and to meet stories in a ‘new’ way.

At the end of each gathering, we discussed if there was a necessity for another gathering, if so, we would meet the following month. When the collective was satisfied with the process and felt we had discussed enough, we concluded the inquiry gatherings. The second last gathering differed from the previous sessions including a more structured questioning discussion to foster a dialogue about the process and analysis of our stories. The final gathering of the inquiry included four of us as we talked about overall ideas that came through the inquiry as well as how to move forward with dissemination. Thereafter, I assessed the stories and created a narrative of our dialogues with a coinciding interpretation reflected as wisdoms. For the final seventh gathering, I invited my Métis relatives to discuss and decide if the narrative I created captured the vitality of our experiences and was appropriate to share with my committee and larger community, this was facilitated online due to the pandemic.

Photos and Videos

Photovoice technique (Wang and Burris 1997) allowed us to move through our lifeworld and attune our attention to what practices might be present. Since the first conception of photovoice in the healthcare field (Wang & Burris, 1994), the method has grown to be facilitated in varying fields and contexts (Dodman, 2003; Holm, 2008; McIntyre, 2003; Minthorn, 2016; Sitter, 2017). Wang and Burris (1994) define photovoice as “a process by which people can identify, represent and enhance their community through a specific photographic technique” (p. 369). The methods of capturing photos and recording reflexive videos allowed me to journey with the research kin (Cole, 2006) to better understand themselves-in-relation to the city (Graveline, 1998). The amount of photos that were shared was determined by the quantity individuals wanted to capture (Sutton-Brown, 2014). My belief about this method is that what we are looking for is already present, regardless if we can see it or not. For the research circle, the aim was to capture moments they noticed in their daily occurrences, and to not necessarily ‘look’ for them and then snap photos. The videos were a method of capturing the story of the experience, to hold a verbal articulation of the moment to refer back to and to share with the circle. Both the photos and videos used as methods to catch their experiences assumes that we orient ourselves to the question: what is alive in their experiences, meaning that our practices that are held within our experiences are animate, they have life. The question does not supersede the larger research questions, but suggests an orientation to how we might be able to see what practices we are enacting. The question of what is alive in experiences, (see also later in the dissertation via the link provided) came out of a conversation I was having with my supervisor Dr. Field as we debriefed the research gathers. This concept came from discussing that some individuals were having trouble identifying practices in their lives. Although we use the past as our gauge, we also acknowledge that what we practice on a daily basis is the aliveness of our experiences, we just need to have the ability to see it as such.

One individual remarked in the inquiry, “photos are the kindling” (Devonn, Métis kin) (see also, Bouvier and MacDonald 2019) that spurred further reflection and contemplation. Monthly research gatherings was the fibrillation needed to attend to our stories, to ourselves, to each other. As Charmaine Métis research kin shared, “It just sat with me, I was having a moment; it hit me to take this picture, the connections, heartbeat of the family tree”. Along with the photos, some individuals submitted accompanying videos describing their experience and the reason for the photo. Video media is becoming increasing important as a research tool, “The predominance of television and the various forms of mass media in modern life is largely because these are vehicles of storytelling” (Cajete, 2017, p. 115). Videos then, become storage containers of cultural information. Recording self-reflective videos were optional based on the preference of the research kin. Those that did not record videos, the process was not compromised. When some individuals chose not to use video, I started to wonder if the videos were even worthwhile. In one research reflection video I recorded, I questioned if the videos were an unnecessary step in the inquiry. Rewatching my reflection videos for the assessment process, I gleaned that the videos were indeed valuable and worthwhile. People, in the moment, captured their sentiments and included pieces that they did not necessarily share at the gathering. I was grateful to have the accompanying videos as another layer of the story. I relied on them after the gatherings for information.

Each gathering, except the first and last were video-graphed; through the inquiry I recorded my own doctoral research reflections that captured my thoughts, feelings, and contemplations over the two years of the inquiry beginning with the recruitment and through the writing and compiling process.    

Circumambulation guided my method as I re-watched videos countlessly to retrieve teachings and learnings. Moreover, I layered my reflexive narratives with the information from the gathering videos, and the Métis kin videos. This allowed me to see varying perspectives pertaining to the same inquiry and be influenced not only by my own standpoint.