Sonny Assu, You Mess With Me You Mess With My Cousins (2014). Digital Intervention on Fredrick Alexcee painting

The story that Canada has been telling for the past 153 years is entrenched in the singular narrative of colonial success and it holds a deep pride in this.

ReStorying is the decolonizing process of reclaiming this history, a way of sharing “the living history and truths [of Indigenous people] that need to be conveyed to future generations so that decolonization and
justice can be realized” (Chaw-win-is et al, p.5).  It is a process that has the power to disrupt the ongoing colonial narrative which perpetuates systemic racism, capitalism and the patriarchy.

@decolonialgram is the art work of Sonny Assu, a Ligwilda’xw of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations artist. These images are part of the  artist ‘Interventions on the Imaginary‘ series, in which he takes historical works and layers ‘digital interventions’ of his artwork over the pieces.

Sonny Assu, Home Coming (2014) Digital Intervention on Paul Kane painting

As a pre-service teacher I intend on making ReStorying  a cornerstone of my pedagogy.  Implementing the First Peoples Principles of learning within our future classrooms and throughout our own lives is a start. The principles themselves create space for meaningful and authentic learning and embrace humans as complex beings, but this is not enough. As settlers on this land, we must actively decolonize our practices by questioning the intention and the ongoing colonial influence within the curriculum, as well as the classroom construct and expectations.

::References::

Indigenous Storytelling, Truth-telling, and Community approaches to Reconciliation by Jeff Corntassel, Chaw-win-is and T’lakwadzi. University of Victoria. http://www.corntassel.net/IndigenousStorytelling.pdf