Climate Action Figures
A safe place for youth to share steps they are taking to mitigate climate change.
Climate Action Figures
Season 2, Episode 20: Apooyak'ii
Thanks to Joel Haberstock for introducing us to this week's guest!
In this episode of Climate Action Figures, John interviews Apooyak'ii, Dr. Tiffany Hind Bull Prete, a member of the Blood Tribe from the Blackfoot Confederacy. Apooyak'ii discusses the importance of land, traditional ecological knowledge, and the natural law of balance from a Blackfoot perspective. She shares insights on how non-Indigenous people can learn from Indigenous knowledge systems to better care for the Earth. The conversation also covers the significance of reconciliation, the role of Indigenous languages, and practical steps individuals can take for climate action. Resources like the Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association and the work of environmental activist William Singer III are highlighted as valuable learning tools.
00:00 Introduction
00:48 QuickFix: Alberta Parks' Recycled Outhouse
01:43 Welcome Apooyak'ii: Connection to the Land
02:24 Blackfoot Traditional Territory and Stewardship
04:24 Learning from Indigenous Knowledge
05:43 Practices for Sustainable Living
08:15 Challenges and Paradigm Shifts
09:14 Resources and Community Initiatives
13:13 Role of Allies in Reconciliation
15:54 Truth and Reconciliation: Caring for the Earth
18:10 Indigenous Education and Two-Eyed Seeing
21:50 Revitalizing Indigenous Languages
26:08 Personal Climate Actions and Hope for the Future
27:56 Conclusion and Farewell
https://www.naapisgardenkepa.com/, https://www.instagram.com/naapis_garden/?hl=en
climateactionfigures@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/climateactionfigures
https://www.instagram.com/climateactionfigures/
https://www.youtube.com/@ClimateActionFigures
Name is Dr. Tiffany Hind Bull Prete. I'm a member of the Blood Tribe, which is part of Blackfoot Confederacy in Treaty 7 Territory, or Sixth Gate CTP, Blackfoot Traditional Territory. I'm also an assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge, and I'm joining you on Climate Action Figure today.
John:Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Climate Action Figures. My name is John Whidden and this week on the show, I am very excited for you to meet Apooyak'ii But first this week's QuickFix, which comes to us from Alberta Parks, unbeknownst to them actually, they have given us a QuickFix because a few weeks ago I visited a beautiful brand new outhouse in the Kananaskis backcountry and found this label. For those of you who are listening and not seeing on YouTube, it says, Did You Know? This outhouse is made in Canada from approximately 475 pounds or 215 kilograms of recycled plastic. The durable plastic boards are manufactured waste plastic, including milk jugs, shopping bags, yogurt tubs, medicine containers, plastic toys, motor oil containers, ketchup bottles, household cleaner bottles, Drinking Straws, Juice Bottles, and more. When this outhouse reaches the end of its life, it can be recycled again into something useful. Wishbone Site Furnishings. Welcome Apooyak'ii. What do you think about that QuickFix today?
Apooyak'ii:That sounds really interesting, I've never heard that before, so it's neat to see what kinds of products and things are happening with recycling.
John:Yeah, we We put all our things into the recycling and, you know, some of it doesn't get recycled, but the stuff that does, it's kind of interesting to see what it turns into. Now, Apooyak'ii, I love the land where you grew up. Chief Mountain, every time I drive down toward Waterton Park Chief Mountain always draws me in. Often, I'll stop and take a photo of it. And it always seems mysteriously different. How does the land speak to you or draw you in?
Apooyak'ii:I'm very, you know, particularly fond of my people's traditional territory, uh, and if you've never heard of where Siksikaitsitapi traditional territory is, it, extends from the North Saskatchewan River, east to the Cypress Hills, south to the Yellowstone River, and west to the Rocky Mountains. And so it's always been important to me to stay within my people's traditional territory, Historically, uh, the Blackfoot people, you know, are, are life centered around the Iinnii, uh, which is the buffalo. And so we traveled extensively throughout our territory and even beyond our territory. Um, It was guided by the seasons. And so we've always been in this stewardship role with the land. And so we, we have a very deep connection to the land and to our territory. And throughout our traditional territory, we, we have many sites and sacred sites. And so there's stories that go along with each of these, these sacred sites that teaches us as Blackfoot people about our history, where we came from, our theories. And that ties with our, you know, our cultural traditions, our ontological responsibilities, and our relationship and alliances that we have with one another as beings. So that would include plants, animals, insects, you know, everything that has been created, and this is all embedded in. Our language, and within the land as well. And so one of the important teachings that I received growing up as a Blackfoot person is a natural law of balance where we learned that every action that we take can affect the balance and harmony within our lives. And so for me, being on the land, uh, is really important because it teaches me how to live a life that is balanced and, within harmony.
John:We could sure all stand to be a bit more in balance with the earth. I certainly need to learn more about that myself. In attempting to look after the earth, Apooyak'ii, in a more responsible way, how can we learn from First Nation Peoples?
Apooyak'ii:So, I approached this topic of looking after Mother Earth as being in a stewardship role, and so a part of this role is looking after all of the relationships that we have, and so that would include all of the alliances we have with the land, with, again, the animals, the plants, the insects, everything that's been created. And as Blackfoot people, we believe that all of creation has been created with the spirit. So, being stewards of the land Or, or on Earth we would make sure that we take care for all of creation. And so we learn from these beings how to live a life, uh, that is balanced and in harmony with one another. So taking it, you know, watching, observing, uh, and watching how they interact with one another. And so if we stop and pay attention to these interactions that are taking place. You know, there's a lot of valuable lessons that we can learn and as stewards, it's our responsibility to honor these alliances and make sure that we maintain a life of balance and harmony, on this earth that we share together. And so I, I wanted to share. A couple of practices that we can all engage in that helps us to learn from Indigenous knowledges when it comes to either establishing or maintaining alliances that we have with all of creation. I would say that the first practice would be almost a, a paradigm shift in the way that maybe we've been taught to think about Indigenous knowledges, um, and what our, our role and position would be in terms of. taking care of the land or of Mother Earth. And so as a Blackfoot person, I've been taught about the Circle of Life, which, you know, is considered a sacred symbol. And so the, the Circle of Life is comprised of all living forms. And the Creator is found in the, you know, center of the circle, which means that all life forms revolve around the Creator. who created all living life forms and didn't consider one life form as more important than the other. So as Blackfoot people, this teaching, um, helps us to understand that we are taught to respect all living life forms because uh, every life form has a spirit and they have the ability to, Retain and to be able to, to transfer knowledge if we take that time to actually stop and learn from them. we really don't see ourselves, um, as separate from the land and other creations as being subordinate to to our own lives as as human beings. And so instead, we we understand that we have a relationship with all of creation, and that we have a responsibility to to care for every creature and to approach our existence on this land in a reciprocal manner. So having a reciprocal relationship with all beings, uh, and to make sure that we're not only just taking, but that we're also giving back to the land. An example could be sustainable harvesting practices around, hunting and gathering, uh, and making sure that we're doing it in a way that's considerate of the environment. So, like, one practice that I was taught growing up is if we're picking berries that we don't pick the berry bush completely clean because we, we do need to share that food with, with every creature so they'll be, you know, birds, there'll be bears, you know, other, other, um, beings who also need to use that, that very bush. And so we're taught not to completely take everything, but we, we still need to share it with, um, all of creation. And so another practice that I wanted to share I would say is another paradigm shift. And historically within Canada, the Canadian Government and the settlers who came and settled on these lands have unfortunately discredited Indigenous knowledge systems, you know, as not being equivalent to Euro-Western knowledge systems. And so if this is something that, you know, Maybe as a listener, you heard when you were growing up, you know, I would encourage you to be open to learning about a new knowledge system, um, every culture, every people within this world that we share, you know, has their own knowledge systems that are valid and that we can learn from one another. And so I would invite you to listen and engage with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers who carry vast knowledge about the land, the plants, the animals, and the interconnectedness of, of all of us as beings here on earth. And they also speak to our traditional ecological knowledge that we have as Indigenous Peoples. And I, I wanted to, to share two resources, if people were interested and wanted to learn more and to engage personally on the Blood Reserve, we have an organization that's called the Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association. And for short, we call them KEPA. it's located on Kainai, so the blood reserve. This organization is really dedicated to the stewardship and protection of traditional Blackfoot territory and the ecosystem. And so they, they really promote Blackfoot teachings around traditional ecological knowledge and mirror it with some western teachings as well, uh, and so they take a look at issues such as water, uh, water protection, land reclamation, and wildlife preservation. They've been doing a project on Iinnii rematriation, so returning the buffalo back to our traditional territories, and they take a look at climate change as well, uh, and so we have a lot of, community members who are involved, uh, Blackfoot Elders who are involved, they, they work with different organizations, and they hold a summit every year, and so anyone's welcome to come and join, and to, to listen and to learn from those summits, uh, you can follow them on Facebook, they do have, uh, a website online if anyone's interested and I also wanted to talk about Api’soomaahka, his English name is, William Singer III, and he is a very highly respected Blackfoot artist, cultural leader, and an environmental activist, who is a member of the Blood Tribe. And he's so gracious with his time and with his knowledge. He travels a lot throughout the traditional territories of the Blackfoot people teaching to Indigenous and non Indigenous Peoples about his work, and he's very deeply committed to preservation and revitalization of Indigenous culture, knowledges, language, and he's so very knowledgeable about traditional ecological knowledge, and he really integrates that into the work that he does. He has started collaboratively working with other, other members, other organizations, NAPI's Garden and Katoyiss Seed Bank. And so that's that's something that people can get involved in and to be able to help with those initiatives. you can find that he's on Instagram and you can take a look at it online. I always like to hear Api’soomaahka speak.
John:Well, those are wonderful resources. I'll put them in the show notes so our listeners and our viewers can easily access those resources. You've answered my next question, but I'll give you one more shot at it in case there's anything else. how do non Indigenous people connect into that knowledge and way of seeing, you know, you talked about the paradigm shift, the whole different way of, of viewing the world. Are there any other ways, aside from the websites and the ideas you gave us, that folks can connect with that Indigenous way of seeing the world?
Apooyak'ii:I, yeah, I, I think it's important to be able to recognize whose traditional territory you're on. So wherever you're located in Canada or in the world is to, to first know whose traditional territory that you are on. and to be able to take that time to actually go out and make relationships with that particular group and to support the initiatives that they're doing. So if they have programming, if they're putting on different kinds of presentations to go out and to support them and to learn, I think would be a really great step to continue your education in that area.
John:Wonderful. I think almost every community has some sort of a friendship centre that you can, uh, get in touch with and, and get yourself connected to the Indigenous folks in your neighbourhood. Now I listened to a podcast, Apooyak'ii, where you said we need allies in order to heal from colonisation. As a settler, how can I be an ally in that way?
Apooyak'ii:Thank you. So I, when I think of the word ally, the way that I would define an ally is somebody who is actively working to try and disrupt oppressive systems and spaces trying to amplify Indigenous voices and knowledge systems, and to be able to use, you know, if you're not an Indigenous person yourself, to be able to use the privilege that you do have to try and foster greater understanding and equity. it involves educating oneself about the realities, histories, and the ongoing impacts that colonization has had and continues to have on Indigenous Peoples, while being mindful of the the way that colonialism continues to shape our societal structures today. And so allies, being in a position where you can challenge some of those narratives that unfortunately perpetuate injustices. And so the. First up, I would say is educating yourself and continuing on with with educating yourself. As Blackfoot People, we're taught that it takes a lifetime to learn how to be Blackfoot, and I, I really think that applies very well when we do talk about education, especially being an ally, so going to a workshop, or going to one session with Indigenous Peoples isn't going to give you enough of the information that you, you need. It's about action. And so if you want to be an ally, it is continuing to walk in this, this path of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and having this continued commitment to, to educating yourself and to working together to make a better future. And so second would be amplifying Indigenous Voices who would be considered experts on these topics and so really really trying to help The Indigenous Peoples who are out there trying to make a change and last would be action. So when you do see something that's taking place, something that shouldn't take place, you know, such as oppressive acts, it's speaking up and starting to be comfortable with the uncomfortable because we need to be able to have the courage to actually speak up and do something about it.
John:Especially relevant to this whole conversation is the recent passing of a great Canadian, Murray Sinclair. If listeners are not familiar, he was a huge, pivotal part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Calls to Action. How does Truth and Reconciliation and the Calls to Action tie into Caring for the Earth?
Apooyak'ii:when we, when we talk about this, I, I think that there's like a couple of different ways that we can, we can look at the truth and reconciliation and how that ties to, to caring for the earth. First is, you know, literally what the truth and reconciliation calls to action talks about in terms of land rights and Indigenous Peoples, but we could also take a look at the Truth of Reconciliation Calls to Action as being all interrelated for caring for the Earth by cultivating much more respectful relationships among the original Peoples who were here, and then when we have newcomers on what we now call Canada. And so learning to live together in a balanced way would be a part of accepting and validating Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing, which includes our traditional ecological knowledge and helps us to learn how to be better stewards of the land and to live in a balanced and harmonious way. But if we, you know, we were to actually take a look at the calls to action and what they do speak about in terms of Land Rights, and Stewardship of the Earth. There are a couple of calls to action that speak about the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. we call it UNDRIP, uh, and within UNDRIP, it does talk specifically about Indigenous people's right to land and knowledge systems and, and being able to use our own, traditional knowledge to make decisions and to care for the land. Uh, and so in the calls to action, it does talk about UNDRIP and making it something that Canada will take up and to implement and to make an action plan for, for Canada to actually see UNDRIP become a reality within Canada.
John:Thanks for sharing that. reconciliation is such an important thing. It's such a difficult thing and, uh, I, I have a friend who says, reconcili action is what we need, not just to have a list of ideas, but to actually move them into action. So, uh, great to have some, some thoughts from you about how we can make that happen. Now, Apooyak'ii you work at the University of Lethbridge and are a teacher there, correct?
Apooyak'ii:Yes,
John:And do you work with any First Nation students
Apooyak'ii:I do. Yes, I work with Indigenous people, so a majority of them would be members of Blackfoot Confederacy. There are other non Blackfoot members who are Indigenous, and then non Indigenous students as well.
John:when I was doing my undergrad work, which was many years ago, I was quite disheartened because I grew up right next to the Kehewin First Nation in Northeastern Alberta, and they were my friends. Like, that was just part of my life. And then when I went to university, I didn't see Any First Nation People, to be honest. So is that heartening for you to see more students in that post secondary world?
Apooyak'ii:yeah, in, in my own experiences going through, um, Post Secondary Education. You know, many times in my undergrad, I was the only Indigenous student, and then when I went to graduate studies, I actually did my graduate degrees in Indigenous Peoples Education. So it was the very first time that I had Indigenous professors, and that I wasn't the only Indigenous student in my classes. And so, it is very, it is very, Wonderful to be able to see so many Indigenous students and people who are from Blackfoot Confederacy enrolled in these programs. And particularly because, I understand the struggles that they are encountering and trying to overcome as they get their education. And the education system wasn't designed for the success of Indigenous Peoples, and historically, you know, if you take a look at the documents that the Canadian Government wrote, they didn't have the intention for Indigenous Peoples to even hold a high school diploma or to be in a position where they could go on to post secondary education. And so, the way that our education system has been designed has really been to reward those people who fit within the majority population. And so, it makes it very challenging for people who don't belong to that majority group, minorities and Indigenous Peoples to find success in the education system.
John:As an educator, do you feel a responsibility to share First Nations ways of seeing with non Indigenous students?
Apooyak'ii:Yes for myself as an educator, you know, I, I think it's really important to be able to be authentic to who I am as a Niitsitapiaaki, so a, a Blackfoot woman, and so that does really heavily influence my teaching philosophy, and so within my teaching philosophy, you know, I understand that there is. Benefits to having both Indigenous and Western educational practices and so I strive to achieve what Elder Albert Marshall calls Two Eyed Seeing, so that's integrating both Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, uh, and hoping to provide more of a holistic perspective, uh, within my, within my classes. I like to try and ground my own teaching, my own approach, my own teaching methods within traditional educational practices. So that would be something that I would do with both Indigenous and non Indigenous students, as well as to be able to teach about, uh, Indigenous Perspectives, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and to, to talk about the, the history and oppression that Indigenous Peoples have experienced throughout the, the history of having settlers come and being colonized and the realities that we live with today as Indigenous Peoples.
John:You've shared a number of words and phrases from the Blackfoot language with us today and thank you very much for that. Any anthropologist will tell us that languages and the culture that is so indelibly tied to them are disappearing at an alarming rate. Would you mind sharing one more important word or phrase in Blackfoot with us?
Apooyak'ii:Sure. So, I, I think that it's, it's really important to learn how to say hello in the language of the traditional territory that we occupy. And I think that's a really meaningful first step towards reconciliation. And it's a really powerful act of respect. So for Indigenous Peoples, You know, language is, is far more than a means of communication. It embeds our culture, our identity, as well as our ancestral knowledge. And just as you were talking about colonial policies and practices have sought to erase our languages as Indigenous Peoples, and so many Indigenous Peoples, including myself, you know, we were, we were forced to grow up without fluency within our ancestral language, and so this loss is is very deep for us, and I think every step towards revitalizing our language is a step towards healing, and so as settlers and as allies, learning and using Indigenous greetings is, maybe considered simple, but I think it's a very profound way to acknowledge the people who have been stewards of the land that we now live, work, and play on. And so it's, it's really a, a tangible act of respect that goes beyond words, Signaling and openness to learn, to connect, and to honor Indigenous cultures and languages. And so I would encourage you to learn how to say hello in the language of the traditional territory that you live on, and to, really integrate that into your life. So whether that's casual conversations, Within your professional settings, within community gatherings. So it's something that you can do in your emails. You can, you can say hello in the Indigenous language and in English as well. That's a practice that I, I try to do at my university. And I find that a lot of my colleagues have been very receptive and open, and they actually say hello back to me in my language. And it's, it's really, really helpful. Beautiful, you know, to be greeted in your own language, rather than always having to, to, you know, communicate in a colonizing language.
John:right, and I noticed in our email conversations you open with oki? Do I say that correctly?
Apooyak'ii:Yes: oki.
John:oki, and, uh, but I wonder right away if I say that am I co opting culture and language?
Apooyak'ii:if I could ask you, what makes you feel like you would be?
John:that's a good question. I, um, I guess if I was using a French greeting someone would assume that I have some French background. Otherwise, why would I be using that greeting? But you're saying because I'm on traditional territory that use that greeting, therefore it's okay for me to do that?
Apooyak'ii:I would say yes, I think it's normalizing, hearing Indigenous languages on their traditional territories. And so I don't think that, you know, in myself being Blackfoot, living on traditional Blackfoot territory, having somebody who's not Blackfoot speak Blackfoot to me, I don't find that. offensive. Um, I find that very, I find that very warming that they're open to the idea of learning Blackfoot and that they're practicing it. Because again, It is really beautiful to have somebody speak to you in your own language. And so I, I really appreciate it when People take the time to try and learn my Blackfoot language and call me by my Blackfoot name because that it is my name. That's who I am. I have an English name, but it is nice to have people who, who take that time to, to actually, try and say my name. Sometimes I don't get it right, but I really appreciate the effort in just that simple act of, of trying.
John:Well, that's wonderful to hear, and I will definitely try to put that into practice in my day to day life. So thanks for freeing me to do that. Now, we're running out of time, so Apooyak'ii, I want to make sure we have time to hear your climate actions. So if you'd like to tell us about that, go to it.
Apooyak'ii:as a family, we do have a compost that we have in our backyard that we all engage in. My husband and my children my in laws are into gardening, and so they do their gardening throughout the summer, and I get to enjoy what they grow. something else that we've been working on is trying to switch over our light bulbs to, you know, more energy efficient appliances. So, trying to make more changes. I know that some of them are little, but we'll continue to include more practices as we go along.
John:Last question for you today, Apooyak'ii, what gives you hope?
Apooyak'ii:I, I think it's seeing, you know, for, for myself in my courses that I teach at the university, it makes me so happy that every time I do teach that I get so many varied students. And when I mean their backgrounds, so the, the degrees that they're getting are not all sociology they're in a bunch of different backgrounds, and they're very interested in learning about Indigenous Peoples and histories and what they can do to be a better citizen in Canada when it comes to reconciliation. And so that it makes me very hopeful about being able to walk this path of reconciliation together as Canadians being Indigenous and non Indigenous Peoples. And so I, I have hope that we will. Have a better future as we, we continue to, to learn and to engage in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, and learn how to live more in a balanced and a harmonious way together.
John:Thank you very much for joining us today, Apooyak'ii.
Apooyak'ii:Yes, thanks so much for having me.
John:And thank you, dear listener. We will be back again next week, same time, same place, to hear from another Climate Action Figure. Until then
Apooyak'ii:Kianń(That's a wrap!), and go figures.