Elders' Teachings on Leadership PDF

The Library e r e r : Living Indigenous leadership : native narratives on building strong communities, Leon, Alannah Young, UBC Press, 2012, pp 48-63. This copy was made pursuant to the Fair Dealing Policy of the University of Guelph. The copy ma...

The Library e r e r : Living Indigenous leadership : native narratives on building strong communities, Leon, Alannah Young, UBC Press, 2012, pp 48-63. This copy was made pursuant to the Fair Dealing Policy of the University of Guelph. The copy may only be used for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody, satire, criticism, review, or news reporting. If the copy is used for the purpose of criticism, review, or news reporting, the source and the name of the author must be mentioned. The use of this copy for any other purpose may require the permission of the copyright owner. For more information about copyright, visit the Library’s Copyright web pages.  3 Elders ) Teachings on Leadership Leadership as a Gift Alannah Young Leon STRONG INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP is developed by empowering people to reclaim cultural values through the investigation of local, living genealo­ gies, oral histories, and reflexive praxis. They should be allowed to do so within an environment that supports self-determined change. This chapter focuses on Elders' perspectives on the role of culture in Indigenous leader­ ship, a pedagogical frame that informs my research and application of Indigenous knowledge to leadership in postsecondary institutions. The Elders I interviewed worked with First Nations House of Leaming (FNHL) programs and provide narratives that continue to inform my leadership education. I learned that Indigenous leadership includes knowing and sharing your history by introducing yourself, your family, and your nation when you begin speaking. I am a member of Opaskwayak Cree First Nation (Treaty 5), and I live on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish, XwMuthkwium (Musqueam) in Vancouver, British Columbia. From 1995 to 2009, I worked at the FNHL at the University of British Columbia. Al,, an Aboriginal female education leader, I developed the student Longhouse Leadership Program, which ran from 2000 to 2009. In 2006, I completed a master's thesis that summarized FNHL Elders' recommendations aboutAboriginal leadership. My doctoral studies continue to explore Aboriginal leader­ ship through storywork with Elders in rural Manitoba. In this chapter, I focus on the four pedagogical components of an Indigenous leadership program: (1) land interaction, (2) cultural practices, (3) community service, and (4) and language and genealogy. Al,, Figure 3.1 outlines, these components can help open leadership discussions and develop leader­ ship goals 48  Elders' Teachings 011 Leaders/up 49 Promote life experiences and places as pedagogy Elder Land Interaction Community Service Know Iha histo,y of th Winter Leadership is a gift - step land and educate others forward and demonstrate Reciprocal research Experiential learning I community responsibilities Relationship building Sustainable development \ Community capacity 1 development Traditional scology Collective values Respectf1.ll research Adult Birth (newborn) Fall Spring Language / Cultural Practices and Genealogy ( f Rae/aim cuffuml values - Cuffure suppo,ts ! live the teachings individuals, families, Youth 1 Whollstic learning and communities., Ceremony Indigenous languages Summar \ Creativity Family genealogies Healthy lifestyle Intergenerational \ transmission \_ / Intellectual Traditions \. '\_ Extended family '· lnter·mlatod '---...____...,./ Whollstlc Oral histo,y Genealogy Transformativa leadership promotes life experiences, storywork, and land-based pedagogy. lndigenelty promotes beauty, balance, and harmony. Figure 3.1 Indigenous leadership: Core components program Background The First Nations House of Learning was established in 1987 with a man­ date to ensure tliat university resources are made accessible to First Nations students and communities and to improve UBC's ability to accommodate the First Nations community. Since 1993, the FNHL has been housed within the First Nations Longhouse, an award-winning building based on Coast Salish architecture that serves as a home away from home for UBC's Indigenous community. The FNHL is committed to three principles: (1) heightening awareness about Aboriginal issues, (2) promoting Indigenous leadership on campus, and (3) providing a positive environment founded 50 A/annah Young Leon on First Nations cultures and philosophies. These principles are based on the longhouse teachings of respect, responsibility, reverence, and re­ lationship. These cultural values guide work at the FNHL and are the core components of the First Nations House of Learning's Longhouse Leadership Program. The Longhouse Leadership Program The Longhouse Leadership Program was developed as a noncredit student program specific to Indigenous contexts and perspectives. It consists of three- core seminars, four elective workshops, and a six-hour service­ learning component. The program was established in 2000 bec_ause the academic training offered to students did not adequately provide the leadership training required to work in Indigenous contexts. During its first three years, funding for the program came from the UBC Equity Office's Equity Enhancement Fund, and the FNHL continued to fund the program until 2009. The Longhouse Leadership Program provides Indigenous leadership training necessary for promoting leadership on campus, and it introduces skills for working in and understanding Indigenous contexts. In collabora­ tion with FNHL student services, UBC's various faculties, and UBC student services, the program offers workshops and opportunities for service learning. To facilitate teachings on leadership, cultural protocols, and ceremonies, the program meets two or three times a month during lunch hour and has a six-hour service-learning component. The latter requires students to work towards positive change in communities by applying the cultural values of respect, relationship, responsibility, and reverence and to report back to the program. The program also offers workshops that introduce non-violent communication skills, respectful research strategies, and respect for human rights and values. The workshops promote strength in diversity, political leadership for contemporary contexts, inclusive rela­ tionships, identity and belonging, and values as a foundation for leadership. Although the program promotes relevant values, its cultural aspect requires further development to articulate how cultural teachings can play a sig­ nificant role in Indigenous leadership and, more specifically, to take Elders' perspectives into account within the FNHL community (Young 2006). Elders In many Indigenous contexts, Elders are considered leaders, consultants, and teachers. Elders, as a collectivity, are considered an authoritarian  Elders' Teachings 011 Leadership 51 body because of their combined expertise and wisdom. Not all old people are Elders: Elders are those who know the protocols associated with cul­ tural teachings and demonstrate them in appropriate ways. Elders are chosen by the people in their community (Archibald 2008). They are accepted, listened to, and are usually good speakers and storytellers. Elders are the historians, philosophers, and teachers of tradition and heritage. They teach us how to make meaning out of history, to connect the past to present conditions, and they indicate safe directions to pursue so that the people's history can be sustained and advanced. Wisdom is a virtue that Elders demonstrate by example so others can learn from their lived experiences. They also teach adherence to core spiritual values and dem­ onstrate complex understandings in a variety of situations. Not all Elders are cultural leaders and storytellers, and not all Elders live good lives. An Elder can be someone who is not yet old but who understands and lives a good life according to cultural values and teachings. Cree Elders define leaders as skabayos (helpers) who remember core cultural teachings, which contain community values and embody the good life path (Young and Nadeau 2005). The core values of the good life path include thinking the highest thought, which embodies the utmost integrity for one's family, nation, and environment (Cajete 1994). Elders who live and embody core cultural teachings influence the actions of both indi­ viduals and the community. The cultural teachings are located in stories and include living a life that is respectful, wholesome, and spi1itual. Larry Grant, a XwMuthkwium Elder, describes the leadership journey as indi­ viduals working together with one heart and one mind. In visiting with the Elders, I learned that leadership benchmarks include cultural engage­ ment, interaction with the land as stewards, and perpetuating good lifeways or cultural teachings so that seven generations will benefit. Reanimating Leadership through Storywork Storywork, as described by Jo-ann Archibald (2008), brings together Indigenous ways of knowing and leading. Storywork teaches us how to remain connected to the land and to one another. Storywork is the teacher transmitted through specific Elders and educators. The storywork frame­ work is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, reverence, red procity, holism, interrelatedness, and synergy. Storywork is an appropriate vehicle for the transmission of Indigenous intellectual traditions and Elders' knowledge and thus provides an additional guiding framework for leadership. The Elders' lived experiences, oral histories, and storywork 52 Alannah Young Leon provide interconnected cultural teachings about leadership that fall nat­ urally into components or themes. The exploration of these themes animated my own storywork process and demonstrates my own leadership­ learning process. Land Interaction: Know the History of the Land and Educate Others It is late spring 2005, and my daughter, partner, and I are travelling to the BC Interior to meet with my Elders to discuss leadership. It is sage- and bitterroot-picking season. These plant medicine& are the helpers required for the annual summer ceremonial season. The two Elders I plan to interview are our adopted parents in the traditional Indigenous way. They serve as role models through their interaction with the land, which in­ cludes.performing the seasonal work that needs to be done to ensure the transmission of Indigenous knowledge. We must first get the sage and bitterroot from the mountainside - the medicines are the leaders in this situation. We set up outside, and as we prepare the medicines, the Elders talk to us about leadership and transmit knowledge to the four generations present. We hear trains in the back­ ground, and the wind and dry mountainous desert surround us. The storytellers talk to us about the local mountains. The stories that the mountains contain remind us to listen to our Elders. The stories, ceremon­ ies, and languages are held within the land, and along with them are the teachings. Learning about the land includes experiential learning outside the classroom, teachings on traditional ecological practices and protocols and developing conscientious reciprocal relationships with local In­ digenous peoples (Dergousoff 2008; Pidgeon 2010). As Michelle Jacobs states in Chapter 12 of this volume, Native people are working to reclaim educational institutions that sit on Indigenous homelands. This educa­ tional endeavour benefits all peoples and requires lifetime commitments from institutions and community leadership stakeholders to engage in true power-sharing partnerships. Systemic cultural change must go beyond "sweet words" and superficial representations so that students can receive relevant leadership education for this country.. Leadership education includes learning about local histories, sustain­ able development, and Indigenous land management practices. The FNHL Elders described history as crucial to understanding the present context and providing a foundation for respectful relationships. The storytellers shared personal narrative accounts of internalized racism and  Elders' Teachings 011 Leadership 53 its continued impact today. Their stories and life experiences help us to decolonize our leadership education and practice. In general, both students and the Elders felt that the cultural value of restoring respectful relationships was missing in leadership training. In Chapter 12 of this volume, Michelle Jacob calls us to move beyond visions of diversity and multiculturalism that cater to "white" interests and curiosities. We should instead embrace a vision that honours and in­ cludes Native peoples and cultures as true partners in institution-building, a vision that demonstrates structural commitment to reversing the trend of institutional racism. Larry Grant, a XwMuthkwium Elder, explains: We are a contributing factor in the formation of this country, which is denied by not having our culture recognized, regardless of how diverse our cultures were and are. We played a major, major role in the structure of Canada. A systematic exclusion of the existence of Aboriginal culture and languages demonstrates a lack of respect for our cultures. The culture brings about ceremonies, language, geography, history, and medicines. On the West Coast, we have marine engineers who built th canoes; the structural engineers built the big houses, all of that. Cultural curriculum would identify how industri­ ous, self-sufficient, reliable, and intelligent we were and are. (In discussion with author, :.wo6) The Elder storytellers also identified the need to reclaim holistic health through cultural training that resists the oppression of the past. Gary Oleman, Saa Hiil Thut, stated: Racism, religion, reservations, residential schools, and RCMP. I started talking about these five R's and how important the teachings about how to live and where we come from [are] today. We lasted through five hundred years of oppression and oppressive communication. This is how we got here. This is how I described it was the five R's, because I saw them as the core reasons or indicators about why we are the way we are today. Now, if I was going to talk about the traditional teachings that you are talking about - the four R's, the longhouse teachings - they bring about awareness, and we have cultural ways that people can look at themselves. In our language, to say sweat lodge, we say K'ul'za. It means "to look at your­ self." And so, when you go to the sweat lodge, you are actually going there to look at yourself, and if you see something wrong, then work towards changing it. 54 Alannah Young Lron So, that would probably be one of the first steps I would do if I was going to train leaders - have a way for them to look at themselves. You were showing me a diagram before, and that's a good way of doing it. Physically, ceremon­ ially, it would be more like the importance of having a spiritual way of life. People don't even think of that today. That means to me they are disconnected from the spiritual realms. (In discussion with author, 2006) Norma Rose Point (traditional name, Papet), XwMuthkwium and Seabird Island Nation, reflected on the importance of knowing your own histories, the history of the land where you live now, and sharing this knowledge as part of leadership development: It is important to convey and to provide an understanding of their history - what it means, how it developed - by interpreting what is being taught to them and to take what is necessary to carry on with life... For example, the Coast Salish big house or longhouse culture has four direction witnesses. Callirg witnesses (because, traditionally, there were no written histories), they always called two witnesses to pass on the information to verify the facts. The rea on you leave two witnesses is because one person only sees one side and the other person sees the other half. My aunt and uncle say, "Only believe half of what you see. You can only ever see one side of a story and not the whole thing." Also, one verifies the other. (In discussion with author, 2006) This statement has implications for leadership. It demonstrates the im­ portance of acknowledging the diversity of multiple voices to arrive at the whole story. Knowing their history can help leaders make informed decisions that move us beyond decolonized educational spaces into places of transformation (see Chapter12, this volume). Indigenous cultural prac­ tices with community collaboration will continue to inform innovative leadership models, as they did for millennia. Cultural Practices: Reclaim Cultural Values and Live the Teachings Cultural teachings provide us with leadership principles, foundations, and understandings. In spring 2006, I reflected on a series of dreams I'd had during the fall and winter of 2005-06. In the dreams, I am in the city, and I hear the Sundance songs. I cannot see the ceremonial grounds, and I am worried that I am late and that the ceremony has begun without me. Along the way, I encounter Judge Point, a St6:16 Elder, cultural leader, and lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, in a downtown eastside  Elders' Teachings on Leadership 55 school playground. A group of us gather in the playground and listen to the ceremonial songs. The songs teach us how to enact our leadership - our relational responsibilities to our spirit, the people, the community, and the lands. The songs express our connection to all of creation and reflect the teachings of all my relations. The Longhouse Leadership Program introduces the protocol of ac­ knowledging the XwMuthkwium territory on which UBC is located to demonstrate respect for the original peoples of the area. The program teaches learners about the local Indigenous language and about the im­ portance of cultural values to leadership practices. Facilitators in the program demonstrate the cultural aspects of using the XwMuthkwium greeting "i 'uh 'ch'ew 'ey'al" and encourage learners to sing "Teswanic Slolem," a public song that belongs to the George family ofTsleil-Waututh First Nation, during each session. Indigenous knowledge, intellectual traditions, and cultural expressions such as the Sundance and Mediwiwin (Grand Medicine Society) provide teachings that inform both my leadership genealogy and educational roles. For me, the Sundance ceremony connects us to the land and our genealogies and expresses the values and collective leadership vision needed for a better future. Each Indigenous culture has its own version of the good life path: Anishinaabe have Bimaadz.iwin (the good life path), the Cree of the northern Prairies have miyowicehtowin (having good rela­ tions), the Iroquois have Skennen'kowa (maintaining peace between peoples), the Navajo have h6zhp (walking in beauty, with a sacred manner, or with a peaceful heart), and the Yupiat have Yuluni pitallkertugluni (living a life that feels great). These different versions of the good life path have one thing in common: the lived values of relations, community, and bal­ ance (Young and Nadeau 2005). Members of the Longhouse Leadership Program explore aspects of the good life path and cultural practices and values, and they frame their reflections at the end of the program. Providing relevant cultural content is essential in Indigenous leadership education. Exploring cultural values through Elders' teachings can provide the foundation for building strong, effective leaders. Lee Brown, of the Ani-Waya (Wolf Clan) of the Tsalagi (Cherokee), stated: "The role of cul­ ture is that it teaches us how to be related, related first to ourselves, related to the spiritual realm, related to the family, the community, and the world around us, and the environment. So, culture teaches. It holds our values, and it holds our knowledge. It holds the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors" (in discussion with author, 2006). Brown talked 56 Alannah Young Leon about the importance of developing self-awareness by exploring cultural values. He believes that individuals who have the opportunity to explore their values and how their values inform their thoughts and actions will also develop a deeper understanding of how other forms of leadership operate. Cultural processes give leaders in training opportunities to ex­ plore how cultural knowledge and leadership are transmitted in particular contexts. Indigenous leadership training should teach leaders to listen respectfully to Elders' teachings and engage with the wisdom of cultural practices. The Longhouse Leadership Program and the core components of an Indigenous leadership program (see Figu re 3.1) contain elements of an Elders' pedagogy based on cultural teachings and values. It is up to the individual to describe their own leadership journey and apply the ele­ ments. For those planning to develop a leadership program, these peda­ gogical components can be addressed in workshops in collaboration with relevant Indigenous stakeholders. Community Service I want my research story to demonstrate that I have learned the leadership values of reciprocity and responsibility to my relations and of providing relevant service to the community. Mediwiwin cultural teachings require us to go home and check in with our home communities - to be of service to them. My inspiration for exploring graduate work is part of my leader­ ship story. Peguis First Nation Education Authority supported my first academic degree by paying my tuition in the Bachelor of Arts program at the University of Winnipeg. To demonstrate reciprocity and serve the community, I am now exploring in my doctoral work how to document the Elders' pedagogy used at the Peguis Medicine Camp. The Aki Mashkiki Na Na Da Wii Ii Way Wiin Earth Medicine Program or Medicine Camp is a community-based service in existence since 1992. The camp's story demonstrates that, despite colonialism, Indigenous knowledge education endures and persists. Elders serve as role models, and their experiential interaqion with the land stands as an example of holistic pedagogy. Edna Manitowabe, Kathy Bird, and Doris Young, who are Cree and Anishinaabe, are the primary instructors of the Medicine Camp. Doris, Edna, and Kathy are considered Elders, teachers, and spirit­ ual leaders of the Mediwiwin Medicine Society. Doris and I were in Edna's trailer when we began discussing how my academic work might give back to the community - in effect, how the story of the Medicine Camp and  Elders' Teachings on Leadership 57 the Elders' narratives could be instructive to those in educational leader­ ship positions. During the conversation, Doris told me a story that she had heard from her father, John Young. Doris believed her dad had told her the story to explain why he hid her mother's knowledge of plants from outsiders. In the mid-twentieth century, he told her, an Indian Agent from the Department of Indian Affairs had imposed patriarchal domination on First Nations communities, overturning matriarchal leadership. The Indian Agent destroyed a year's worth of harvests, which resulted in the matriarchs' going underground and hiding their knowledge from out­ siders. That the matriarchs continue to transmit traditional knowledge through land-based education at the Medicine Camp demonstrates the persistence of an Indigenous educational and leadership ethic, one that provides relevant community service in spite of the pressures imposed by the Canadian state. I believe the burnt harvest story is the reason I was given an audience with the matriarchs, who agreed to consider my request. The story clarifies that our histories make the leadership work we do relevant both in the present and beyond. Using the authority of the Indian Act, the Canadian state interrupted the intergenerational transmission oflndigenous know­ ledge, especially through the residential school system and the loss of Indigenous languages. However, this knowledge is not lost. Instead, Indigenous leadership practices continue to be transmitted in new ways, mobilized through our stories and those of our Elders, stories that re­ establish links to the land (Marsden 2005). I have since graduated from the land-based health education program known as the Medicine Camp and plan to document the stories and narratives as examples of Elder leadership teachings in practice and to demonstrate my leadership through community service. Many of the Elders agreed that to serve the community is a gift and a responsibility. To transmit Indigenous knowledge and culturally relevant leadership skills, Indigenous communities must focus on building com­ munity through intergenerational learning. The Elders view culture as a healthy resource for community and family living. Leadership skills de­ velop through community-based cultural processes and through protocols that require collaboration. Norma Rose Point shared her views on the importance of collaboration by demonstrating through example: "I am living with seven generations of my family alive today. I grew up with midwifery and culturally appropriate child-rearing as a form of women's 58 Alannah Young Leon leadership in our community. I worked in the hospitals and schools for most of my life. I also provide leadership by educating and collaborating with peoples about the medicinal plants in my neighbourhood." Lee Brown likewise stated: I am with the Institute of Aboriginal Health and Vancouver Coastal Health's Aboriginal Health Practice Council, and I like what they do in committees. They not only have the administration and faculty here, but they also have students as part of the committee, which is also a form of leadership. Sometimes, as leaders, we pigeonhole ourselves - this is the way things are done. Whereas you get the new blood in, [you] get new, fresh ideas, because the world is always changing. Intergenerational leadership is how I think about sitting on advisory committees. Eve11 one gains when we put our minds together. Intergenerational and lifelong learning are persistent leadership con­ cepts, and collaboration is indispensible for developing leadership pro­ grams. Listening to and respectfully honouring Indigenous perspectives are required if we hope to overcome the possibility of perpetuating his­ torical injustices through our leadership. Doris reminds me that we did not come this far, carrying and preserving the ancestors' leadership knowledge, to just leave it behind. Many Elders continue to persevere, listen, learn, and enact the ancestors' teachings as part of their leadership. Their perseverance can be heard in their introductions, stories, songs, languages, and cultural protocols:N'kixw'stn James, a Nlaka'pamux Elder in residence at the FNHL who holds a master's degree in education, discussed the importance of listening to the Elders and including cultural teachings and practices as part of a holistic ap­ proach to leadership education: I was the third generation of all females, so I was selected to be the hunter. And when I was going through life turmoil, my grandfather decided he was going to take me away from that type of life... He put me into the sweat and then into an isolated fast, where I went into the mountains, and when I came back down - thirty days clean of alcohol and drugs. It was back in those days where we listened to our grandfather. He said, "I want you to see the world. Find out a way to see the world." And I joined the military, and then I saw the world. And, so, he said, "When you see the world, you come back here to the community and tell the children about it." And that's what I ·am doing.  Elders' Teachin gs on Leadership 59 I was in college and came to university, and now I am teacher, and I teach in school. I am doing exactly what he told me to... I believe in teaching our spirituality to women and children... Don't stop having sweat ceremonies. Don't stop having warrior [ wellness] talking circles and Elders' programs. You know, don't stop doing those trad­ itional things, because they show leadership, and they help students to lead from a cultural foundation, if they want to. So, it's not one or the other. They need to know there are options and choices. I would say culture is really important, like observing the protocol that acknowledges that we are visitors on XwMuthkwium Musqueam territory because the university stands on XwMuthkwium Musqueam unceded territory. And they should always be honoured. (In discussion with author, 2006) The sweat lodge teachings are a part of the Longhouse Leadership Program. It is thus important to continue them even though they are ceremonial practices from outside the local Nations because these cultural ceremonies are open to all peoples, whereas many of the local ceremonial practices have restricted membership requirements. In order to transmit this teaching practice, this ceremony is a good way members of Long­ house Leadership Program can learn local protocol. FNHL received permission from Elder Tsimilano (xwmuthkwey'um Musqueam) to perform the sweat lodge ceremony in their territory. The monthly sweats, the cultural ceremonies such as burnings, smudges, and wellness talking circles, were available to students outside of the Longhouse Leadership Program. Leadership means supporting the reclamation of cultural knowledge and values, which will inform both the activism and the healing required for change. Safe, healthy individuals, families, and communities need to collaborate and develop decolonizing and self-determined consciousness to mobilize communities when under threat (Graveline 2002). We can learn from the Elders' stories because the stories teach us about the changes required to transform our selves, our families, and our communities. White Cloud, a health care professional, demonstrated her teachings as she shared her life experiences: I am an Anishinaabe Metis grandmother. "Wabish Quanoquot Iqwauy, Nezibiquay, Hialoqtinot, nideshnikaush mihegan nidodem" (My name is White Cloud Woman and Two Feathers of the Anishninaabe). Hialoqtinnot is the name I was given when I was adopted into the Nielson-Elliot family on 60 Alannah Young Leon Vancouver Island. The name translates roughly into "a friend of the family." My great-grandmother was the midwife, and she worked with medicines and healing around the Selkirk area, St. Peter's. What we did when I was chief... we used our spiritual activities with pipe ceremonies and the sweat lodges. I brought to them the full moon ceremony, and they practised that Jong after I left. The Elder that took it over, she started remembering how their people did it... Because some don't know any better, and it's up to people like you and I to share - so they don't have that fear. That fear stems from the church and government and residential school. We are stiil left with that legacy. So, the cultural values and principles can teach us how lateral violence can be defused using culture, spirituality, and the protocols... We take that respon­ sibility, and then we also have choices... What are we going to do?... and how we are going to work on our healing. The good parts about that last seven generations - there was a lot of our elder and spiritual people that passed our teachings and ceremonies, kept them alive, went underground.You know that is the positive part. Our people are flocking to that like a thirst. So, there is lots of positive that we need to balance out, but we still have to face reality on what is going on. Yes, there is a lot of sad things going on, and what are the positives? Maybe there are a lot of people that are working for the good of the whole in that community. (Doreen Sinclair, White Cloud, in discussion with the author, 2006) Indigenous leadership requires living healthy lifestyles and interacting with cultural knowledge and principles that can provide a foundation for safe and sober living, paving the way for sovereignty in the future. Language and Genealogy The Longhouse Leadership Program recognizes the intergenerational transmission of decolonizing knowledge as leadership education. Culture supports individuals, families, and communities through Indigenous languages, family genealogies, and extended families. Hopokeltun - a traditional XwMuthkwium speaker, resource person with the Vancouver School Board, and cultural consultant for events at the FNHL - stated: "Indian is an objectification word formulated by the Canadian govern­ ment in 1876 when they formed the Indian Act. So, those are Indians. Indians are objects and subjects of the Canadian government. Whobnulk are people who are Aboriginal who know language and culture unbroken from time immemorial... I am in agreement with educational institutions  Elders' Teachings on Leadership 61 to respectfully make use of the protocols, language, and the culture of the people whose territory they are in" (Shane Point, in discussion with author, 2006). The cultural harm and brainwashing that occurred in residential schools still affects social, political, educational, and leadership conditions today. Elders advise leaders to explore their cultural values and practices in col­ laboration with Indigenous communities. Students in the Longhouse Leadership Program reported that listening to the Elders' stories of local lands and learning local Indigenous peoples' genealogies, which reflect a holistic episteme, enhanced their leadership knowledge and skills. I attribute my leadership skills to the Elders' stories and the wisdom they shared. Indigenous identities have been under threat and affected negatively by pervasive colonial attitudes. Indigenous peoples and communities require appropriate Indigenous leadership models to build relevant and effective relationships. Supporting the unique leadership needs of each individual requires flexibility and time, and individual attention is crucial to Indigenous leadership programs. John O'Leary (Sahnbadis), a Mi'kmaq cultural ceremonialist and Elder in residence at the FNHL who also holds a master of arts degree, shared his thoughts on leadership and identity: Cultural teachings can inform various aspects of identity, but not everyone will be a cultural leader. Leadership is unique to the individual. By looking into different aspects of a person's existence, for example, we have a spiritual existence, we have a locational existence, we have an educational existence... we can develop and use some criteria like that for leadership develop­ ment... So, once you establish that leadership tool or map, a way of assessing where you stand, then ask the person, "Are you comfortable with where you are, or is there something you need to add or change?" And go from there. That's why I call it a diagnostic tool, because you begin a leadership plan to help people get to where they want to be... Again, deciding what's in the new and what is in the old is involved in whatever activity. They have to map their own leadership development. (In discussion with author, 2006) Developing a cultural identity tool to assist people to move towards their leadership gifts and to respect their cultural integrity is a common theme discussed by Elders in the FNHL programs and the medicine camps. The Elders insist that we maintain leadership based on cultural values and 62 Alannah Young Leon address contemporary challenges. I design ed the core components dia­ gram to assist those who are interested in developing contemporary Indigenous leadership models. The Elders' stories and narratives also expressed interrelated and inter­ secting visions oflndigenous leadership. These visions take into considera­ tion the holistic well-being of individuals, families, communities, and the land and recognize the cultural expressions of these value orientations as critical features in Indigenous leadership. Strong Indigenous leadership is developed when institutions create an environment that empowers s udents to reclaim culn1ral values by investigating local living genealogies, oral histories, and reflective practices. Conclusion Elders associated with th First Nations House of Learning and the Peguis Medicine Camp point to the importance of fostering respectful relation­ ships with the land, language, cultural ceremonies, and holistic experi­ ential leadership education in a manner consistent with Indigenous knowledge and intellectual traditions. The Elders discussed the role of culture in leadership development and how culture and storywork had informed their own leadership development. Their stories and experi­ ences challenge colonial historical narratives and highlight the need to develop a critical consciousness among Indigenous leaders, one that moves beyond the agendas of assimilation or decolonization. The Elders' narratives demonstrate the power of stories by conveying their worldview and leadership skills directly. Their knowledge stands as a testimony to the existence of a holistic Indigenous theory. Their teachings show that storywork can be used as a method to develop Indigenous leadership without reference to Western models. Teaching protocols and cultural values, even when applied within a limited time frame, enhance students' experiences as they begin to develop their own leadership potential. Meeting student needs can be facilitated by encouraging different interests and by being flexible. The Elders' storywork constitutes responsible, respectful, and relevant research, by and for Indigenous researchers. It contributes to a deeper understanding of the social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of Indigenous holism, Indigenous leadership theory, and practice at the local level. The persis­ tence of systemic inequalities in societal attitudes, beliefs, and actions, however, demands broader educational approaches that make transforma­ tive antiracism and action strategies a priority. The core components of  Elders' Teachings on Lradersl11p 63 an Indigenous leadership program outlined here, when delivered within such a framework, will help foster leaders who understand that leadership is both a gift and a responsibility, leaders who will step fonvard and em­ power the people to reclaim cultural values through the investigation of local, living genealogies and oral histories. The end result will be the transformation of our communities. Works Cited Archibald,Jo-ann. 2008. Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit. Vancouver: UBC Press. Cajete, Gregory. 1994. Look lo the Mountain: An Ecology ofIndigenous Education. Durango: Colorado Kivaki Press. Dergousoff, Debbie. 2008. "Ethnobotany, Institutional Ethnography and the Knowledge of Ruling Relations." CanadianJournal ofNative Education 31, 1: 162. Graveline, Jean. 2002. "Teaching Tradition Teaches Us." Canadian Journal of Native Education 26, 1: 11-29. Marsden, Dawn. 2005. "Indigenous Wholistic Theory for Health: Enhancing Traditional-Based Indigenous Health Services in Vancouver." PhD diss., University of British Columbia. Young, Alannah E. 2006. "Elders' Teachings on Indigenous Leadership: Leadership Is a GifL" Master's thesis, University of British Columbia. Young, Alannah E., and Denise Nadeau. 2005. "Decolonizing the Body: Restoring Sacred V itality." Atlantis: A Womens StudiesJournal 29, 2: 13-22.