Indigenous Community, Storytelling, and Mathematical Flourishing
May 14 and May 21, 2024 Virtual
This powerful mural by artist Clayton Gauthier Cree/Dakelh tells the story of the salmon’s journey from mountain rivers to ocean and back again. It’s a story of risk and strength, of protection and ceremony. It’s a story of inter-relationships, respect, and responsibility. As they travel the rivers and streams, salmon provide food and nutrients for bears and eagles. Bears, in turn, leave salmon carcasses for others to feed, while their scat fertilizes the forest floor and river beds becoming nutrients for monumental cedars above and fungi below. Healthy trees with fractal roots stabilize the river banks guiding salmon with a clear path to their destination.
Written in Gauthier’s mural are stories of how, from time immemorial, Indigenous communities have lived well with salmon, harvesting with honour only what is needed while sustaining land, water, and sky for salmon’s return. Cycles of renewal, relationships, and flourishing are storied in the mural with patterns of land, language, and living well. The story of Salmon’s journey introduces this year’s Symposium theme: Indigenous Communities, Storytelling, and Mathematical Flourishing. How might Indigenous communities and storytelling provide other ways of relating mathematically and teaching mathematics? How can mathematical flourishing guide us to live well with each other, living-beings, and Earth?
Session 1: Indigenous Storytelling and Mathematical Flourishing – Richard Van Camp (May 14; 3:30-5pm PT)
Our featured speaker, storyteller Richard Van Camp, is a proud Tlicho Dene from Fort Smith, NWT, currently residing in Edmonton, Alberta. A recipient of the Order of the Northwest Territories, Richard is an internationally renowned storyteller and award-winning best-selling author of 30 books and graphic novels including The Spirit of Denendeh series & Moccasin Square Gardens. His novel, The Lesser Blessed is now a movie by First Generations Films.
Richard has degrees from En’owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria Creative Writing (BFA), and the University of British Columbia Creative Writing (MA). Richard will make us laugh while sharing stories that bring together mathematics and Indigenous communities for living well.
Richard Van Camp’s presentation and follow-up discussion will prepare us for the May 21st Session 2 Igniting the Sparkle Circle Sharing Sessions and the importance of relations for sharing our work together.
Session 2: Igniting the Sparkle Circle Sharing Sessions (May 21; 3:30-5:00pm PT)
Jess Kyle
Jess is a settler living on the traditional unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlan, Semiahmoo and other Coast Salish Nations. With two decades of teaching experience and a current role as a Numeracy Helping Teacher in SD36 (Surrey), Jess is passionate about helping teachers create math communities where all learners see themselves as mathematicians and is committed to ongoing learning with and from the Indigenous people who have been the stewards of this land since time immemorial.
Jess has spent the past two years exploring the intersection of Indigenous Storywork and place-based math. This project uncovered rich mathematical potential within children’s curiosity about their surroundings by incorporating Indigenous territory story mats and traditional narratives such as the Sto:lo Sitel collection, The Legend of the White Rock (Semiahmoo) and others.
Jennifer Dionne
Jennifer is a non-Indigenous educator living on “The Land of the People of the Confluence of the River” (Lheidli T’enneh). She is currently the Numeracy Helping Teacher (K-12) for SD 57 (Prince George). Jennifer is passionate about encouraging teachers to include local Indigenous stories into their teaching practice and exploring how we can engage students to find math in these stories.
Jennifer shares how she and a classroom teacher connected elapsed time to The First Salmon Run; A Bear Cubs Adventure. Building on this experience she explored the “Indigenous Storywork Principles” of Responsibility and Reciprocity to encourage a group of teachers to include Indigenous stories in their practice. She briefly shares how the planning behind this project unfolded, some of the highlights that occurred, and some ideas that she hopes to develop further.
Megan H and Tamara Shand
Megan is from the Métis Nation. She works as an Indigenous Enhancement Teacher in the Vancouver School District on the territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). She is a mentor for the 2023-2024 Indigenous community-culture-math education (ICCME) mentorship group with UBC’s Indigenous Mathematics Education Network.
Tamara is a Masters student and educator working in the Vancouver School District on the territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). Her people hail from West Africa, India, China and Scotland via the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago.
Tamara and Megan have collaborated to implement Megan’s paper drum project in a Grade 1/2 classroom. Now in its second year, they continue to refine the project, providing appropriate mathematical scaffolding for young learners and exploring cross-cultural connections.
Nikki Lineham
Nikki is a settler math educator, math education consultant, co-founder of Educating Now living on the traditional territories of the lands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. She works with students and educators in BC, Alaska and Hawai’i. Nikki completed a postgraduate certificate in ethnomathematics at the University of Hawai’i in 2019 and is currently a PhD candidate at UVic studying culturally sustaining and revitalizing math pedagogy.
This presentation explores the application of ethnomathematics to enhance mathematics education. By connecting math to culture, place, and identity, students develop a deeper understanding of the subject’s relevance. Inspired by Hawaiian and Polynesian models, ethnomathematics initiatives have fostered multi-generational collaboration and knowledge sharing across the Pacific. A recent symposium brought together educators and students from Alaska, British Columbia, and Hawaii to cultivate relationships and identify local communities as hubs for Indigenous mathematical innovation.
Courtney Fox – (Aihpiyaaki)
Courtney (Aihpiyaaki) is an Indigenous educator from the Kainai (Blood) Reserve in Alberta. She has been working as a grade 7/8 mathematics teacher at the Tsuut’ina among other roles for eight years. She is currently completing her Master of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia. For the past seven years, she has embarked on a journey to tailor her math instruction for students on the Tsuut’ina Nation.
This session explores the small, yet impactful, ways she has begun integrating cultural elements and the Tsuut’ina language into everyday math lessons. She shares her current lessons, initiatives to encourage family and community involvement in student learning, and exciting possibilities for future growth in culturally responsive math instruction.
Matteo Tamburini and Kayshish Pichette-Cline
Matteo was born and raised near Florence, Italy. His father was Italian, and mother is a descendant of Irish settlers to the Dakotas. He lives in the traditional homeland of the Lhaq’temish and other Coast Salish people, in the city of Bellingham, Washington, and has been teaching Mathematics at Xwlemi Elh>Tal> Nexw Squl for over a decade.
Kayshish is from the Nooksack Tribe and Lummi Nation. She is currently enrolled in the mathematics program at Western Washington University (located in Bellingham, Washington) and is a Northwest Indigenous College Alumni, as well as been a math tutor at NWIC for 3 years.
Northwest Indian College’s Algebra curriculum explores Indigenous geometric patterns, recognizing a vast untapped resource. Inspired by earrings designed by Kayhish, they began to uncover the rich mathematical potential within Indigenous artwork. They share their journey and future directions.
Wendy Gautier, Jordan Hein, and Kristin Insull
Wendy teaches grade 5/6 in the town of Churchill, Manitoba–part of territory 5, traditional lands of the Dene, Cree, Inuit, and homeland of the Métis. She has been in Churchill for 14 years, and moved to Manitoba because of the teaching opportunities. She has taught in four different northern communities since moving to this province.
Jordan is a grade 4-5 classroom teacher who has returned to his hometown of Golden B.C in 2019. He lives, works, and learns on the traditional and unceded lands of the Ktunaxa and Sécwepemc peoples, and continues to explore the many fascinating ways that teachers can Indigenize how, why and what we are learning about.
Kristin is the District Vice Principal of Numeracy for Rocky Mountain School District No. 6, located on the traditional, unceded, and shared territory of the Ktunaxa and Sécwepemc peoples, and on land steeped in two centuries of rich Métis history. She brings over a decade of teaching and leadership in mathematics at the secondary level with the staff and students in School District 6 and beyond.
Wendy, Jordan, and Kristin have collaborated on a Numeracy Pen-Pal project connecting classrooms in Golden, BC, and Churchill, Manitoba. Students explored their environments through math, comparing landscapes and discussing location and land use. Inspired by Susan Close’s SMART Learning Sequences and Richard Van Camp’s book What the Most Beautiful Thing you Know About Horses?
Allison Higinbotham
Allison is a product of mixed-settler ancestry, born and raised on the traditional lands of the K’ómoks, Pentlatch and E’iksan in the Comox Valley. Today, she calls the lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples in Greater Victoria her home, where she lives, works, and engages in recreational activities. She has devoted 16 years of her career to teaching high school mathematics at St. Michaels University School (Grade 9-12), an international independent institution. She is currently enrolled in a Master of Education in Indigenous Education at the University of British Columbia.
Allison shares how her Foundations of Mathematics 12 course has undergone a transformative shift from traditional lecture-based learning to a student-centred, project-based approach. By integrating real-world applications in ecotourism and traditional root gardens, students are actively engaged in problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. This innovative curriculum fosters a deep connection to the land, promoting environmental stewardship and social responsibility while developing essential mathematical skills
Rob Cowie
Rob has been a District Indigenous Resource Teacher in SD43 (Coquitlam) for the past 12 years. He has developed a variety of curricula for all grades allowing teachers to find simple ways to integrate Indigenous ways of learning and content into their practice.
Rob and Gavin Hanna (SD43 STEAM) have worked closely with the Kwikwetlem Nation and Microsoft to develop the Minecraft world as a ‘Pacific NorthWest Coast Experience’. Journey back in time to a village located on the coast and assist Elders in sustainably harvesting resources before winter. Students are then challenged to create a village of their own once they have received the teachings from the Elders.
Annie Simard and Sandra Fox
Annie is a non-Indigenous educator learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) & səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). She is a Grade 3/4/5 teacher in Vancouver. Her ancestors are French and settled in Québec many generations ago.
Sandra is a non-Indigenous educator learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) & səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) for the Vancouver School Board. Her family originates from England, Scotland, and Norway. She works as a Curriculum Support Teacher K-7 with a math focus.
They share the work they have been doing for the past 3 years alongside their colleague Megan Hanna and other VSB teachers. Guided by Indigenous Storywork Principles, they have been looking at how connecting story and math might support students as mathematical explorers. Teachers have been exploring a variety of stories from Indigenous communities and authors and have been excited by the mathematical thinking the stories are sparking!
Lauraine Wakely
Lauraine is a non-Indignous teacher with Ascend Online School. She lives in Kamloops, British Columbia and is grateful to live on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory, situated within the unceded ancestral lands of the Secwépemc Nation. Lauraine’s heritage is Irish, and several of her family members are Metis and Cree. She has been fortunate to work and learn with the Little Red River Cree Nation in Northern Alberta. Her school, Ascend Online, is committed to Truth and Reconciliation and to the First Peoples Principles of Learning.
Lauraine shares her love of learning languages and strengthening communications and how she integrates Michif and Cree into her Elementary Math sessions to draw students into the math and ignite their interest in Indigenous culture.
Judith Koeller
Judith is a settler and has worked at the University of Waterloo in Ontario for over 20 years. UWaterloo is on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples. The Haldimand Tract is land that was promised and given to the Six Nations. As a member of the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing, Judith teaches mathematics and visits classrooms worldwide.
The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) developed “Problems with Purpose” in response to calls from Indigenous educators for more culturally relevant math resources. This collection of math problems for grades 4-12 explores real-world issues such as environmental sustainability and Indigenous language, aiming to make math learning more engaging and meaningful.
Brandi Price, Johanne Nielsen, & Rose Greene
Johanne Nielsen is Heiltsuk and comes from Bella Bella. She currently resides in Vancouver and has the honor of teaching as an Indigenous Literacy and Numeracy support teacher with the North Vancouver School District, on the unceded/stolen territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Brandi Price is of both Ligwildaxw and Kwakwaka’wakw descent. Her family comes from both Kingcome Inlet and Cape Mudge communities and she is a We Wai Kai band member and currently resides in Vancouver. She has been an Indigenous educator for 15 years and is currently an Indigenous Literacy & Numeracy teacher in the North Vancouver School District.
In collaboration with fellow teacher Brandi Price, they presented a Pro-D workshop that highlighted the many ways educators can incorporate First People’s worldviews and perspectives in various classroom settings by using authentic Indigenous storytelling resources. There’s a focus on literacy and numeracy for the elementary level, yet stories can also provide context for land-based teachings, Indigenous languages, cultural knowledge, relationships and identity at all levels.
Chelcy Ross, Monica Bergeron & Clay Cartie
Chelcy is of Dakelh, Cree, and European ancestry. She is the District Coordinator of Aboriginal Education in SD#73 and currently lives on the unceded territory of the Secwépemc nation, specifically the territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, in Secwepemcúl̓ecw.
Monica is the District Numeracy Coordinator for SD 73. She is honored to live, work and play on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory, situated within the unceded ancestral lands of the Secwépemc Nation. She was a middle and high school math and science teacher for over 20 years. She currently mentors teachers to incorporate both aboriginal education topics and interdisciplinary ideas into their curriculum.
Clay is a grade 6/7 teacher at Dallas Elementary which is located on the unceded territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc people who has been teaching for 12 years.
The task they are sharing was designed to highlight the numeracy cycle through the additional lens of First Peoples Principles of Learning. They wanted to incorporate big idea concepts from the grade 6 mathematics curriculum as well as curricular competency of communicating and representing. They wanted to design a measurement unit using Indigenous Storywork in which student’s voice was amplified as they assumed the role of permaculture Indigenous garden specialists!
