Being anishinaabe
In our work and operations, Akinoomoshin Inc. seeks to centre:
anishinaabe aadiziwin – our way of being anishinaabe
anishinaabe kendasowin – our way of knowing anishinaabe
anishinaabe inendimowin – our way of thinking anishinaabe
anishinaabe izhichigewin – our way of doing anishinaabe
anishinaabe kendamowin – our way of learning anishinaabe
all of which are embedded in our language and sound, anishinaabemowin.
Further, we strive to live by the niizhwaaswe mishomis miingowewinan (seven grandfather gifts) to guide our relationships in our learning community.
zaagedowin – Our learning community is a family and we express love to our family with care, kindness and patience in all aspects of our work. We help each other to make work easier and fun for all. We extend love to each other by understanding that each of us is working through healing processes in our time and at our pace. It is okay to say “gzaagin” to our family.
mnaadendemowin – We show the respect we have for each other by accepting each other for the gifts that we bring to our community. We seek to understand each other rather than judge and this is exemplified in how we conduct assessment of learning in our community by supporting learners to assess their own learning of skills. We understand that there is no wrong way and processes and outcomes that might be considered mistakes by some, may be ways to new innovations in anishinaabek technologies. We honour the dignity of all members of our learning community and do not engage in behaviour that shames, humiliates or embarrasses others.
odebwewin – Our hearts beats in time with the heartbeat of our mother, shkaakimiikwe, and all of creation. We practice principles of non-interference so we do not disturb the rhythm of others but rather synchronize peaceful rhythms to enjoy harmony in our community. If we are not at peace, the rhythm of our heart is irregular. We need to be aware of the stressful factors in our lives that cause our rhythm to change – poor sleep, poor nutrition, historical trauma, vicarious trauma, grief, loneliness, substance use, illness, financial insecurity, etc. – so that we do not inflict trauma on others in our community. When we acknowledge stress in our life, we find someone to listen to us and be a companion so that we may express ourselves in a healthy and appropriate way.
gwekwaadiziwin – We seek function in our learning community in a manner that is straight and true. While we may have to be fluid and need to flow like the water to move around barriers that we encounter, we continue as straight as we possibly can while maintaining integrity as we work to realize our vision. We have an expectation of the members of our learning community to think and act with integrity in all aspects of their being.
debaadendemowin – When we live according to anishinaabe aadiziiwin, we know ourselves to be sacred beings within creation. We are not superior to aki (the land) and we consider our tree, plants, animal, swimmer, crawler and flying relatives in our actions and work hard not to disturb the land any more than is necessary or in a harmful way. This is acting with humility. Similarly, we interact with everyone in our learning community in our understanding and display of humility carefully considering the ideas, thoughts, perspectives, experiences of the others we learn with and we do not interfere with their learning trajectories unless to avoid great harm. And we seek opportunities to collaborate and look for ways to improve and grow together rather than compete with one another.
aakodewin – In the work that we do to fulfill our vision for anishinaabek education, we often go against the mainstream and what is accepted by much of society as the best way. We need to have faith that what we are doing is deeply meaningful for anishinaabek kinoomaaganak and the future of anishinaabek. We will be brave and we find the words to describe what we do to help people understand. We will encourage each other to face obstacles, criticism or skepticism of our work. We will also encourage each other to be our healthiest selves as we remember that we are all healing from intergenerational trauma. Bravery is not about standing alone, but interdependence and supporting one another. It is also about concensus and being able to find a united way forward together.
nbwaakaawin – We seek the wisdom of our ancestors in our work to find our way to and restore anishinaabek kendaasowin in our education and pedagogies. We seek to display wisdom in our relationships with all members of our professional community – not to know everything but to know ourselves deeply and to share our understanding wisely and appropriately. This page is under construction.
Akinoomoshin 