Depending on your life journey, you may either have a connection to your Indigenous roots, are slowly reconnecting to your Indigenous traditions and culture, or are disconnected from your Indigenous culture and feel lost and do not know where to start. That is completely okay! Many people are on a similar journey as you! Taking the step to reconnect and learn more about your cultural background, traditions, and values is a very meaningful and powerful thing you can do to improve your well-being (Connect with Culture for Life, n.d.).
Indigenous advisor: “The phenomenon of identity is important. It even seems to be an intergenerational phenomenon. Students have been “self-identified” by their parents for many years, but they don’t know where their origins come from. ” (Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health, (CIMCH), 2024, p. 44)
Helpful tips/suggestions (Connect with Culture for Life, n.d.):
- Take a language class
- Sit and have tea with an Elder
- Take part in a cultural activity/social/ ceremony
- Listen to traditional oral stories
- Reconnect and spend time on the land, in nature
- Learn traditional teachings, customs, practices, and values
- Learn a creation story
Indigenous stories
One way to reconnect and stay connected to your culture while at post-secondary is through story telling. Oral tradition is a common practice within Indigenous customs and can be used as a form of healing. As traditional stories are often embedded within teachings, listening to traditional stories may help with guidance, perspective, and/or feelings (The National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education [NCCIE], 2020). Please feel free to watch video clips and/or listen to podcast episodes which you can find in the resource section at the end of this toolkit.
