Poet’s ‘Forest Teachings’ workshop brings Indigenous ways of knowing to forefront of Ottawa’s 200th anniversary

Ottawa’s former English poet laureate and Indigenous cultural leader Albert Dumont hosted a film screening and art-making workshop on July 14 at the Diane Deans Community Centre in Greenboro.

The event was facilitated by the School of Never-Ending Learning, a local intergenerational education initiative that secured grant money from the city’s 200^th anniversary fund. The workshop series — titled Forest Teachings by the Pazaman (Smudging Fire) Circle Collective — runs at various community centres and churches over four remaining dates between July 14 and Sept. 12.

The session according to Dumont and Lindsay Barr of Never-Ending Learning, are intended to provide a space for healing and spiritual growth while educating local residents and tourists about the Algonquin nation that has lived on territory that became Canada’s capital for countless generations before Bytown (the future Ottawa) was established in 1826.

“We do the land acknowledgements a lot in a lot of spaces, and if you asked most people, ‘Who are the Algonquins? Do you know anything about them or their culture or their teachings?’ I don’t think many people do,” Barr said. “We wanted to provide a space where you could learn about that.”

Dumont emphasized that fostering emotional wellbeing was at the heart of his presentation and storytelling.

“What I really hope is that people will understand how important it is to be emotionally well from anything that I shared,” Dumont said. “When somebody’s not good to go emotionally, they’re not good to go. That’s how it was in my life. I really have a special place in my heart for people who aren’t doing well emotionally.”

He added: “I think from the stories that I tell and what I lived, I try to make people feel better about being a human being.”

Dumont’s granddaughter Krystin Dumont, who attended the workshop, characterized him as dedicated to connecting all people while revitalizing Indigenous culture.

“Watching the way he impacts the hearts of others and the lives of so many has really inspired me to pick up that same type of work and continue his legacy on for him,” she said.

After screening his film Forest Light, Forest Wisdom, Dumont gave a talk that summarized some of his lived experiences at school and work as a member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, the Algonquin nation located about 100 kilometres north of Ottawa-Gatineau near Maniwaki, Que. Dumont relied on several memories from his life to offer wisdom about Indigenous spirituality, nature and an emotionally healthy approach to life.

“There was some teasing,” Dumont said of his classmates, “but it was all gentle. It wasn’t mean-spirited teasing. It was totally different in the town. Some of the people in the town told us to go back where we came from.”

His rebellion against a schoolteacher who told him his non-Christian ancestors were in Hell eventually caused him to be expelled by Grade 8, when he was her student again. He got work in construction, laying brick until a serious back injury sustained from a fall prevented him from further physical labour.

Dumont later served as a spiritual advisor to Indigenous inmates at Millhaven Institution for three years, playing a role in reducing the prison’s violent culture. He stressed to the audience that common sense isn’t very common, referring to his time at the institution.

“Whenever it came to talking to the men about common sense and knowing the difference, I said, “You better know the difference in this place because in this place nonsense is what can get you killed,’ ” said Dumont, referring to Millhaven as the “most violent (prison) in Canada” at the time, according to a prison liaison.

The workshops are a work in progress, noted Dumont. “We are learning as we’re moving, and at some point, I’m going to take all the most powerful areas of the talk” and continue the sessions, he explained.

Dumont and Barr say that once they fulfill their commitment to the Ottawa 200 initiative, they hope to continue the series in various contexts.

“I’m hoping that we can continue doing this, maybe in university classrooms, high school classrooms, for conferences with principals from schools,” Dumont said.

“Maybe it’s training that the police take, and it’s a whole course that’s developed … for empathy building, for friendship, for love, for connection,” added Barr.

Regarding the milestone of the city’s 200th anniversary, Dumont emphasized the importance of understanding and respecting the fact that Ottawa is located on unceded Algonquin territory.

“The city hall is on stolen land. All these high schools . . . are standing on stolen land. Just show us some respect. That’s all. Just know who the people are, the people of the host nation.”

“Indigenous people have always believed that our greatest teacher is the very land around us, every aspect of creation,” said Krystin Dumont. “Once settlers start to understand that there’s more to the world than what is right in front of them, then maybe they will start to feel more interconnected to the mother underneath them.”

The School of Never-Ending Learning is one of several ongoing projects for Barr, who has spent the past 10 years engaging with young people to help them make a difference in their communities. Barr’s aim with Never-Ending Learning is to provide a learning space with a wider demographic of citizens, from teens to seniors.

“I don’t think we have enough spaces, at least (in the) white, non-religious community, for intergenerational learning. And I think that is a huge detriment to all of us, and especially our youth,” Barr said, citing what she’s learned from Indigenous ways of knowing.

“The more I learn, the more (I realize) it is all connected,” said Barr, “and I’ve come to the belief that Indigenous ways of knowing are what’s going to save us.”

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