Introducing

Seven Seeds

Indigenous Foundation Course

Hosted by: Manoomin Learning

A program created for everyone, that can be taken by anyone!

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Save Your Spot today, Registration closes FEBRUARY 11 2025

About

The Seven Seeds Indigenous Foundation Course will empower people with the knowledge of Indigenous people, ways’ of knowing, science, and perspectives.

By the end of the course seven seeds of knowledge will be sown, and through the course activities you will start to nurture these seeds. Upon completing the course you will be awarded with a certificate.

The course is roughly ~14 hours in total.

Please note this course has been designed, developed, and will be delivered by Indigenous people. All information presented is done so with respect and reciprocity, and is appropriate, authentic, and considerate.

Certificate of Completion Provided

A certificate honouring the work that you have done and the foundation of which you built for understanding Indigenous people, ways of knowing, science, and perspectives will be awarded upon program completion.

Certification requirements

Watching all 7 virtual modules live or recorded

Completion of at home reflection journal

Upon completion of the course, Manoomin Learning will also endorse you on LinkedIn

Course Format

The course will run from Feb 11th to May 6th

The course content will be covered through bi-weekly virtual modules. The virtual modules will each be 2 hours in length, consisting of approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes of content, and the rest of the time will be for open discussion and reflection. Sessions will take place on Tuesday nights from 6:00-8:00 pm EST.

If you can’t make it to a live session, the modules will be recorded and posted online and you will have access to the recordings via a link.

Upon registering for the course, email notifications with details on content covered and the meeting link will be sent out on a weekly basis.

Frequently Asked Questions

We will explore topics of Indigenous people and history of Turtle Island, the Indigenous Lens, what Indigenous science is and how it can inform the way in which we interact with the environment, colonization of the Northeastern woodlands, assimilation policies like Residential schools, reconciliation, and current Indigenous changemakers.
This course is designed for anyone and everyone. Whether you live in Ontario, Canada, the United States, or anywhere in North America , even the world, this course will leave you with a foundation for understanding Indigenous people, and will give you the tools and skillset to venture off and learn more about the original and present inhabitants of Turtle Island.
The Seven Seeds Indigenous Foundations course was created with everyone in mind and will be totally accessible. If you have any questions about accessibility needs please email 7seedsifc@gmail.com

Course Syllabus

In this course we will be planting seven seeds, each seed is a learning outcome of a foundational aspect to understand Indigenous people, ways of knowing, science, and perspectives. Each online module will also be tied to and inspired by one of the Anishinabek Grandfather Teachings.

Session 1: The People atop a Turtles Back

An Introduction to Me and Indigenous People of Turtle Island

Let us explore and learn the honest truth of Indigenous people of Turtle Island (including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis). We will build a competency for understanding what binds us together as Indigenous people and what makes us unique from one another. We will discuss terminology of Indigenous people.

Honouring our Grandfather of Truth Gwayakwaadiziwin. Which means ‘To live correctly and with virtue.’

Session 2: Seeing in Circles

Understanding the Indigenous Lens and Worldview

Whether we know it or not or culture, background, education, lived experience all greatly informs the way in which we walk, and the glasses through which we look through in this world. In this session we will discuss the Indigenous lens. The lens that Indigenous people walk with that is guided by thousands of years, and hundreds of generations of wisdom. We will also explore how this compares and contrasts with the Western and/or Euro-Canadian lens.

Honouring our Grandfather of Wisdom Nibwaakaawin. Which means ‘To live with vision.’

Session 3: An Agreement to Partnership or Property?

We all know that agreements about the land were made between Europeans and Indigenous people. But were these about partnership or property? Long before the Europeans arrived on this land, some say since time immemorial, Indigenous people had Nation to Nation governance. These were traditional treaties called Wampum, which are still honoured by Indigenous people today. We also had out first treaty, and this treaty was about about acknowledging all that sustains us. In this session we will look at treaties both from the Euro-Canadian perspective and the Indigenous Perspective.

Understanding Treaties and Wampum

Honouring our Grandfather of Humility, Dabasendiziwin. Which means ‘to think lower of oneself in relation to all that sustains us.’

Session 4: STEMories of a Respectful Science

An introduction Indigenous science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM)

If I can sum up the big difference between Indigenous science and Western science it would be a matter of respect, of reciprocity, of sustainability. In this session we will explore Indigenous science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM) and compare Indigenous science with Western science. We will learn how our Mother the Earth, informs, influences, and instructs our science with respect at the core.

Honouring our Grandfather of Respect Manaaji’idiwin. Which means ‘to go easy on one another and all of Creation.’

Session 5: Building a Timeline of the Colonization of North America

Aspects of Assassination and Assimilation

Often the history of the land we live on is clouded by mistruths and only one perspective. In this session we will be building a timeline of the colonization of the Northeastern Woodlands. Delving into how the relationship changed over colonization from friends to foe, and ultimately the assimilation policies that have caused so much pain and suffering for Indigenous people. We will speak to the extent of the lived experience of Indigenous people past and present and we will tell the truth about colonization.

Honouring our Grandfather of truth Debwewin. Which means ‘to speak only to the extent, we have lived or experienced.

Session 6: Beyond Words and Towards Action

Making Change Happen from Reconciliation to ReconcilAction

Reconciliation is all about the restoration of a friendship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. But what is true reconciliation and how do we turn our intentions into reconciliaction. It is said true reconciliation will never occur unless we all are first reconciled with the Earth. We not only need to love each other as humans, but love all beings, and the mother that nurtures us, the Earth.

Honouring our Grandfather of love Zaagi’idiwin. Which means ‘Unconditional love between one another including all of Creation, humans and non-humans.’

Session 7: Indigenous Innovators in Action, Building a Brighter Future for All

Indigenous Changemaking at the Nation, Organization, and Individual Level

In spite of what we will learn about how Indigenous people have faced tremendous colonization, assassination, assimilation, and cultural genocide, there are still numerous Indigenous Nations, organizations, and people who are living with bravery and making significant changes in politics, art, environment, social, and sports spaces.