Becoming the Imperfect Friend: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Contemplative Pathways to Healing and Reconciliation in Higher Education
Denise Findlay
Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education May 1, 2023 DOI: 10.25035/jche.01.02.01 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Reflective essay Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Indigenous philosophy and contemplative education offer ethical pathways to healing and reconciliation in higher education, and proposes the idea of becoming the "imperfect friend" in response to the violence of colonialism in academia. Reflects on the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh values of eslhélha7kwhiws and stélmexw as contemplative dispositions that support this process, and describes a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh-led program at Simon Fraser University in 2022–2023, "Moving Together In The Ways Of The People," documented in a film. |
Abstract
Throughout this reflective essay I explore Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Indigenous philosophy and contemplative education as ethical pathways to healing and reconciliation in higher education. I put forth the idea of becoming the imperfect friend in a world ethos of death by a thousand cuts as a response to the violence of colonialism perpetuated in academia. I reflect on the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh values of eslhélha7kwhiws and stélmexw as contemplative dispositions that lend themselves to the process of becoming the imperfect friend. I conclude by describing a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh -led program hosted by Simon Fraser University (SFU) in 2022-2023, named Moving Together In The Ways of The People. The program is captured in a documentary film following a dedicated group SFU educators, graduate students and staff endeavouring to take meaningful action towards reconciliation by embarking on a sacred learning journey led by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh elders and knowledge carriers on traditional, ancestral, unceded Coast Salish territories.