Engaging Poo’miikapii & Niitsitapiisinni: The Development & Implementation of Community-Based Graduate Programs to Support Community Wellness

Abstract

This thesis investigates how community-based graduate programs in local Indigenous approaches to wellness can be most effectively developed and implemented. The Poo’miikapii: Niitsitapii Approaches to Wellness, and Niitsitapiisinni: Real Peoples’ Way of Life programs at the University of Calgary were used as examples to demonstrate this. Ten storytellers engaged in research conversations to share their feedback and experiences regarding the development and implementation of the Poo’miikapii and Niitsitapiisinni programs. Research conversations and course outlines were analyzed using Archibald’s (2008) storywork analysis. Themes of relationship building and maintenance, Elder engagement, community-based Indigenous pedagogy and curriculum, and decolonizing and Indigenizing the academia were identified. A framework for universities, organizations, and communities to implement similar programs is discussed. Considerations of how to collaboratively develop and implement on reserve, community-based wellness programs with an emphasis on experiential, land-based, and Elder-guided learning are included. Given the vast diversity among Indigenous communities, this framework should be interpreted as a flexible guideline that can be altered to align with Indigenous communities’ unique practices.