Students in Dr. David McDonald's DEVS 368 Living Lake Ontario: From the Local to the Global visited the shore of Lake Ontario with special guest, Dr. Terri-Lynne Brennan, local cultural sociologist and Executive Director of LodgePole Arts Alliance.
Students gathered at the waterfront near the Newlands Pavillion, where various First Nations peoples once lived, providing the class with a strong experiential learning opportunity.
Dr. Brennan began her discussion with a smudging ceremony for the students, which included an explanation of the medicines used and the processes involved.
Using "," a large floor map of the Great Lakes region measuring 30 feet by 20 feet, Dr. Brennan discussed the Indigenous history of the region. She invited students to sit on the map while she spoke and then walk around it, using their phones to view interactive elements.
Dr. Brennan used the map to help illustrate the history of First Nations peoples in the Great Lakes watershed and how settler colonialism impacted their livelihoods and geographic (dis)locations. She discussed the various treaties in the area and the significance of wampum belts, as well as how First Nations around Lake Ontario continue to work towards reclaiming traditional ways of life and what that implies for Reconciliation.
An extensive question and answer period followed the lesson.
