Contribution short abstract:

History pages often fail to capture experiences fully. Indigenous peoples convey tradition and knowledge through orality, akin to ethnography’s “taste of the Other.” University teaching blends theory and practice, fostering understanding and belonging to Indigenous causes.

Contribution long abstract:

To write a history page, words are often limited: They cannot fully convey the essence of the experience. Following the bear’s tracks or observing the ingenuity of the beaver’s lodge construction involves contemplation and meditation. Indigenous peoples have used orality to convey the “scent” of tradition and the “flavor” of knowledge, the same “taste of the Other” that ethnography resembles. Telling one’s story is indeed a challenge. Being told can sometimes be problematic.

University teaching is a precious means of transmitting knowledge, not only in the dedicated classroom space but also in the field, through participant observation, for example. By marrying theory and practice, the courses taught at UQÀR can act as bridges to raise awareness, foster understanding, and promote knowledge, even “belonging” to the Indigenous cause. In this presentation, we try to dismantle hegemonic frameworks around the university teaching of Indigenous culture via teachers’ and students’ actions.

The presentation will share the results of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) on the contribution of the courses taught and the end-of-term projects carried out on Indigenous culture. Unwriting here means inclusion of all that is different; in one expression “world-making,” building a living-together starting from differences and their understanding. The threatened Mother Earth will not heal through words alone but through actions (non-words). Knowing how to observe, knowing how to listen, and knowing how to act: these are the key words to unwrite narratives and create true encounters.