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Unpacking Identity Through Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing)

Middle, Secondary

Description

This Guided Inquiry resource is designed for students to think critically about their own identity and how aspects of their identity are connected and woven into the greater whole. Students will be encouraged to think deeply about their place in the world and the reciprocal relationship between themselves and their greater community. This lesson is designed as a framework for discussion, and at each stage of the process, questions are welcomed and encouraged to be documented by the teacher. This would set the stage for deeper conversations around identity and the impacts of colonization.

The Inquiry lesson outline guides students through a series of activities designed to help them critically reflect on their identity and its connection to the greater community.

 Students will:

  • discuss a series of questions, then visualize their identity using a series of prompts, shapes and words
  • watch the Medicine Wheel Teachings video, then reflect on each component of the medicine wheel - mental, emotional, physical and spiritual and how these connect to different aspects of their being
  • discuss their connection to the land and Mother Earth with a provocation statement, preferably in an outdoor setting
  • reflect on a series of provided questions either in a large or small group setting or independently 

Students are encouraged to think critically about discussion circles as ways of being together in community and how that can foster a safe and brave space in tackling these conversations.

General Assessment

Recommendation of how and where to use it

Students learn about the Indigenous and Western perspectives of Two-Eyed Seeing. They will recognize how their pieces of identity are woven together using the foundation of a medicine wheel (Two-Eyed Seeing) rather than as separate components of a greater whole (Western View).

This lesson is a natural transition in beginning conversations around colonization and the impact of identity loss in Indigenous communities. As discussions in the classroom move forward, students can begin to think about imbalance when pieces of one’s identities are removed and the impact this can have on the overall individual and community. This discussion can also lend itself to discussing concepts of power, privilege, intersectionality, and positionality with the support of a safe and brave space created within the classroom.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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Themes Addressed

Human Rights (2)

  • Cultural Diversity
  • Social Justice

Indigenous Knowledge (1)

  • Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing

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