Stories from the Pandemic: A Métissage on Digital Environments, Embodiment, and Indigenous Education

Abstract

Through a métissage or interweaving of vignettes, reflections, and scholarly engagement, this presentation draws on Hanson’s experiences over the past few years to consider the topic of collective transformation. Hanson explores the transformation precipitated by the unexpected years of online life starting with the outbreak of COVID-19, alongside the ongoing transformation called for in Indigenous Education. The work of weaving Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing into teaching and learning in Western institutions requires perseverance and calls us to grapple with complex frameworks like decolonization, reconciliation, and relationality. Meanwhile, the experiences of the past few years have called for adaptability in response to the material realities of the online era. Set amidst the pandemic, these considerations touch on themes of embodiment, land, climate, culture, consciousness, and uncertainty.