History of the Project
by Jennifer Wemigwans, President

Years ago I was trained as an adult literacy instructor by Priscilla George, founder and former Executive Director of the National Indigenous Literacy Association (NILA).  Ms George, now known as Ningwakwe, and other elders and traditional teachers taught us the value of holistic knowledge derived from First Nations teachings.   Impressed with how important Indigenous knowledge was in our literacy classes, I began conversations with stakeholders like Priscilla George and Nancy Cooper (an Adult Education Worker) on the value of having First Nations teachings made accessible in a respectful manner on the World Wide Web.  At this time NILA was not incorporated, and was known as the National Aboriginal Design Committee.  Furthermore, Invert Media as a company did not exist, so these discussions were undertaken in the spirit of frontline community workers envisioning an exciting potential resource.  After graduating with a MFA in Media, I started my company, Invert Media, and began to pursue funding for the Four Directions Teachings project.

Moving Forward

Should you want to support projects like this one, please send an email letter of support to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it    We appreciate hearing from you and want to encourage frontline workers, educators, community organizations, schools, government agencies, and families to tell us how they use www.fourdirectionsteachings.com and why they like it.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Behind the Production

The goal for the project was to create an engaging site where people could experience Indigenous knowledge and philosophy, and where educators could incorporate the site into their curriculum. FourDirectionsTeachings.com honours oral traditions by creating an environment where the visitor is encouraged to listen with intent as each elder or traditional teacher shares a teaching from their perspective on the richness and value of cultural traditions from their nation.

The elders and traditional teachers represented on the site are:

Each of the elders and traditional teachers who have shared a teaching on this site were approached through a National Advisory Committee of Indigenous people concerned with the protection and promotion of Indigenous knowledge. This committee was formed directly for the purposes of this website to ensure a community based approach that was respectful and accountable.

Our Advisors

Dr. Marie Battiste is Mi’kmaq, a member of the Potlo’tek First Nation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is Academic Director of the Aboriginal Education Research Centre in the College of Education and co-author of Protecting Indigenous Knowledge: A Global Challenge (2000). Dr. Battiste has served as a United Nations expert and co-chair for the UN Workshop on Indigenous Heritage in Geneva, Switzerland.

James [SÁKÉJ] Youngblood Henderson is Professor and Research Director at the Native Law Centre of Canada, College of Law, University of Saskatchewan. He is a noted international human rights lawyer and an authority on protecting Indigenous heritage, knowledge, and culture. He is currently a member of the Sectoral Commission on Culture, Communication and Information of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and of the Experts Advisory Group on International Cultural Diversity.

Dr. Reg Crowshoe is a well-known Piikani Blackfoot Elder who is also Executive Director of the Oldman River Cultural Center in Alberta. Dr. Crowshoe has pioneered and initiated cross-cultural programs for many organizations and institutions across Western Canada, and recently earned an honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Calgary.

Diane Hill (Katsitsawaks) is a member of the Mohawk nation and Bear clan from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. For the past 20 years, she has been consulting on various Aboriginal education initiatives internationally and working to promote culturally-based educational strategies in the field of social work and in the area of portfolio-assisted prior learning assessment with the First Nations Technical Institute. Currently, Diane is completing her Ph.D. in Adult Education with a focus on Aboriginal approaches at the University of Toronto.

Sylvia Maracle is Mohawk from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and a member of the Wolf Clan. Ms. Maracle has been involved in Aboriginal Friendship Centres for over thirty years, serving as the Executive Director for the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres (OFIFC) for much of that time. Ms. Maracle has also served as the Vice President of the National Association of Friendship Centres, President of the Native Women’s Resource Centre and Co-Chair of the City of Toronto Taskforce on Access and Equity.

Creative Notes

The project was narrated by Aboriginal actors and musicians:

Project Credits

 
We also want to thank the following people for their belief and faith in the project:

Mary Barroll, Jacquie Carpenter, Wayne Clark, Nancy Cooper, Kari Dehli, Chris Hamden, Tal Henderson, Lorre Jensen, Susan Kennard, Ningwakwe, Caitlin O’Donovan, Diane Pugen, Myriam Rafla, Albert Resnick, Gabe Sawhney, Maria Vasilodimitrakis, Leah Visser and Rinaldo Walcott.

Chi Miigwetch!