Anti-Indigenous Racism Training and Culturally Safe Learning: Theory, Practice, and Pedagogy

Anti-Indigenous racism is deeply and indelibly etched into the policies and practices which inform institutions and systems across Canada. Educational “spaces” can reproduce oppressive social structures without careful and critical pedagogical consideration. One of the ways to address racism toward and impacting Indigenous people is through anti-Indigenous racism education. We use the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training program as an example of anti-Indigenous racism training. We examine the relevance and shortcomings of antiracism and critical race theories in the context of anti-Indigenous racism, and explore the manifestations of anti-Indigenous racism in adult education environments. Indigenous cultural safety (ICS) gained increasing attention when cultural and intercultural competency was identified within the Calls to Action in the report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada as required training across sectors including health, education, justice, public services, business, and child welfare. The intent of ICS training is to ensure safe and equitable services and care, free of discrimination, to Indigenous people. Within the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training program, it was recognized that if anti-Indigenous racism educators are to effectively address racism and resistance, a set of core competencies of knowledge, self-awareness, and skills must be developed to support their work. We outline how the ICS pedagogical model was developed, and explore the ways in which Indigenous and non- Indigenous educators must confront and address personal triggers, resistance, emotionality, microaggressions, and everyday racism, and must assert Indigenous perspectives in the classroom. We also review the work that has been undertaken to research and unpack anti-Indigenous educator experiences and effective pedagogical approaches.